305986 Accession Number: 305986

Description

One of the lifeboats from the British merchant ship Centaur alongside full of German sailors recovered after their lifeboat was swamped. The German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (HSK-8), formerly the passenger ship Steiermark, was so badly damaged after her action with HMAS Sydney on 19 November 1941 she was scuttled. HMAS Sydney was also lost with all hands. When the tanker Trocas reported by radio on 24 November 1941 she had picked up a raft carrying 25 German sailors, about 120 miles off Carnarvon, the Naval Board ordered six merchant ships in the area to pass through the position where Trocas found the raft and keep a lookout for survivors. The Centaur, bound for Fremantle from Singapore, was ordered to Carnarvon to take on board the Kormoran survivors that had landed near the town when on the evening of 26 November 1941 she came across Captain Detmers' heavily laden lifeboat. Captain Dark of the Centaur, fearing the German sailors could overpower his small crew, only permitted nine wounded or sick German sailors and one Chinese sailor, a prisoner of the Germans, to come on board. After removing the sick and passing food and water to the German lifeboat the Centaur took the German lifeboat in tow. Proceeding at five knots the tow was going well until in the early hours of the 27 November 1941, after the Centaur increased speed to seven knots, the German lifeboat took on water, the tow was cut and the now swamped lifeboat was supported only by its air tight compartments. The captain of the Centaur launched two of her port side lifeboats (P2 and P4), both motor boats, recovered the German sailors and towed the swamped German lifeboat alongside. The German lifeboat was winched on board and the now very wet German sailors remained in the Centaurs lifeboats and the tow continued until the Centaur arrived at Carnarvon.