Hello and welcome to the website for the television documentary film: Centaur — Death of a Hospital Ship.
This site has been created to heighten awareness and bring attention to the documentary film which was originally produced in 1993 by Greenapple Media at the time of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Centaur. The documentary was completely remade and released on DVD in 2009 just prior to the discovery of the remains of the ship in December that year.
Centaur — Death of a Hospital Ship, is unique as it is the only film ever made which is comprised principally of interviews with those who survived the tragedy when the vessel was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland coast in May 1943. 268 non-combatants were killed including doctors, nurses, ambulance-drivers, crew and orderlies.
During the Second World War a total of forty-one ships were sunk in Australian waters due to enemy action. The Centaur was the only hospital ship to be sunk. At 4.10 on the morning of May 14, 1943, the Japanese submarine I-177 torpedoed and sank the Centaur. The captain of the submarine, Hajime Nakagawa was never punished for this war crime.
This film is a powerful account of the tragedy and follows events from the time the ship left Sydney until its eventual destruction. The film’s writer/director, Dr Tony Matthews, interviewed almost all the survivors who were still alive in 1993 and all of those people have since died. These interviewees were able to provide, for the first time, a full and accurate
account of what happened to the ship from the terrifying and fatal moment when the torpedo struck. The memories of these survivors are powerful and emotive.
Those who survived the blast and resulting fire aboard the Centaur were thrown into shark-infested waters where many more soon died. Some were drowned and others taken by sharks. The remainder were rescued almost thirty-six hours later by the American warship U.S.S. Mugford. The film’s producers have even included a detailed interview with Bill Records, a
seaman aboard the Mugford at that time. Bill tells of the moment the warship’s crew found the Centaur survivors floating in the water covered with fuel-oil and surrounded by sharks. He also tells of the Mugford’s captain’s fears that his vessel could have been torpedoed by the same Japanese submarine. It speaks volumes for the bravery of some of those American seamen who unhesitatingly dived into the water to assist the severely weakened Centaur survivors despite the menacing presence of sharks.
The producers of the film, Tony and Lensie Matthews, have, additionally, located and interviewed some of the nursing staff who cared for the survivors once they had been taken to Brisbane. In the film the former
nurses talk of the great suffering and agony of those who survived but they also speak of the grit, courage and determination of the survivors who had faced almost certain death had they not been found.
Almost all the images included on this website were actually taken from the documentary film.
A short video ‘trailer’ of the film may be seen on at the following address:
https://vimeo.com/61476928
For further information on the many DVDs and books written by Tony Matthews please see his webpage:
http://drtonymatthews.weebly.com
This site has been created to heighten awareness and bring attention to the documentary film which was originally produced in 1993 by Greenapple Media at the time of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Centaur. The documentary was completely remade and released on DVD in 2009 just prior to the discovery of the remains of the ship in December that year.
Centaur — Death of a Hospital Ship, is unique as it is the only film ever made which is comprised principally of interviews with those who survived the tragedy when the vessel was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland coast in May 1943. 268 non-combatants were killed including doctors, nurses, ambulance-drivers, crew and orderlies.
During the Second World War a total of forty-one ships were sunk in Australian waters due to enemy action. The Centaur was the only hospital ship to be sunk. At 4.10 on the morning of May 14, 1943, the Japanese submarine I-177 torpedoed and sank the Centaur. The captain of the submarine, Hajime Nakagawa was never punished for this war crime.
This film is a powerful account of the tragedy and follows events from the time the ship left Sydney until its eventual destruction. The film’s writer/director, Dr Tony Matthews, interviewed almost all the survivors who were still alive in 1993 and all of those people have since died. These interviewees were able to provide, for the first time, a full and accurate
account of what happened to the ship from the terrifying and fatal moment when the torpedo struck. The memories of these survivors are powerful and emotive.
Those who survived the blast and resulting fire aboard the Centaur were thrown into shark-infested waters where many more soon died. Some were drowned and others taken by sharks. The remainder were rescued almost thirty-six hours later by the American warship U.S.S. Mugford. The film’s producers have even included a detailed interview with Bill Records, a
seaman aboard the Mugford at that time. Bill tells of the moment the warship’s crew found the Centaur survivors floating in the water covered with fuel-oil and surrounded by sharks. He also tells of the Mugford’s captain’s fears that his vessel could have been torpedoed by the same Japanese submarine. It speaks volumes for the bravery of some of those American seamen who unhesitatingly dived into the water to assist the severely weakened Centaur survivors despite the menacing presence of sharks.
The producers of the film, Tony and Lensie Matthews, have, additionally, located and interviewed some of the nursing staff who cared for the survivors once they had been taken to Brisbane. In the film the former
nurses talk of the great suffering and agony of those who survived but they also speak of the grit, courage and determination of the survivors who had faced almost certain death had they not been found.
Almost all the images included on this website were actually taken from the documentary film.
A short video ‘trailer’ of the film may be seen on at the following address:
https://vimeo.com/61476928
For further information on the many DVDs and books written by Tony Matthews please see his webpage:
http://drtonymatthews.weebly.com