<semantic quibble> They didn't sacrifice their lives. They were clobbered. If they could have avoided it they would have.
On a personal note my father in law served on the Sydney. He was bomb happy after their tour in the Med where they were dive bombed by Stukas over and over again. When they finally got back to Sydney (the town) he was posted ashore. Their very next voyage was the last one.
He's still going strong, only recently moved into a retirement home.