Thread: Australian Hospital Ship Centaur found.

That's great news can't wait for the pictures to come up, just hope it is the Centaur and not something else, wonder what the conspiracy theorists will say about this find.

AHS Centau "Roll of Honour"
From: Tweed Heads Historical Society - AHS Centaur

"Rest in Peace"


ROLL OF HONOUR


MERCHANT NAVY

Abbot, D. Grainger, R. Milligan, D.I. Alexander, G.M. Hall, H.R. Morris, A.J. Behan, T. Hart, R.F. Morris, T.V. Bowden, J.O. Hughes, T.S. Murray, G.A. Brandin, G. Kaki, L. Page, E.C. Buck, J.C. Laird, R.M. Pearl, S.O. Capper, J. Lamble, H.E. Pritchard, T.E. Carey, G.E.J. Le Blanc, J. Rayner, A. Clark, C. Lee, M.J. Siddons, F. Cockerhill, D. Lockhart, V. Simpson, E.B. Cuthill, W.D. Long, G.E. Spence, R.J. Downie, W.R. Longden, S. Strack, S.L. Fox, F.W. Lyons, J. Summers, E.J. Gallagher, J. MacLean, D.R. Sykes, K. Gannon, F.J. McKinnon, W.J. Warner, W.A.

SHIPS MEDICAL STAFF

Adams, M.L. Johnson, L.G. Ockwell, L.G. Aitchison, G.F. Kerr, J.A. O'Donnell, A.M. Burrett, W.E. King, E. O'Sullivan, J.C. Burroughs, S.P. Laverick, E.G. Perry, N.E. Clark, J.M. Law, R. Phillips, N.E. Clark, W.F.D. LeBrun, C.R. Rutherford, E.M. Clegg, P.L. McFarlane, M.H. Shaw, E.A Collins, L.F. McLean, N. Smellie, M.A. Cooke, A.J. Manson, C.P. Thomas, G.L. Cooley, G.G. Maynard, A.F. Walker, W. Haultain, H.F.J.C. Maynard, J.C. Williams, L.L. Hindmarsh, B.F. Melbom, E.E. Williams, M.A. Holland, L. Moore, D.W. Wyllie, D.J. Howson, A. Moss, L.J. Jewell, S.A. Moston, M.

2/12th FIELD AMBULANCE

Anderson, F.W.C. Fehrenbach, H.S. Lowe, H.H. Salmon, L.J. Annis-Brown, J. Findlay, R.W. Lucas, J. Sender, I.H. Annis-Brown, R. Fishwick, C.E. Lynagh, F.J. Skafte, L.R. Baily, W.H. Foley, S.D. Lynne, C.E. South, A.E. Barlow, T.D.H. Forrest, J.M. Lyttleton, S.F. Stanley, J.E, Barnes, W.E.C. Friedrich, V. McCaskie, T.E. Stephens, H.B. Bedkober, L.L. Garbutt, D.R. McDougall, W.O. Stevens, J.A. Benton, K.E. Garfit, W.D. McGuire, H.J. Stewart, J. Black, W.C. Geaghan, W.T. McKay, C.S. Stubbs, R.G. Blackman, R.McG. Goffett, C.A. McSkimming, S.G. Swan, L.R. Bladen, H.A. Gordon, C.T. Marshall, J.B. Swinburn, R. Bourchier, K.P. Gore, W.H. Miles, R.W. Taggart, J. Bowen, D.L. Gunning, A. Miley, T.H. Taylor, J. Boyd, A. Haynes, K.R. Miller, C.O. Thelander, C.E. Bracken, P.J. Hayward, C.E. Montgomery, C.G. Thomas, J.V. Bracken, J.W. Hembrow, J.H. Moran, J. O'N. Thompson, D.L. Brewer, B.W.H. Henderson, L.J. Mort, R.F. Thompson, H.W. Brown, A.V. Hewison, R.J. Mycock, F.J. Thorpe, J. Browne, J.McG. Hoare, J.W. Newell, E.L. Upton, G.H. Bush, G.R. Hodgkindon, N.A. Oakley, H.V. Vincent, E.C.M. Butt, W.J. Holloway, S.G. O'Brien, M.J. Walder, J.J. Carey, W.R. Jackman, V.M. O'Connor, R. Walker, N.L. Chadwick, L.N. Johnston, R.C. O'Neill, T.W. Wattus, E.O. Chapman, E.A. Johnston, S.R. Overett, H.H. West, W.C. Clark, L.S. Jones, G.R. Owens, E.L.V. Westendorf, R.H.G. Clark, N.S. Kemp, A.R. Perrett, E.R. Wheeler, N.E.W. Claydon, J.A. Key, J.J.R. Povey, A.R. Williams, A.H. Cripps, L.J. Lambert, C. Power, E.J. Williams, D.K. Cross, H.R.T. Le Grand, P.M.P. Reid, A. Williams, E.F. Cummings, M.H. Leask, A.R. Richardson, C. Wilson, A. Denne, F.J. Leask, H.M. Richardson, H.F. Wood, A. Doherty, J.P. Leask, H.H. Roberts, H.O. Wood, L.S. Donohoe, H.M. Lee, T.A. Robinson, C.M.S. Woods, C. Dutfield, C.C. Lesnie, N.M.G. Robinson, R.L. Wright, G. Fawcett, G. Loader, J.J.J.



