SS WARATAH 110 YEARS AGO 26 JULY 1909

Psalm 107:23-31

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;

These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders of the deep. . . . 

SS Waratah – departing from ‘C’ Shed, Durban, South Africa, 26 July 1909

Destination - Cape Town

Route - London via Las Palmas and Plymouth 

Commander – J E Ilbery – Blue Anchor Line

SS Waratah at Cape Town on her earlier visit there; she would not be seen at that port again.

2019 marks the 110^th anniversary of the mystifying disappearance of the SS Waratah on the Transkei Coast of Southern Africa and this remains one of the most powerfully evocative sea mysteries of all time.

What influential cocktail of events led to her disappearance on that fateful day of 27 July 1909? How was it possible for a modern liner of her time, on a well-used coast, to disappear without trace?  A unique drama and tragedy of a ship vanishing so completely provides a compelling unsolved mystery.

The Waratah, on her second voyage out to Australia, left London on 27 April 1909 and reached Sydney without incident, despite concerns voiced by some crew members and passengers on stability and other problems.  After berthing in Sydney, she loaded her Australian cargo and provisioned for the return trip to London via the ports of Melbourne and Adelaide.

None on board would ever have imagined that a disaster of catastrophic magnitude was due to unfold.  A predetermined, unalterable and tragic event would overtake their lives.

As the SS Waratah, captained by Josiah Ilbery, steamed through The Heads of Sydney Harbour on 26 June 1909, Ilbery, topside crew and passengers looked back as the grey Sydney houses receded in the rainy showers. There was a sadness, yet also the excitement and anticipation of landfall in London after calls at Melbourne, Adelaide, Durban and particularly Cape Town, with its’ magnificent backdrop of panoramic Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak.

With their visit to Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay behind them and matters completed in Adelaide, the SS Waratah put to sea on 7 July 1909 for the Indian Ocean crossing to Durban, South Africa.  As the voyage to Durban progressed, an underlying unease grew amongst some passengers regarding the Waratah’s design.  Her high promenade deck seemed to be having an effect on her stability and the slow righting movements of the ship.  Interestingly, on a number of past occasions, there had been berthing problems due to the large upper structure area exposed to strong winds. This had caused her wharfing hawsers to snap like cotton strands.

On board were two stewardesses, 40 year-old Emma Louisa Swan (Australia) and 35 year-old Sarah E. Whitehorn (UK), linking the Waratah to each country. Little information is known about the two stewardesses, but they were two ordinary women who loved the sea, leading an interesting life of mixing with well-heeled passengers on the flagship of the Blue Anchor Line and under command of the Commodore of the Fleet.  One can just imagine the sense of adventure, new experiences and foreign lands awaiting them: all part of their enthusiasm for life and on a new steam ship.  They would probably have shared stories about their day with the mix of passengers and at night, they would settle into their quarters weary from their long days.  Having a full day of many serving trips, housekeeping and personal service to the first and second-class passengers who did not travel with their own servants, would be demanding whilst countering the heavy rolling of the ship.


After a relatively uneventful passage to Durban, the Waratah disembarked some passengers, one of whom was Mr. Claude Sawyer who claimed that on three occasions on the voyage he had seen a vision of a man with a sword, warning him of impending disaster.  This unnerving event convinced him that it was unsafe for him to remain on the ship to complete his passage via Cape Town to London.

General cargo was offloaded, additional coal bunkered and 40 new passengers embarked.  Amongst these was Mr. Turner, the founder of the well-known and still-thriving South African business, Turner’s Shipping, travelling with his wife and their five children aged between 3 and 14 years-old.  One can just imagine the delight in the children as they walked and skipped up the gangway at the start of their first sea journey and the smiles of pride as their parents shared their excitement.  Being First Class passengers, they would have well-appointed cabins and access to the sumptuous dining room and upper promenade deck allowing a 360 degree view across the ocean.

In the early 8.00 pm darkness of 26 July 1909, Captain Ilbery stood alongside the Durban Port Pilot, Captain Lindsay, as he guided the Waratah through the narrow harbour entrance.  The view this time was the high silhouette of the Bluff, which slowly faded behind the ship off the starboard quarter.  Having waved goodbye to the Pilot, and turning south into the Agulhas Current that sweeps down the coast from Mozambique, the ship was now heading towards a forecasted winter storm and potential, massive swells that are notorious along this coastline, especially with current against the on-coming strong southerly wind.  Swells along this Continental Shelf can form up to 30 m high.

