In 1943, the coastal waters off Deception Bay were a battleground – the site of Australia’s worst loss from a WWII submarine attack. At 4.10am on May 14, a Japanese submarine torpedoed the AHS Centaur, an Australian hospital ship, killing 268 medical and nursing personnel.
Registered with the enemy as a hospital ship, the Centaur was a converted merchant vessel on its third mercy mission to Port Moresby to evacuate sick and wounded soldiers. The torpedo hit the ship’s port side, exploding the fuel tanks. Fire engulfed the ship, and the superstructure collapsed, sinking the vessel east of Moreton Island in approximately three minutes.
Sister Ellen Savage was the only nurse out of 12 Australian nurses aboard to survive. When the torpedo struck, she donned her life jacket and jumped into a sea of burning oil. Entangled in ropes, she sustained multiple injuries when the ship dragged her underwater as it went down. Along with others, she scrambled to the surface and clung to floating debris that once formed part of the Centaur’s wheelhouse.
Authorities remained oblivious to the survivors’ plight for over 56 hours, as no distress signal had been sent before the ship went down. With sharks circling and nudging their makeshift raft, Sister Savage organised sing-alongs to keep up spirits. In recognition of this example of “high courage and fortitude,” she received the George Medal in 1944 – only the second Australian woman to be awarded the honour.
Discovery and Remembrance
After drifting at sea for over two days, 64 survivors were rescued when an Australian Air Force Plane spotted them and radioed the USS Mugford, an American destroyer patrolling the area.
News of the attack on a clearly marked and illuminated hospital ship sparked national outrage and triggered calls to “Avenge the Nurses.”
“Even as the ship went down the red crosses were brightly illuminated,” Centaur survivor Ron Murt said.
For 66 years, the Centaur’s final resting place remained unknown until a search led by David Mearns in December 2009 uncovered the wreck. The ship was found lying at a depth of over 2000 metres, 93 kilometres east of today’s memorial along Captain Cook Parade, Deception Bay. Officials have declared the shipwreck site a protected war grave.
Featured image: Australian Hospital Ship Centaur | Image courtesy of City of Moreton Bay, ref number MBPC-0002.jpg
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