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Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine off North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia, on 14 May 1943, killing the majority of those on board. She had been launched in 1924 as a combination passenger liner/freighter, operating between Western Australia and Singapore. Following her early-1943 conversion to a hospital ship, Centaur served as a medical transport between New Guinea and Australia. Before dawn on 14 May 1943, while on her second voyage, Centaur was torpedoed. Of the 332 medical personnel and civilian crew aboard, 268 died; the 64 survivors had to wait for 36 hours before they were rescued. The incident resulted in public outrage as attacking a hospital ship was considered a war crime under the 1907 Hague Convention. Protests were made by the Australian and British governments to Japan. Despite this, it was not until the 1970s that identity of the attacking submarine, I-177, became public. The reason for the attack is unknown, and the events surrounding the sinking of Centaur are controversial because she may have been in breach of the international conventions that should have protected her. The wreck was found in 2009. (Full article...)
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