27 July 1909 – 6.00 hours - Cape Hermes - Latitude 31.36 degrees South, Longitude 29.58 degrees East.  The Waratah overtook the Clan MacIntyre and exchanged signals by Morse signal lamp with the Fourth Mate of the Clan Macintyre.  Radio communication was very new and the Waratah was due to be fitted after her arrival in London and unknowingly this was to be the last ever confirmed communication from or with the Waratah.

Some hours later at 21.40 hours, the SS Guelph was 8 miles off Hood Point, Cape Hood Lighthouse, when the Third Officer saw an unidentified ship 5 miles outside of the Guelph.
The weather was not clear enough to make out the vessel’s name, but he reported that she was a passenger vessel and from the Morse lamp exchange was only able to identify the last three letters of her name as T.A.H. The ship could not be positively identified as the Waratah. 

Nothing had been heard from Waratah since her position due east of Cape Hermes near Port St. Johns.  It was still early days, but concerns had been mounting in Cape Town as news reached them of a great storm up the coast.  Rumours abounded and confusion grew.  As each day passed and with no good word received, anxiety deepened.  Stories drifted in that the Illovo, having left Durban some 50 hours before the SS Waratah, was now 24 hours overdue at Cape Town. On her arrival, many hours later, she reported that they had met such heavy seas that her deck cargo had been completely swept overboard and when she began listing off Danger Point, the Captain had decided to jettison 30 tons of coal. 

The SS Waratah never steamed into Cape Town Harbour to embark the passengers waiting to take up their passage on the last leg of the voyage to London, via Las Palmas and Plymouth.
  
On 9 October 1909, ice-cold fear struck every heart when The Daily Commercial News and Shipping List published:

‘Waratah, 9339, Ilbery, Sydney June 26 to South Africa and London via ports Melbourne July 1, Adelaide 7, Durban 26, missing.’

When reading the names of the 211 passengers and crew, one has an insight into a heart-rending story.  Each person had been linked with deep affection to family and friends. Each had started the journey as an everyday event, of regular people going about their everyday lives, with plans of business, sport, romance and private arrangements.  None of these eventuated. 

The farewells and expectations of safe arrivals were subsequently replaced by the shock and disbelief in reading newspaper headlines reporting the loss, slow communications, misleading information, months of frustration in wanting to know the truth and many more months of waiting to have so many questions yet unanswered.

Thinking of the loss of the Turner family and our two stewardesses exemplifies the tragedy of the ship's loss.  One can just imagine the shock, chaos and fear on board as the ship foundered, rolled and sank, taking everyone down into the depths of the Indian Ocean.

Poignant was the Family Notice placed in the Sydney Morning Herald:

Saturday 11 December 1909

Sydney Morning Herald

Family Notices

Swan – Lost at Sea – SS Waratah

Emma Louisa Swan, late of Wendouree, Cowles Road, Mossman - dearly loved only sister of Mrs. R. Kohblanck. Dearly beloved mother of Claude A. Swan.

Just days later, on 15 December 1909, at Lloyd’s offices in London, the chilling sound of the Lutine Bell, struck once, permeated the building.  This grim sound brought the realization to everyone that the SS Waratah had officially been lost at sea with all hands.  There was no knowledge of what had befallen her, nor of her resting place!

R.I.P. SS Waratah, Captain, Officers, Crew and Passengers.

Waratah card with officers' signatures

By Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson
Acknowledgements for information as well as photo of Waratah at Cape Town to
Captain Stanley Robinson   https://stanleyrobinson309.blogspot.com/

'But he who remembers the tales passing from lips to lips in the world of great waters, tales of ships lost and found again, all these tales belonging to the tradition of the wonders of the sea, will never say die. Never. At first in hope, afterwards perhaps because man’s grave silence is the only dignified answer upon the cruel mysteries of the sea.'   Joseph Conrad writing in 1909

Shipwrecks and genealogy research

The other day I was asked why I included shipwreck reports and other sources on these events in my blog. What did they have to do with genealogy? I would have thought this was self-explanatory.

Perhaps if your ancestors had sailed on ships such as the Titanic or the Waratah, for example, entire families - parents and children - were lost in the wrecks. To have so many people from among your ancestry summarily 'taken out' would surely give any family historian pause.

It should also follow that descendants would want to find out as much as possible about the families involved, unearth photos of them, discover their place of origin, read as much context as is available on the ship itself and how it came to disaster. It would be likely to become an obsession for the family historian concerned.

So, I make no apology for including the topic of shipwrecks on these pages and will continue to do so for the benefit of any family historian who is trying to find out more about 'lost' ancestors lying in some unmarked watery grave.

