HER MAIDEN VOYAGE. SS Waratah and its 211 crew and passengers were last heard from on 27 July 1909. The owners wanted the ship to be an improved version of their existing steamer SS Geelong and therefore most specifications were based upon those of Geelong. She was carrying 211 passengers and crew, many of them Australian. From July until December they waited and hoped for news. It even had rooms and areas set aside for children to play. [7][3], Following delivery, Waratah left London for her maiden voyage on 5 November 1908 with 689 third-class and 67 first-class passengers. The Sabine was specially fitted out with search lights and other equipment. The Disappearance of the SS Waratah Disappearance Ss Numa Numa Australia's Titanic Missing July 27, 1909 One hundred years ago on July 1, 1909, two hundred eleven passenger and crew members were boarded the SS Waratah, which was a steamer, built by Barclay Curle & Company in Scotland and was going to become the flagship of the Blue Anchor Line. [51] But for every witness of this opinion, another could be found who said the opposite. In 1909 the SS Waratah embarked upon her second voyage, from Sydney to the UK via South Africa. Ghost ship. The line's ticket sales dropped severely and, coupled with the huge financial loss taken in the construction of the Waratah (which, like many ships of the time, was under-insured), forced the company to sell its other ships to its main competitor P&O and declare voluntary liquidation in 1910. The vessel also had third-class passenger accommodations constructed on the poop deck that could house upward of 300 people, but was certified for only 160. The Lost Ship "SS Waratah": Searching for the Titanic of the South (Paperback) £14.99. [52] Many said they felt she was especially stable. It was his opinion that this was the wreck of the Waratah. At around 04:00 on 27 July she was spotted astern on the starboard side by the Clan Line steamer Clan MacIntyre, As Waratah was a faster ship she drew level with Clan MacIntyre by about 06:00, at which point both vessels communicated by signal lamp, and exchanged customary information about the name and destination of their respective ships. [31], On 13 August 1909 the steamship Insizwa reported sighting of several bodies off the mouth of Bashee (Mbashe) River, near the location of the last confirmed sighting of the Waratah. Passenger liners, with a small cargo volume relative to their gross tonnage had fairly constant and predictable ballasting requirements. [63], The Waratah's disappearance, the inquiry and the criticism of the Blue Anchor Line generated much negative publicity. Probably, and East Coast Main Line [65][66] The Daily Standard also published the story and added a statement from the harbourmaster.[67][68]. [14] She continued on to Sydney where she loaded her cargo for the return voyage, consisting among other things of 7,800 bars of bullion, wool, frozen meat, dairy and flour and departed on 26 June. On the 28th July 1909 when on a voyage from Durban to Capetown she foundered off the South African Coast in a severe storm. This slightly top-heavy design could also account for the strongly opposed opinions of witnesses about whether or not the ship felt stable. Achetez neuf ou d'occasion It quickly came to focus on the supposed instability of the Waratah. When darkness fell, the crew of the Harlow could see the steamer's running lights approaching, but still 10 to 12 miles (16 to 19 km) behind them, when there were suddenly two bright flashes from the direction of the steamer and the lights vanished. Slowly people learnt to live with the mystery of the disappearance, after all, it had happened many times before, especially during the days of the sailing ships when many of them were wrecked or disappeared without a trace. The mysterious loss of the SS Waratah haunted many people, but the suffering experienced by Karl Schauman and his wife Lucy is unimaginable. The Lost Ship Ss Waratah: Searching For The Titanic Of The South, wreck, wreck database This theory also stands up if the Waratah is assumed to have been stable and seaworthy – several ships around the Cape of Good Hope have been severely damaged and nearly sunk by freak waves flooding their holds. It did not blame the Blue Anchor Line, but did make several negative comments in regard to the company's practices in determining the performance and seaworthiness of its new ships. Waratah SS was a British Ocean Liner of 9,339grt owned by Blue Anchor Line. No trace of the ship has ever been found. The ship was never seen again, but no bodies or debris were ever recovered. [16][17] Aside from almost 100 passengers, she also had on board a convict being extradited to South Africa, accompanied by two Transvaal policemen. In 1909, the SS Waratah embarked on her second voyage, from Sydney to England via South Africa. Browne, Miss Lees and her maid. Ships are usually declared lost and assumed wrecked after a period of disappearance. The Chair of the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament halted proceedings to read out the cable, saying: "Mr. Speaker has just informed me that he has news on reliable authority that the SS Waratah has been sighted making slowly towards Durban. A second, much bigger and longer search was commissioned soon afterwards in which many ships, including the Geelong, took part but none sighted her or found any wreckage, although some reported having seen bodies in the water. [12] Waratah arrived in London on 7 March 1909 to finalize her maiden voyage, and after unloading her cargo, was put into drydock where she was inspected by the Lloyd's inspector and underwent some minor repairs. Even so, the London owners of the Waratah still believed she was afloat and probably drifting towards Australia. The Waratah became the twentieth ship owned by the Blue Anchor. 