Owen Gun goes to Sea Part 4 ?
This is another draft chapter from the Owen Gun Book, the finished chapters will be printed in the book. These electronic chapters are from a different part of the book and will keep changing (growing I hope) with the contributions and discovery of further information. If you have any information to contribute or criticisms please email owenguns@spiderweb.com.au as none of these articles are finalised. Ron Owen
Stain Glass Window to commemorate those who lost their lives in the sinking of the Centaur.
Following Japan’s entry into World War II, it became clear that the three hospital ships currently serving Australia—Manunda, Wanganella, and Oranje—would not be able to operate in the shallow waters typical of Maritime South East Asia, so a new hospital ship would be required. Of the Australian Merchant Navy vessels able to operate in this region, none were suitable for conversion to a hospital ship, and a request to the British Ministry of Shipping placed Centaur at the disposal of the Australian military on 4 January 1943. The conversion work began on 9 January and Centaur was commissioned as an Australian Hospital Ship on 1st March. Data on the ship’s identifying markings and the layout of features such as funnel and masts was provided to the International Committee of the Red Cross during the first week of February 1943, who passed this on to the Japanese on 5th of February. This information was also circulated and promoted by the press and media.
The Centaur pre her Hospital ship refit.
At the beginning of 1943, Centaur was placed at the disposal of the Australian Department of Defence for conversion to a hospital ship. The conversion was performed by United Ship Services in Melbourne. During her conversion, Centaur was painted with the markings of a hospital ship as detailed in Article 5 of the 10th section of the Hague Convention of 1907; white hull with a green band interspersed by three red crosses on each flank of the hull, white superstructure, multiple large red crosses positioned so that the ship’s status would be visible from both sea and air, and the identification number 47 on her bows. At night, the markings were illuminated by a combination of internal and external lights.
The early stages of Centaur’s first voyage as a hospital ship were test and transport runs; the initial run from Melbourne to Sydney resulted in the Master, Chief Engineer, and Chief Medical Officer composing a long list of defects requiring attention. It is reported that, to maintain the ship’s mean draught of 6.1 metres (20 ft), 900 kilograms (2,000 lb) of ironstone were distributed through the cargo holds as ballast. The ship was diverted to Port Kembla to load the ballast. What difference less than a ton of ballast would make to a ship of this size is a very important question and why call in at Port Kembla to only load 2000 pound (900kg) it might change the height in the back of a 4 wheel drive but would not make any difference to a ship of a Gross 2469 tons and over 300 ft long.
The Centaur after her transformation to a Hospital Ship.
Following repairs, she conducted a test run, transporting wounded servicemen from Townsville to Brisbane to ensure that she was capable of fulfilling the role of a medical vessel. Arriving in Sydney on 8 May 1943, Centaur was re-provisioned at Darling Harbour, before departing for Cairns, Queensland on 12 May 1943. From there, her destination was again New Guinea. On board at the time were 74 crew, 8 Army officers, 12 female Army nurses, 45 other Army personnel, 192 soldiers from the 2/12th Field Ambulance, and 1 Torres Strait ship pilot. Most of the female nurses had transferred from the hospital ship Oranje, while the male Army personnel assigned to the ship aboard were all medical staff. During the loading process there was an incident when the ambulance drivers attached to the 2/12th attempted to bring their rifles and personal supplies of ammunition aboard. The story is, that this met with disapproval from Centaur’s Master and Chief Medical Officer, and raised concerns amongst the crew and wharf labourers that Centaur would be transporting military supplies or commandos to New Guinea: the rifles were not allowed onboard until Centaur’s Master received official reassurance that the ambulance drivers were allowed to carry weapons under the Hague Convention (specifically Article 8), as they were used “for the maintenance of order and the defence of the wounded.”
Note para 6 Col English is a survivor. Yet he is missing from the Ships Embarkation list and the ships final list of of survivors. The list gets changed by the Government and every time another 20 men go namelessly missing. What happened to Col English?
Was the attack by the Captain of the Japanese Submarine on the Centaur justified, or was it an inexcusable war crime? The Japanese Army and to a lesser extent the Air Force were known for their disregard of the Conventions and prisoners of war, but the Navy had a much better reputation. If the Centaur had broken the Hague or Geneva Conventions by carrying prohibited personnel or armaments and the Japanese knew about this, then the Centaur was a legitimate war target. If it did not carry those prohibited people or armaments, or if it did but the Japanese did not know about it, then it must be considered a protected vessel. German Submarines sank and attacked many British Hospital Ships in World War One, such as the Britannic and the Olympic (both sister ships of the Titanic). In every instance they blamed the British for using them for carrying soldiers and munitions. To send them unprotected was always a calculated risk for the Government but they did not have to sail in them.
Again Col English is first on the USS Mugford survivor list. Why was he missing on the final list. Why was he missing from the Ships Embarkation list? What happened to the Colonels men?
Was the Centaur carrying forbidden personnel or weapons?
The Centaur was loaded in Sydney on 10 May to sail to Cairns, and then on to Port Moresby in Papua to then bring back wounded from the battles of Buna, Gona and Sanananda. During the War the Japanese would not acknowledge responsibility for the sinking. However, at the time, and since, there have been articles and stories that it was loaded in a way that was in breach of the Hague and Geneva Conventions and which would have made it a legitimate war target.