Souvenir Saturday: Waratah 1909 passengers - PAGE the hypnotist

Waratah Passengers from Durban to Cape Town and London included 'Mr E B Page 34     showman Melbourne " and 'Mrs Page 26'. Also known as Professor Bonner, Mr Ernest Page was a hypnotist - ‘Master of Mesmer’s Mysterious Art’.

The happy couple are seen here on their wedding day. Sadly they were lost on the Waratah in July 1909.

“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels.” 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie

Waratah 27 July 1909: In Remembrance

Waratah’s ghost has been quietly waiting at C Shed, Durban to pass once more along her misty sea-way. Perhaps Peter Ilbery has been watching over her ...

On the 27^th July 1909, at 7.30 pm, the SS Harlow was steaming north-east for Durban under the command of Captain John Bruce, when he saw a large steamer coming up astern of his ship at about 10 miles away when off Cape Hermes. At that time, flashes of light were seen astern and suddenly the steamer’s lights were no longer visible.  Might this have been the Waratah on her way back to Durban, having come about due to the bad weather? Had she broached in the large swells and the flashes caused by the ship rolling and the boiler fires exploding out of the funnel? However, if this was not the case, the Waratah might still have been heading for Cape Town.

The Waratah was lost at sea with all hands!

All over the world, debate and argument, theories and a search for proof has persisted for the past 109 years to understand and locate the SS Waratah, but no substantiation of what really happened that fateful night has emerged.

On her final port departure from Durban Harbour on Monday 26^th July at 8.00 pm, she turned south past the Durban Bluff, headed for Cape Town. Captain Ilbery and his crew knew a heavy southerly storm was blowing up from the Cape and they would soon be confronted by enormous seas. This stretch of the South African coastline was notorious and treacherous, because it took ships close to the Continental Shelf, which generated gigantic swells, especially with strong winds opposing the south-running coastal current.

The Waratah had not been well-received by many passengers on the earlier Adelaide to Durban run, when moderate seas manifested her top-heavy promenade deck design being the cause of her insecure righting motion and large cracks opening up between the structural joints on the superstructure. Would Captain Ilbery and his more senior officers have felt apprehensive in anticipation of this wild storm ahead of them?

As they progressively headed into stronger winds, at around 6.30am on 27^th July the following morning, Waratah‘s last communication from Latitude 31.36 degrees South and Longitude 29.58 degrees East, positioned her due East of Cape Hermes near Port St. Johns, where abnormal waves are at their worst. Had she later tried to come about and broached, or had she continued a further 100 kilometers down the coast to a position due east of the Mbhashe (Bashee) River mouth?

[https://molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-waratah-storm-27-july-1909.html

The Waratah Storm by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson]

Lost on the Waratah:

 

Passengers Ada (nee Dawes) and Ernest Page: The young Ada (Dawes) Page, whose parents were caretakers of the Treasury Buildings in Spring Street, Melbourne, was travelling with her husband Ernest Page, ‘Master of Mesmer’s Mysterious Art’ (hypnotist). 

Acknowledgement: photos of the Page couple - Bev Morling

A peal for the Waratah: 15 December 2016

It is 107 years ago on 15 December that the Lutine Bell pealed, announcing the loss of SS Waratah.

‘On 15 December 1909, the Waratah was officially posted as missing. Lloyd’s of London’s most famous symbol, the Lutine Bell was rung, heralding the announcement of the loss of the SS Waratah to underwriters and brokers. This action from Lloyd’s of London was profoundly final.’

Interior view of the Lloyd's of London, London 

showing the Lutine Bell, housed in the Rostrum.

In the main Underwriting Room of Lloyd's stands the Lutine bell, which was struck when the fate of a ship "overdue" at its destination port became known. If the ship was safe, the bell would be rung twice; if it had sunk, the bell would be rung once. This had the practical purpose of immediately stopping the sale or purchase of "overdue" reinsurance on that vessel. Nowadays it is only rung for ceremonial purposes, such as the visit of a distinguished guest, or for the annual Remembrance Day service and anniversaries of major world events.

Waratah disappears into history 26/27 July 107 years ago

Some links for Waratah anniversary:

waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/07/waratah-and-her-souls-remembered.html

waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/07/waratah-departed-durban-107-years-ago.html

waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/07/never-say-die.html

Waratah's crew

Waratah anniversary reminder: July 1909

Waratah at Port Adelaide before her voyage to Durban.

A poignant letter written by a crew member on 26 July, from the SS Waratah in Durban, was received by his sister in London.  

