What happened to the Centaur ship?
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What happened to the Centaur ship?
Australian Hospital Ship (AHS) Centaur was a hospital ship which was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on 14 May 1943. Of the 332 medical personnel and civilian crew aboard, 268 died, including 63 of the 65 army personnel.
Where did the Centaur ship sank?
Moreton Island
Today is the 63rd anniversary of the sinking of the 2/3rd Australian Hospital Ship (AHS) Centaur. On 14 May 1943 Centaur was en route from Sydney to Cairns when she was sunk by a Japanese submarine south of Moreton Island, off the Queensland coast. From the 332 people on board, only 64 survived.
Why did the Japanese sink the Centaur?
The Centaur had been hit by a torpedo fired from Submarine 1-177 commanded by Lieutenant Commander Nakagawa. This much was admitted in the official Japanese war history published in 1979. The sinking seems to have been Nakagawa’s decision as commander and not the result of any official policy.
When was the Centaur bombed?
14 May 1943
At 4 am on 14 May 1943 the brightly-lit Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was torpedoed and sunk off Stradbroke Island. In this renegade act, 268 lives were lost with the Centaur, more than from any other Japanese torpedo attack in Australian waters during the war.
Was the sinking of the Centaur a war crime?
However, the Japanese official war history makes clear that it was submarine 1-177, under the command of Lt Commander Nakagawa who had sunk the Centaur. Lt Commander Nakagawa was convicted as a war criminal for firing on survivors of the British Chivalry which his ship had sunk in the Indian Ocean.
How long did it take for the Centaur to sink?
At 0415 hrs it was struck by a torpedo fired from a Japanese submarine and sank within minutes of the attack, with heavy loss of life. Of Centaur’s compliment of 332, only 30 of the crew and 34 army medical staff survived.
What happened to the Centaur ww2?
It was sunk without warning by a torpedo from a Japanese submarine on 14 May 1943 at approximately 0400 hours, its position being approximately 27°17′ S, 153°58′ E about 50 miles east north-east of Brisbane. Of the 332 persons on board, only 64 survived.
Did the Germans sink a Red Cross ship at Dunkirk?
No Hospital Ship was Sunk at Dunkirk The most outrageous inaccuracy is the depiction of a Hospital ship being sunk at Dunkirk! Sinking of Hospital ships is a serious war crime.
What is the biggest loss of life at sea?
The 1987 loss of the Philippine ferry Doña Paz, with an estimated 4,386 dead, is the largest peacetime loss recorded.
