The SS Waratah
The Blue Anchor liner Waratah vanished with 211 people off South Africa's east coast in July 1909 and has never been found.
- Region
- Eastern Cape
- Country
- South Africa
- Category
- Ghost Ship
- Date
- 27 July 1909
- Continent
- Africa
The report
The Waratah, on her second voyage, left Durban on 26 July 1909 bound for Cape Town. Early on 27 July the Clan MacIntyre exchanged signals with her off the Eastern Cape, the last confirmed sighting, and other ships later reported smoke, flashes or partial signals. She never arrived, and neither the ship nor any of those aboard was seen again. A Board of Trade inquiry concluded that she was probably lost in a storm of exceptional violence. Later theories include a rogue wave, a shifting cargo, a coal fire or capsizing in deep water, but none has been proven.
Sources and further reading
Location
-31.35, 29.05
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