David Mearns who found HMAS Sydney is keen to find the wreck of the Australian hospital ship Centaur before ANZAC Eve 2009.
David told us that he would like to find the Centaur before Port Adelaide’s major ANZAC event Light on the Water on April 24 commemorates her sinking.
Adelaide school students will make 3000 cardboard candle-lit lifeboats that will float on the Port River to honour those where lost when the Centaur was torpedoed and sunk off Queensland in 1943.
In an interview with Sydney Morning Herald writer Jonathan Dart, David said the task was feasible so long as there was funding.
David Mearns, the world-renowned shipwreck hunter said he has conducted preliminary research on the Centaur and said it would be easier to find than the Sydney and the Kormoran.
He said the only barriers to finding the Centaur were a lack of money and political will.
"On the basis of what I've seen of her, I believe she's findable," he said.
"The information, even at this preliminary stage, is better than what I had to deal with in locating … Kormoran and Sydney.
"I think the water depth isn't a barrier; I don't think there are any environmental problems.
But how it's organised, who funds it - those are all big questions."
Nurses also lost their lives
In the hall of memory at the Australian War Memorial, the large mosaic commemorating the Australian service women of World War II includes the figure of a Greek mythological beast sinking into the sea.
Some say it is the Centaur.
It is the only reference in the hall to a specific event in any of the wars in which Australians have fought.
It reminds us that, like soldiers, sailors, airmen and merchant seamen, in war Australian nurses also lost their lives.
This ship symbolises the courage of Australian women in war and reminds us of all Australians who served in war and have no graves but the sea.
Sister Ellen Savage was asleep in her bunk when the Centaur collapsed around her:
Merle Morton and myself were awakened by two terrific explosions and practically thrown out of bed.
I registered mentally that it was a torpedo explosion.
In that instant the ship was in flames ... we ran into Colonel Manson, our commanding officer, in full dress even to his cap and 'Mae West' life jacket, who kindly said 'That's right girlies, jump for it now.'
The first words I spoke was to say 'Will I have time to go back for my great-coat?' as we were only in our pyjamas.
He said 'No' and with that climbed the deck and jumped and I followed, the ship was commencing to go down. It all happened in three minutes.
The suction of the sinking Centaur dragged Sister Savage down into a whirlpool of moving metal and wood.
Here her ribs, nose and palate were broken, her eardrums perforated and she sustained multiple bruises. Then she was propelled to the surface in the middle of an oil slick.
Sister Savage found her way to a raft that was part of the Centaur's wheelhouse.
During the 36 hours on this makeshift raft, Sister Savage gave whatever medical care she could to survivors despite being badly injured herself.
Sister Savage was the only nurse to survive. For her courage and inspiring behaviour during this period Sister Savage was awarded the George Medal.
The 332 people aboard the Centaur's last voyage had ranged in age from 15 to 67.
Most were Australian, with some English, Scots, and individuals from Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Norway and Canada.
Among those aboard were at least eight sets of brothers, including one set of three, and all perished.
There were also the usual stories of good luck and bad luck.
People who should have been aboard but were not, and others who were not supposed to be on board that fateful voyage but joined the ship at the last minute.
When the last survivor had been rescued from the water and the final tally was done, there were only 64 people of the original 332 alive.
Group
Dead Saved Total
Merchant crew (civilian sailors who signed on for six months at a time)
45 30 75
Ship's medical staff (Members of the Australian Army, males in the Medical Corps, females in the Nursing Service)
44 20 64
2/12th Field Ambulance
138 11 149
Attached Australian Army Service Corps
41 3 44
Why did the crew and the medical staff have the lowest rate of deaths?
Largely it was because of the grim geography of death.
The crew knew the ship well, and were quartered at the front and rear ends and below decks.
Some were on duty, or had only recently come off duty and were not fully asleep.
The medical staffs were also either forward or aft, and on the lower decks.
The Field Ambulance and attached Service Corps soldiers were mainly in the middle hospital ward area, right where the torpedo hit.
Story and photos the Centaur and Sister Ellen Savage in a hospital bed ashore from the Australian War Memorial
www.awm.gov.au/