221 lives were lost. [44] In 2004 Emlyn Brown, who had by then spent 22 years looking for the Waratah, declared that he was giving up the search: "I've exhausted all the options. The SS Waratah, sometimes referred to as Australia's Titanic, was a 500-foot (150 m) long steamship that operated between Europe and Australia in the early 1900s. The disappearance of the ship remains one of the most baffling nautical mysteries of all time. Ironically, the ship was due to be fitted … Sawyer later testified to the London inquiry that he had booked passage on Waratah through to Cape Town, but had decided to disembark at Durban, as he had been nervous about the behaviour of the ship during his voyage. She also had watertight compartment, like the Titanic, and was considered unsinkable. Carwood, J. McNaught, A. Brookes and E.J. [62], Given the evidence from the officers of the Harlow (see above), it has been speculated that the Waratah was destroyed by a sudden explosion in one of her coal bunkers. As such the Waratah has been referred to variously as the "Titanic of the southern seas" or the "Titanic of the south" or alternatively "Australia's Titanic". We will contact you when this item is next available to order. [56] When she disappeared, the Waratah was carrying a cargo of 1,000 tons of lead concentrate, which may have suddenly shifted, causing the ship to capsize.[57]. 221 lives were lost. The first search effort was launched on 1 August, when the tugboat T.E. The SS Waratah, a brand new passenger ship of 9,339 gross registered tons on her return second voyage from Australia to England, was lost off the east coast of South Africa on 27th/28th July 1909. It was not until December 1909 that the Lutine bell at Lloyds of London tolled once, signally the loss of the ship. [26][70][71], Learn how and when to remove this template message, Trinity College (University of Melbourne), "THE S.S. WARATAH. Captain Ilbery was not completely satisfied and, considering he was previously in charge of Geelong, presumably reported to the owners that the ship did not have the same stability as his old vessel. [21], There were several further unconfirmed sightings:[21], At around 17:30 on the 27th, a ship called the Harlow saw the smoke of a steamer on the horizon, there was so much smoke that her captain wondered if the steamer was on fire. [39], No confirmed wreckage or bodies from the Waratah have ever been found, although there were a number of unconfirmed reports: Wreckage was reported to have been found at Mossel Bay in March 1910. On 28 July a hurricane sprang up in the area, so bad that the captain of the Clan MacIntyre said it was the worst weather he had experienced at sea in his 13 years as a seaman, with winds of exceptional strength causing tremendous seas. Later that day, the weather deteriorated quickly (as is common in that area), with increasing wind and rough seas. Several investigations into this wreck, in particular under the leadership of Emlyn Brown, took place. The following day, the Waratah sailed with 211 persons on board comprising 119 crew and 92 passengers. [39] With no sighting of the ship for over four months, Waratah was officially posted as missing at Lloyds of London on 15 December 1909. The repairs were performed at Sydney to the chief engineer's satisfaction. Great anxiety was felt in South Australia about the fate of the Waratah, particularly in Mount Gambier where P.J. [23][24], That same evening at around 21:30 the Union-Castle Liner Guelph, heading north to Durban from the Cape of Good Hope, passed a ship and exchanged signals by lamp, but because of the bad weather and poor visibility was able to identify only the last three letters of her name as "T-A-H."[22], Another possible sighting, which was not disclosed to the Inquiry at the time, was by Edward Joe Conquer, a Cape Mounted Rifleman who on 28 July 1909, was posted to carry out military exercises on the banks of the mouth of the Xora River along with Signaller H.Adshead. Fears started to grow for her safety, when ships which had left Durban after Waratah and had travelled on a similar course began arriving at Cape Town, and reported having seen no sign of her en route. [36][37] Waratah had enough provisions on board to last for a year, however as she lacked any radio equipment, she would have been unable to communicate with any ships beyond visual range. Ship captain lost in the sinking of the SS Waratah lost off the east coast of South Africa on 28th July 1909 en route from Durban to Cape Town, South Africa. He reported his sightings to his base camp and to his Orderly Sergeant, who apparently did not take the matter seriously. Her passengers travelled in comfort and luxury in saloons and cabins with smoking rooms and ladies’ rooms. The vessel is probably drifting". A PROFESSOR'S ALARM: SAVED BY A VISION. MISS HAY WARNED", The Hillston Spectator And Lachlan River Advertiser, "The Waikato's Experience. The disappearance of the ship remains one of the most baffling nautical mysteries of all time. [50][20], Other passengers and crew members commented on her lack of stability, and those responsible for handling the ship in port said she was so unstable when unladen that she could not be moved without ballast. However, no single bunker explosion would cause a ship the size of the Waratah to sink instantly, without anyone being able to launch a lifeboat or raft, and without leaving any wreckage. Named after the flower of New South Wales, Australia, it seems as if the ships’ namesake was a bad omen, as three ships of the same name had been lost in years prior. [46] Evidence was greatly hampered by the lack of any survivors from the ship's final voyage (other than the small number, including Claude Sawyer, who had disembarked in Durban). All were going to Durban. The disappearance of the ship remains one of the most baffling nautical mysteries of all time. Pieces of cork and timber, possibly from the Waratah, were washed up near East London, South Africa in 1939. