QLD: Search for hospital chip Centaur hits a snag

AAP General News (Australia)
12-14-2009
QLD: Search for hospital chip Centaur hits a snag

BRISBANE, Dec 14 AAP - The search for the sunken hospital ship the Centaur has got
off to a rocky start, with rugged seabed complicating the project off Queensland's southeast.

More than 260 non-combatants, including nurses and ambulance crews, died when the Centaur
was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during WWII.

The search crew, headed by the man who found HMAS Sydney II, David Mearns, departed
Brisbane late Saturday night armed with millions of dollars worth of sonar equipment.

They turned on the sonar equipment for the first time shortly before 8am (AEST) on
Monday, monitoring the seabed 30km east of Moreton Island, where the wreck is believed
to be.

Mr Mearns said in his internet blog the searchers had come up against a mountainous
and rocky seabed, making the search harder.

"The rugged seabed is a major complication that I will be reviewing carefully as the
search progresses and I expect I will need to alter my search plans to adapt accordingly,"

he said.

Despite the setback, favourable weather conditions are forecast until Wednesday, and
Mr Mearns said the search team will make the most of it.

A 1,365 sq km search area has been planned.

The search is being funded by the state and federal governments.

AAP ka/pjo/jnb

KEYWORD: CENTAUR WRAP

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