Australian Military Books relating to RAN Australian Navy World War Two. The Australian Navy played a major roll in defending Australia from the Japanese advance during WW2. In November 1941, all 645 men on board HMAS Sydney were lost when she was sunk by the German raider Kormoran. Disaster continued into 1942 which is considered the ‘blackest’ period for the RAN. In 1942, the Australian Navy suffered the loss of 3 larger ships, HMAS Canberra, Yarra and Perth along with Vampire, Kuttabul, Voyager and Armidale.