When the Sydney Swans take on West Coast on Friday the teams will pause to honour the memory of those who died when HMAS Sydney II was lost in World War II.

November 19, 2021 marked 80 years since 645 young men died when their ship was sunk off the coast of Western Australia in 1941, in what remains Australia’s greatest naval tragedy.

The Round 5 clash will see the Swans and the Eagles play for the HMAS Sydney II Commemorative Trophy, while the player judged best on ground will receive the perpetual Gun Shell Gallantry Trophy.

Much celebrated for successful battles in the Mediterranean, Sydney had returned to Australia in February 1941, receiving a hero’s welcome.

The ship was then tasked with escorting troop ships to South East Asia, and it was on one of these return voyages, about 180 kilometres west of Shark Bay in Western Australia, that Sydney encountered German naval raider Kormoran.

The Kormoran was disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel, and unaware, Sydney approached, before being fired upon.

The fate of Sydney and her crew remained a mystery until she was found on March 16, 2008, at a depth of 2500 metres, sitting upright on the ocean floor. The discovery finally offered some closure to families on the devastating loss.

The Swans represent HMAS Sydney’s home port and the Eagles symbolise the ship’s final resting place.

The annual fixture, which has been played between the two sides since 2010, was established as an initiative of the AFL, the Finding Sydney Foundation and the Royal Australian Navy.