Physical description

Purple and black hardcover book with title printed in red print on the spine. At the top of the front cover is 'Australian hospital ship' printed in yellow, followed by 'Centaur" in larger red type and 'the myth of immunity in smaller yellow type. The cover shows an image of a medical ship sailing on rough waters with what looks like an explosion happening at the back of the ship. There is no dust jacket.

Publication type

non-fiction

Inscriptions & markings

'RETURNED & SERVICES NURSES / CLUB OF VIC SUB BRANCH R.S.L.' [Purple stamp on first page]
'This book is a gift from /Mrs Mary Gibson of / 730 Gibson Road / Mannella, Victoria' [Handwritten in blue ink on a piece of white paper that has been taped onto the title page]

Summary

Torpedoeing by a Japanese submarine of the Centaur on 14th May, 1943 at 04.10 hours. Loss of 268 out of 332 souls on board.
1. The good life -- 2. A merchant ship at war -- 3. From passenger liner to hospital ship -- 4. AHS 47 -- 5. Sydney swansong -- 6. Northwards from Sydney -- 7. Three minutes of horror -- 8. A struggle for survival -- 9. A pitiful muster -- 10. Stars and Stripes to the rescue -- 11. The survivors in Brisbane -- 12. Shock waves -- 13. The war of words -- 14. Under the legal microscope -- Conclusion. [From Trove]