There was no problem with the new crew of merchant seamen (civilians who had signed up for six months at a time to run the ship), or the medical staff (doctors and orderlies from the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, and nurses from the Australian Army Nursing Service). There was, however, some doubt about the loading of the members of the 2/12th Field Ambulance unit bound for New Guinea. A field ambulance unit’s role was to provide front-line medical support to the fighting troops. They were non-combatants, but ambulance drivers could carry personal weapons to protect their vehicle and the wounded they were carrying in an emergency situation.
These are the two pages which list the 64 survivors. Where is Col English in this list. Where did they lose him??
When this unit arrived at the dock to board, the ambulance drivers were carrying 52 rifles and 2000 rounds of ammunition personal weapons allowed for the protection of their ambulance vehicles. The captain of the ship supposedly questioned the legality of those weapons under the Conventions, but was satisfied that they were acceptable, provided that they were stored in the cargo hold for the trip.
What else was in the cargo hold?
There were many rumours at the time that there were automatic weapons hidden on the ship, that spies could have learned of these ‘breaches’ and contacted Japan. A 1944 War Crimes inquiry did not investigate any breaches by the Centaur of the Hague Conventions with its personnel and cargo, it only took evidence on the sinking by a Japanese Submarine and stated that this was a contravention of the Hague conventions. Over the years survivors have claimed that these breaches were real and factual and that the Australian High Command were fully aware of the chance they were taking with other peoples lives..
An Army file in the Australian Archives contains a report of comments allegedly made by a pro-Japanese Red Cross representative that he knew positively that the Centaur was carrying personnel and equipment in contravention of the Red Cross conventions, and that this was known to the Japanese.
Radiographer Sgt Dick Metcalf helped store weapons aboard the Centaur. Yet now says, these weapons were the .303 rifles of ambulance drivers, permitted under the Convention. He reported that there were 4,000 rounds of ammunition not 2000 for the rifles. Either way 4000 or 2000 its not very much only a couple of cases. Sgt Metcalf would not have known what was stored in the four cargo holds and would only have given evidence on what he personally saw and what firearms his Field Ambulance unit had on board.
Sgt Dick Metcalf said, “There were no Commandos, bombs or Bren guns. ‘Captain Hindmarsh told me to put the rifles in the bottom of number one hold, between the mattresses, to avoid any chance of trouble and that’s where they are to this day. But in wartime rumours are rife.’ When your in the Army, you know the men in your company or unit, you may even know some men in your regiment, but when you embark on board a ship or train, with other troops, you have no way of knowing whose who, or where they are from within a day and a half. Commandos could be crew members or other members of another unit. Even if you asked them, they more than likely would not tell you. It takes time, and Sgt Dick Metcalf would not have had time to investigate in the day and a half between Sydney and when the Ship sank. He made no comment and was not asked what was in the other 3 cargo holds, his unit of 192 men only had 8 tons of equipment on board.
Why between mattresses, one might ask?
In August 1988 a member of the 2/15th Australian Field Company (Engineers) told a magazine reporter that he had helped load ammunition on the Centaur. He said soldiers worked through the night loading the ship ‘almost to the gunnels’ with cases of ammunition, rifles and machine guns.
One of the above claims could be shown to be probably mistaken, but the existence of a secret file concerning the Centaur held in the Australian Archives, not to be opened until 100 years after the sinking, has provided much more fuel for this continued doubt and suspicion. The Archives that are available raise far more questions than they answer, in fact they do not answer any questions. Here are just a few.
Australian Archives
MP 1185/8 Department CA 2456, Navy Office (III) to 1939: CA 38, Navy (II), Navy Office (III): Secret and Confidential Correspondence Files Multiple Number Series, 1923-1950
file: 2026/13/1858 “Sinking of Hospital Ship ‘Centaur’.”
04)Memorandum (ref. 031814) 16 May ’43 from F. G. Cummins, Secretary, Dept. Navy, Melbourne to Secretary, Defence Dept. – Ref. 031812 report of sinking and rescue by Mugford including list of survivors – a Col. English AAMC is mentioned.
(This supports the story of the extra 20 ‘Commando’s’ or personnel on board as it noticed that the revised figures issued which are short of 20 personnel specifically states that the NON COMBATANTS are 322 and the previous number of ships complement was 352. Why was Col English not on the embarkation list and missing from the list of Survivors. Did they put him back in the water with nineteen other men or was there more unlisted survivors?)
08)Minute Paper 16 May ’43 Hospital Ship “Centaur”: Additional Report from S.O.(I) (Staff Officer – Intelligence) Brisbane Report. Master chose route of own making rather than the assigned Green Route. (Dept. of Navy 2026/13/1653)
13)Navy message (17 May ’43 T.O.O. 171811Z) To Admiralty A.C.N.B. from B.A.D. Washington – From First Sea Lord…Chiefs of Staff…are of opinion that every means should be taken to suppress publication of this as a temporary measure. (2) Request you do all you can to prevent publication. (Passed to Com 7th. Fleet). (Dept. of Navy 2026/13/1653)
Every Means To Suppress the Publication of the Circumstances. Why?
Why or what had to be suppressed and prevented from publication? The Chiefs of Staff were hot to keep something very quite.
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