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A.H.S. Centaur MemorialPrint Page 
The park commemorates those who were killed in the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur during World War Two. They were opened in 1968 by the Premier, Sir Frank Nicklin, and dedicated by Reverend Alcorn, Naval Chaplain.
New plaques were added on 14 May 1993, the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Centaur.
On 14 May 1943 the Australian Hospital Ship "Centaur" was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine 10 miles east of Cape Moreton. There were no patients on board but 229 crew and medical personnel lost their lives, while 64 survivors were rescued after 36 hours in the sea. Sister Savage , the only nurse of 12 to survive, described her ordeal, at first being sucked into a terrific whirlpool with the sinking ship which caused fractures and bruises.
On Remembrance Day 1995 Mrs Leneen Forde, Governor of Queensland, opened a walkway leading from Centaur Park to the main war memorial. Personal tributes are embedded along the edge of the walkway and also plaques to service personnel who served from World War One to Vietnam.
Note : Monument Australia believe the original plaque unveiled in 1968 is held by the Landsborough Museum
Location
| Address: | Esplanade, Centaur Park, Wickham Point, Caloundra, 4551 |
|---|---|
| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -26.80283 Long: 153.14679 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Park |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 14-May-1943 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 14-May-1943 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1968 |
|---|
Centaur Park
This park has been dedicated by the Rotary Club of Caloundra to the memory of those gallant members of the Australian Army Nursing Service, the Australian Army Medical Corps and the Merchant Marine who lost their lives in the sinking of the hospital ship Centaur
At approximately 4.10 A.M. on Friday May 14th 1943, the Centaur was torpedoed by an enemy submarine south east of Cape Moreton.
Of the 332 person on board only 64 survived.
May they rest in peace