'Just a line to let you know we arrived here safely after a pretty rough voyage from Adelaide. For 13 days after leaving that place we had heavy seas and weather and a lot of the deck fittings were broken and carried away by heavy seas that swept over the vessel. The last five days however have been fine and we got here yesterday midday (Sunday) and we leave the Cape Saturday next, on 31^st  July for London, where we will arrive on August 21st although we are not due until the 23^rd.' 

The ship never arrived at the Cape. Her precise fate and the location of her wreck
 remain unknown

Advert from Sydney Morning Herald 26 June 1909

Memorial protea wreath for the Waratah centenary in July 2009

(photo courtesy Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson)

For much more on the Waratah see waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/

Waratah Revisited: why did lighthouse keepers at Cape Hermes not see the Waratah?

waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/06/why-did-lighthouse-keepers-at-cape.html


The latest in Andrew Van Rensburg's brilliant series of posts on the convoluted mystery of SS Waratah's disappearance in July 1909.

Cape Hermes Lighthouse

Was your ancestor on Waratah's maiden voyage?

If you believe your ancestor might have been on SS Waratah's maiden voyage, access the passenger list at:

waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/05/was-your-ancestor-passenger-on-maiden.html

The latest post on Andrew van Rensburg's brilliant blog, Waratah Revisited.

Shipwreck survivors and other arrivals 15

If your ancestor was part of a crew on board ship arriving at a South African port in the 19th c there is little chance of finding him mentioned in shipping registers. In the 20th c, with the large liners making regular calls in South Africa, records were kept of crew members usually at the port of embarkation. The crew list of Waratah, for example, is available. All of the latter went down with the ship.

Crew of Waratah

I have sometimes received queries from family historians who say their ancestor 'jumped ship' in South Africa. This wouldn't be a good place to start a search. Better to go to NAAIRS and see if there is a deceased estate file held for him at archives. If the man was divorced or was involved in a court case of any kind during his sojourn in South Africa there may well be evidence of that among the references. It helps if the ancestor had an unusual name: Joe Smith would bring up an avalanche of hits.

If the ancestor travelled to South Africa by ship but for some reason leapt overboard and was lost at sea, the only hope is the Deaths at Sea records.
molegenealogy.blogspot.co.za/2010/02/births-deaths-and-marriages-at-sea-uk.html
These include names of passengers and crew of the Titanic and Lusitania, incidentally.

Records at sea are online at www.bmdregisters.co.uk/  
These  cover over 150, 000 individuals (previously only searchable on microfilm) who were born, married or died on ships between 1854-1908. They are definitely not all-inclusive.

Union Castle Ship crew

Shipwreck survivors 3

This dramatic 18th c painting by Claude Vernet gives an indication of what shipwreck survivors faced in order to get to land. Before them lay an arduous journey on foot, which they would probably not come through alive, kept going by the faint hope of rescue by a passing ship or the kindness of local tribes. 

The subject became a popular one with artists of the period, one of the most famous being African Hospitality, showing reaction of natives to the survivors of the wreck of the East Indiaman Grosvenor in August 1782 on the coast of Pondoland.

123 people reached the beach alive. These castaways chose to walk south in the direction of Cape Town. Only 18 of them reached the Cape, four eventually returning to England.

The Grosvenor is a fabled treasure ship, with speculation re the famous Peacock Throne and other valuables having been carried on board. Sydney Turner, a pioneer of Natal, made one of the earliest salvage attempts, finding silver coins and other items in the vicinity of the wreck.

molegenealogy.blogspot.co.za/2012/03/sydney-turner-portrait-of-pioneer.html

However, the wreck itself has yet to be found, joining the list of maritime mysteries associated with South Africa, including that of the SS Waratah.

See Andrew van Rensburg's blog waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/

Waratah Nostalgia

Waratah breakthrough!

If you are a Waratah watcher see Andrew van Rensburg's latest blogpost for some astounding news:

http://waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2015/12/waratah-wreck-breakthrough.html

The Last of the South African Lighthouse Keepers: Hannabus family cont.

Dassen Island Lighthouse

Installed April 1893

Latitude          33° 25' 55’’ S.

Longitude       18° 05' 23 '' E.

55 kilometres from Cape Town

11 kilometres from the coast.

Isolated and bleak, and standing on a barren outcrop of rock and sand, Dassen Island Light remains one of the major beacons on the Cape shipping route.

Surrounded by water, the Western seaward side is deadly, with high seas beating in from the Atlantic and consequently, many ships have been driven onto the rocks with shipwrecks scattered around this area. The Eastern side, looking towards the mainland, is much calmer with hardly any breakers and on the South and North sides, are two sheltered bays.