ATTACHED PERSONNEL FROM AASC

Adams, A.T. Etheridge, G.R.G. Lawson, W.T. Sheard, H.E. Alexander, J.R. Evans, J.K. Lillas, R.L. Shepherd, G.P. Bayley, A.N. Evans, W.A. Long, A. Simpson, E.J. Bond, S.R. Ferrow, J.W. Lotze, E.L. Sweeney, S.E. Burns, W.R. Fortier, A.D. Lyneham, H.L. Thomas, A.K. Bush, G.F. Fortier, F.L. McGuire, C.P. Trigg, B.S. Cavanagh, R.C. Fowler, C.A. Mansfield, J.K. Westhorp, S.B. Colefax, B.D. Galvin, S.G. Murphy. G.G. Wilson, G.A.T. Colemane, W.J. Hayward, T.H. Pain, R.A. Winder, G.A. Collins, H.S. Hogan, K.F. Palmer, V.A. Winterflood, A.A.

Fantastic news indeed. Can't wait to see pics.

I can't prove it yet as I've lost the links and stuff , but possibly their were Infantry with SMLE 303's on board, the rifles & Ammo were ordered to be packed at bottom of hold.
If this is true then it makes the centaur a legit target to any enemy.

Originally Posted by Cobber

I can't prove it yet as I've lost the links and stuff , but possibly their were Infantry with SMLE 303's on board, the rifles & Ammo were ordered to be packed at bottom of hold.
If this is true then it makes the centaur a legit target to any enemy.

I don't know if we are on the same track however the open version that I am aware of is this:

Ambulance drivers attached to the 2/12th Ambulance did attempt to bring their rifles and ammunition with them onto the ship.

The master and the Chief Medical Officer would not allow them to bring the arms aboard. The crew then thought that there may have been other soldiers and munitions and/or military supplies on board so they searched the "holds" of the ship and found nothing.

Then official confirmation was received that the drivers (under the Hague Convention 1907 Article?????) permitted to carry weapons and ammunition to "to control good order and the defence of the wounded".

Do you have a different version?

Cheers

Geoff

It wasn't unusual for hostital ships in WW1 to be carrying empty shel cases back home for refilling, making them viable military targets, any chance the Centaur was doing the same?

I'm just looking forward to the underwater footage to confirm it.

Lets face it on any ship there is going to be war supplies of some sort it depends on how far you want to go does 50 rifles really count as war supplies as an example?
Cheers Tony

The major point here is that the Japanese Sub commander fired without warning and any possible evidence that their could have been any contraband supplies on board the Centaur,

This is the same little murdering bas***d that ordered his men to machine gun the survivors in the water of the British Chivalry and others after he sank them in the Indian Ocean. He only received four years for that but should have been hung.

This was a quote from a Japanese historian:

Kanemi Sakamoto a Japanese historian, pointed out in 1981 that although the official record acknowledged that the Centaur was a protected ship, this was not to say that the submarine Captain Hajime Nakagawa, knew that at the time.

Please give me a break! He needed to be told a ship with big Red Crosses was a hospital ship!

They also say that spies may have seen the soldiers and advised the sub the course of the ship so he could sink it. What does not fit here is that the Captain of Centaur altered course after he left port as he was given the course for Merchant vessels. This makes this theory another one for the waste paper basket.

In February 1944, while in command of (I-37) Nakagawa ordered the machine gunning of survivors from three British merchant vessels torpedoed by the submarine; British Chivalry on 22 February, Sutlej on 24 February, and Ascott on 29 February. His defence, that he was acting under orders from Vice Admiral Shiro Takasu was not accepted, and he was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Sugamo Prison as a Class B war criminal. These incidents showed that Nakagawa was willing to ignore the Laws of War.

Cheers

Geoff