Memorial plaque placed on Centaur
- On 11/01/2010
- In World War Wrecks
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By Andrew fraser From -The Australian
A brass memorial plate was placed on the AHS Centaur early today, despite the ship being classified as a war grave, after a special permit was granted in record time to override the Historic Shipwrecks Act.
The state of the ocean floor has led to some problems with laying a memorial to the hospital ship, which has been two kilometres beneath the waves for more than 66 years after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during World War II.
The brass plate was blessed at a service in Sydney three weeks ago attended by members of the Centaur Association, and originally the intent was to place the plate on the ocean floor beside the wreck.
But when ship hunter David Mearns, who located the Centaur earlier this month, lowered an identical plate to the ocean floor it promptly sank into the mud.
On Sunday night the Queensland government urgently contacted its federal counterpart to see if the plate could be placed on the ship itself.
Australia japan WW II treasure hunter Moreton Island
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