SS Waratah
Off the Eastern Cape coast, South Africa (where it was last seen; approximate)
What happened
SS Waratah was a new passenger and cargo steamship that sailed between Australia and London by way of South Africa. On 26 July 1909, it left Durban for Cape Town with 211 people aboard. Early the next morning, another ship saw it off the Eastern Cape coast, and it was never seen again.
Why it matters
No wreckage from the Waratah has ever been confirmed, and nobody knows exactly what happened. It is often called 'Australia's Titanic' and remains one of the great mysteries of the sea.
What came next
Ships searched the ocean for months but found nothing, and an official inquiry in London could not find the cause. Explorer Emlyn Brown searched for the wreck for many years before giving up in 2004.
Did you know?
Before leaving the ship at Durban, Claude Sawyer sent his wife a telegram saying he thought the Waratah was top-heavy.
Timeline
- October 1908Waratah is completed in Glasgow, Scotland.
- 26 July 1909Waratah leaves Durban for Cape Town.
- 27 July 1909The ship Clan MacIntyre makes the last confirmed sighting.
- 15 December 1909Waratah is officially listed as missing.
- 15 December 1910A Board of Trade inquiry opens in London.
- 2004Emlyn Brown ends his long search for the wreck.