Joseph Burnett

Joseph Burnett
Burnett on the bridge of HMAS Sydney
Born	(1899-12-26)26 December 1899 Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
Died	19 November 1941(1941-11-19) (aged 41) HMAS Sydney, Indian Ocean, off Carnarvon, Western Australia
Place of burial	At sea
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Navy Royal Navy
Years of service	1917–1941
Rank	Captain
Commands held	HMAS Sydney
Battles/wars	World War I World War II * Battle between HMAS Sydney and HSK Kormoran

Joseph Burnett (26 December 1899 – 19 November 1941) was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officer most widely known as the captain of the light cruiser HMAS Sydney in the battle between HMAS Sydney and HSK Kormoran on 19 November 1941. He fought in both World War I and World War II, serving in the RAN and the Royal Navy (RN), and went down with the Sydney off the coast of Western Australia.

The loss of the Sydney was significant for two main reasons. First, it represented the loss of one third of all RAN officers and sailors who died during World War II in a single engagement—and not far from Australian soil, at that. Second, great mystery surrounded its loss. There had been no Australian survivors, and so it was not clear how or why a warship had been in a position to be sunk by a less well-armed merchant raider. As commander of the Sydney, Burnett bore primary responsibility for the ship and its crew, so he was an obvious target for criticism. Investigations into the ship's sinking have tried to examine his apparent decisions in the period leading up to the battle.

Regardless of the events of that day, Burnett was viewed as a good man and competent commander by his peers. His sons both pursued naval careers and served in the RAN. Following a successful search for the Sydney and Kormoran that located both wrecks in 2008, controversy surrounding Burnett's command arose again. His younger son, retired Commodore Rory Burnett, has defended him through various public statements.

Burnett was born on 26 December 1899 in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia. He was the second son of Richard Burnett and Emily Burnett (née Adams), and the grandson of William Burnett, a blacksmith from Cornwall who had emigrated to New South Wales in 1859. He attended Singleton Primary School, where he demonstrated both academic and sporting ability.

Burnett's father died when he was just seven years old, and it is possible that the boy was attracted to the newly formed Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) by the possibility of a free education, as well as adventure. On 31 December 1912, he entered the RANC in Geelong, becoming one of its first entrants as a Cadet Midshipman. He graduated as a Midshipman from the RANC on 1 January 1917.