The island became so notorious for the regular incidents of shipwrecks, that authorities released rabbits and tortoises onto the island to provide a food source for any survivors.

Whilst outward bound on her maiden voyage from London to Sydney in 1891, the SS Wallarah, commanded by Captain F.H. Ekins, and belonging to Wilhelm Lund’s celebrated Blue Anchor Line, was wrecked at Boom Point on Dassen Island. It was this loss, of yet another ship, which prompted the authorities to take action and the Lighthouse was erected.

The Blue Anchor Line ships regularly travelled the South African Coast and it was unfortunate that again in 1909, they faced calamity when their legendary SS Waratah, also on her maiden voyage, disappeared without trace on the Transkei Coast after departing Durban for Cape Town. 

P-J Hannabus, Lighthouse Keeper (Ret.,) had some interesting experiences on Dassen Island.

“All too frequently, when the tugs could not make their monthly voyage out to Dassen Island because of foul weather conditions, the Lighthouse Keepers would run out of food. At these times, penguin eggs were collected and eaten. Keepers would dive for perlemoen (abalone) and crayfish. Snoek and bream were plentiful, so the Keepers always had a meal on their tables.

In the early 1970’s, helicopters were used for transport which made things easier.  We would freeze fish, perlemoen and crayfish, securely pack them in boxes marked ‘FRAGILE’ Lighthouse Bulbs, ready for transportation to Cape Town. The Lighthouse Keepers from Green Point Lighthouse would collect the boxed ‘Lighthouse Bulbs.’ When the swop would take place for the next flight back to Dassen Island, Green Point Keepers would send steak, wine and brandy and other food items, in exchange for the seafood! 

In 1973 I was assigned to relieve on Dassen for three weeks and took just enough fresh food with me for this time. During the three week period, Mr Bruyns our Lighthouse Inspector, informed me that the Keeper due to arrive to take up the permanent post had just resigned and I was required to stay for three months! ‘Oh no’ I wailed! ‘I don’t have enough food!’ He asked me if I had any objection to eating penguin eggs, fish and crayfish, to which I replied, ‘No.’ ‘Good,’ said Mr Bruyns, ‘go and catch your food!’ I certainly had no objection to this!

In order at times to stave off boredom and pass the night shifts away, I would cut the gunwales off old wrecks and make ashtrays by chiselling out the rough-hewn wood, then gluing in the beautiful Perlemoen shells, which shimmered in their ever-changing iridescent colours of purple, blue, green and pink.  I would give them away as gifts and I was always very popular at Christmas!”

A series by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson

October 2015

Waratah 106th anniversary: links

On Monday, 26 July 1909, at 8 pm from ‘C’ Shed, SS Waratah put to sea for the last time. As the ship turned south past Durban Bluff heading for Cape Town none on board would have believed that they would be sailing to their deaths.

As they progressively headed into stronger winds, at around 6.30am on 27 July the following morning, Waratah‘s last communication from Latitude 31.36 degrees South and Longitude 29.58 degrees East, positioned her due East of Cape Hermes near Port St. Johns.

Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson tells the story:

molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-woodchoppers-and-solicitor-lost-at.html

molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-woodchoppers-and-solicitor-lost-at_25.html 

molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-woodchoppers-and-solicitor-lost-at_26.html

A must for Waratah enthusiasts, Andrew Van Rensburg's blog:

www.waratahrevisited.blogspot.com

Buy his book via Amazon now!

www.amazon.com/Waratah-Revisited-Andrew-Van-Rensburg/dp/3710319447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438059962&sr=1-1&keywords=waratah+revisited

Shipwrecks on the Wild Coast

If, like me, you love maps and are fascinated by the turbulent Wild Coast, its pioneer and trading families, and especially by the many shipwrecks which for five centuries have occurred along its shores, look no further than the wonderful map of this area available at www.slingsbymaps.com

Among the wreck sites marked are:

Ivy 1878

Sao Joao 1552

Sao Bento 1554

Grosvenor 1782

Nossa Senhora de Belem 1635

Forres Bank 1958

Santo Alberto 1593

Africa and Agatha 1853

Hercules 1852

Oceanos 1991

There’s a strong but controversial possibility that in July 1909 the Blue Anchor Liner Waratah may have disappeared between Coffee Bay and Hole in the Wall on this very coast. 

Read more about this intriguing mystery of the sea at www.waratahrevisited.blogspot.com and also right here on Mole’s blog pages via the search facility.