Strange serendipity

Today, the stories of HMAS Sydney (II), HSK Kormoran and AHS Centaur are relatively well-known, their actions and fates during the Second World War ensuring their place in Australia’s military and naval history. Less well known, however, is the Bagley-class destroyer USS Mugford, which played a role in their joint story. The tangential links and strange coincidences represented by Mugford created a legacy that can be seen in the Memorial’s collection today.

During the early years of the Second World War, Sydney gained notoriety for its service in the Mediterranean, during which she sank two Italian warships. On 19 November 1941, however the light cruiser was sunk off the West Australian coast by HSK Kormoran, a German raider. The loss of Sydney with 645 crew shocked the country. However, its final act was to critically damage Kormoran, which also sank, restoring some semblance of equilibrium.

Survivors of Kormoran were rescued by the British Merchant Navy ship Centaur, which took them on a less than hospitable tow via Carnavon to Fremantle. Centaur continued to operate in Australian waters and in January 1943 entered service as a hospital ship. Its paintwork was updated and its change of designation communicated to ally and enemy, as per wartime protocol. Centaur made its first successful run ferrying medical personnel and equipment to Port Moresby, returning with sick and wounded patients.

Just after 4 am on 14 May 1943, Centaur was near North Stradbroke Island when it was spotted by a Japanese submarine. Despite Centaur being clearly marked with the Red Cross and brightly illuminated, it was torpedoed. Centaur sank in less than three minutes, along with 80 per cent of its complement, including medical staff, nurses and field ambulance personnel.

The sinking of Centaur caused shock and outrage in Australian society, war-weary following years of fighting, restrictions and loss. It became a symbol of determination to win the war and was taken as proof that Australia was fighting a brutal enemy.

USS Mugford arrived at Centaur’s last known location 35 hours after the sinking, finding and rescuing some of the 64 survivors, including Sister Ellen Savage, the only nurse still alive. The phrase “avenge the nurses” became a rallying cry throughout the remainder of the war, appearing in the artwork and propaganda of the time, much like “Remember Pearl Harbor” in the United States. 

By this point in the war, Mugford was already a survivor. Moored between USS Jarvis and USS Sacramento when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, it managed to shoot down three Japanese aircraft. Gunner’s Mate Talmadge Johnson recounted in his diary: ‘Mugford got three planes. I got one, Evans one and one 5 inch got a direct hit on one.’

Gunner’s Mate Johnson had a good view from his position at the Number 3 gun when survivors from Centaur were brought onboard. He wrote in his diary: ‘the last year has been full of harrowing experiences, hard work and plenty of hell … one day out of Brisbane we picked up the survivors of the hospital ship Centaur, about 57 men and one woman.’ He collected two of the survivor’s life vests and their attached emergency lights, which were donated to the Memorial by his son Lawrence in 2011.

The lights, each with their original bulb, are small but significant additions to the Memorial’s collection, tangible reminders of the Centaur tragedy, so central to Australia’s collective experience of the Second World War.

After Johnson died in 2002, his ashes were scattered at Pearl Harbor, a fitting end to an American sailor’s life. Little did he know that his Centaur souvenirs would come to represent a coincidental wartime legacy and the joint military and naval history of Australia and America which endures to this day.

Today, a monument at Coolangatta pays tribute to Mugford’s efforts; a short coda to an 80 year old coincidence:

In recognition of the bravery and compassion of the Commander & crew of the United States destroyer USS Mugford who rescued the survivors of the Australian Hospital ship Centaur on the 15th May 1943.

To effect the rescue Mugford was at considerable risk of attack by enemy submarines. Members of the crew showed great bravery in entering the shark infested waters to aid survivors.