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Lost Ship SS Waratah : Searching for the Titanic of the South by P. J. Smith (2009, Trade Paperback) at the best online prices at eBay! This produced a long, comfortable but unstable roll, which many passengers preferred to a short, jarring but stable roll. In charge of the vessel was 69 year old Joshua Edward Ilbery, the Line’s most experienced officer. [2][3], The ship was of the spar-deck type, and had three complete decks – lower, main and spar. He was especially concerned with the difficulty of properly loading the steamer to maintain her stability, which resulted in a heated exchange between the owners and the builders following the vessel's return to England. The captain thought they were caused by explosions, but the mate of the Harlow who had also seen them, thought the flashes were brush fires on the shore (a common phenomenon in the area at that time of year). The Waratah left Durban on 26 July with 211 passengers … Its wreck has yet to be found. During her maiden trip the steamer was scrutinized by the Captain and the crew, as one of the criteria used in acceptance trials was the ship's handling and stability. In July 1909, the ship, en route from Durban to Cape Town, disappeared with 211 passengers and crew aboard. [53] The ship's builders produced calculations to prove that even with a load of coal on her deck (that several witnesses claim she was carrying when she left Durban) she was not top heavy.[47]. Other ships searched the route to Australia and New Zealand without success. [8][9] She was under the command of Captain Joshua Edward Ilbery, a veteran of the Blue Anchor Line with 30 years of nautical experience, and a previous master of SS Geelong, and had a crew of 154. The SS Waratah was a passenger liner built in 1908 for the Lund's Blue Anchor Line, a steamship company whose ships sailed between England and Australia, making stops in South Africa along the line.As built, Waratah weighed 9,339 tons and was 465 feet long and 59 feet wide.She was a combination cargo-passenger steamer, … Both former passengers and crew members (ranking from stokers to a deck officer) said the Waratah was perfectly stable, with a comfortable, easy roll. In 1909, the SS Waratah embarked on her second voyage, from Sydney to England via South Africa. The SS Wakefield, chartered by relatives of Waratah passengers, searched for three months, finding nothing. He had been involved in the rescue of the Grace Clifton and the Koning der Nederlanden She was one of those ships anyone would love to sail on. [55] This led some to speculate that Ilbery had concerns about the Waratah and its stability, but deliberately kept such doubts quiet. [33] In 1925 Lt. D. J. Roos of the South African Air Force reported that he had spotted a wreck while he was flying over the Transkei coast. The fire was apparently caused by the heat emitted by several reducing and steam valves located on the starboard side of the engine room. In the other hand he had a rag covered with blood." There is a rugged and dangerous eastern coastline of South Africa, between Durban and Cape Town, that is known as the Wild Coast. Discovery of the wreck of passenger liner SS Waratah. To this day, no trace of the ship has been found, but stories continue of sightings . Notify me. When it was learnt to be only an unconfirmed rumour people ‘staggered out of the office, their faces blanched’. None of the 211 passengers and crew survived. The ship was designed to serve as a passenger and cargo liner to Australia, and was launched on 12 September 1908. Filled up with families anticipating a new life on the other side of the world, what started out as a journey full of hope ended abruptly when the ship vanished between Durban and Cape Town. She was launched in 1908 and designed to carry emigrants to Australia and cargo on her way home to England. Numerous other ships in the area joined the search, including the Waratah's sister ship Geelong which deviated from its course from Cape Town to Adelaide, to search waters east of South Africa where the Waratah was thought to be possibly drifting. Theories which have been put forward to explain the disappearance include: A theory advanced to explain the disappearance of the Waratah is an encounter with a freak wave, also known as a rogue wave, in the ocean off the South African coast. This passenger, physicist Professor William Bragg, concluded that the ship's metacentre was just below her centre of gravity. With her superior speed, however, the Waratah was eventually lost to sight and was never seen again. There is a rugged and dangerous eastern coastline of South Africa, between Durban and Cape Town, that is known as the Wild Coast. With an intent of being also an emigrant ship, her cargo holds would be converted into large dormitories capable of holding almost 700 steerage passengers on the outward journeys, while on the return the steamer would be laden with general cargo, mainly frozen meat, dairy products, wool and metal ore from Australia. Ghost ship. 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