The Loss of the SS Waratah

Monuments and Memory in Australia.

Australians are obsessed with monuments. In almost every town, city and park, didactic monuments and
memorials can be found scattered across the landscapei. When travelling across the country, historic
monuments, cairns and plaques assume prominent positions, individualising collective memoriesii. We
embrace monuments as a way of paying homage to our understanding of our picturesque historyiii. War
memorials can be found in almost every community nationwide, while certain events have been immortalised
in Australian memories. Cultural narratives of nation building have eternalised heroic tales of exploration,
rebellion and democracy, inscribing these events into bronze or stoneiv. These narratives inscribe the values
of national identity onto those seeking reassuring nationalismv. For
others in Australia, cultural narratives such as Gallipoli have become
religious objects and their monuments places to remember those who
were lostvi. Consequently, in Australia’s short white history, certain
historical events have been forgotten or overshadowed by other greater
or more well-known events. The beginning of 20th century Australia is
marked by Federation, women’s suffrage, the exploration of Sir
Douglas Mawson and the catastrophic loss of life during the Great War.
We remember these events and people because they have been
documented extensively within Australia’s public monuments. Yet, the
incredible narrative of the steam ship Waratah has been lost amongst
these historical events, jostling for public recognitionvii. Figure 1: Burke and Wills Monument

In 2014, the world and Australian nation were shocked to learn of the
disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, somewhere in the Indian Oceanviii. The
disappearance and subsequent lack of evidence sent the world into a frenzy of intrigue. How could an airliner
just disappear? For us, what makes history interesting and remembered, is when history is used to provide
answers or suggestions for current day problemsix. The mystery of the disappearance of flight MH370
somewhere in the Indian Ocean, reopened the 105-year-old mystery
of the Australian passenger liner, the SS Waratah, also lost in the
Indian Ocean.

A New Ship for a New Nation

At the start of the 20th century, Australia was swept by a wave of
nationalistic pride, as the young nation came of age. Australians saw
themselves closely aligned with Britain; however, the young nation
was quickly finding its feet as a prosperous, democratic societyx. To
celebrate this, Lund’s Blue Anchor Line Company gave the nation
their prize vessel, the elaborate steam ship ‘Waratah’, named after the Figure 2: Lund's T.S.S Waratah
floral emblem of NSW. Australians, like their Western
counterparts, could now boast about owning a ‘big ship’ to
mark the new age. To own a big ship placed Australia
within competition of the European markets racing to
accommodate European emigration to the United States and
the Pacificxi. Competition was fierce in Europe to create the
fastest and most elaborate passenger liner to win the Blue
Riband transatlantic prizexii. In an age before air travel,
luxurious passenger liners offered emigrates a way to travel
throughout the world in comfort. This would be the purpose
of the 500ft long, 9339 tonne Waratah, that boasted eight
state rooms, one hundred first-class cabins, a saloon and
luxurious music hallxiii. The Waratah was to carry a new
wave of immigration between Britain and Australia, to
accommodate the newly formed White Australia Policy. Figure 3: Saloon of SS Waratah
Like the Waratah, many of these great ships of the new age
would prove no match for the wild oceans of the world, not even the unsinkable Titanic.

The SS Waratah was constructed in Glasgow. The construction of the coal powered, twin-screwed flagship
Waratah was completed in 1908 and was considered by many at the time to be unsinkablexiv. Her maiden
voyage to Australia was in the same year. She left
London bound for Adelaide on the 6th of November
under the careful guidance of experienced and well
respected Captain Ilberyxv. The SS Waratah reached
Adelaide on the 15th of December 1908 and later
Sydney on Christmas Eve. All the estimated 689
passengers on board reached Sydney reporting that
the ship had been a wonder to sail onxvi.

The Waratah returned to Australia in 1909, on her

second voyage. On her return voyage back to
London, she left Adelaide on the 7th of Julyxvii. On
board were 212 passengers and crew mostly from Figure 4: Launch of Lund’s SS Waratah 1908
xviii
Sydney and Adelaide . The Waratah was also
carrying a heavy load of farming produce and 1000 tonnes of lead concentratesxix. On board the ship were
Tasmanians Alf Clarke and Jack Calder. Calder and Clarke were well known throughout Tasmania as
champion wood choppersxx. They had
chosen to travel on the Waratah on their
voyage to London to compete in a wood
chopping competition at the Royal
Exhibition building. Another prominent
member was a Mrs Hays who was well-
known in South Australiaxxi. Perhaps the
most well-remembered passenger on the
Waratah was Claude Sawyer. Sawyer Figure 5: The SS Waratah in Port Adelaide
had boarded the ship at Sydney bound
for London. Sawyer was an experienced
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 sea traveller and had travelled between Australia and London beforexxii. Although this voyage would prove to
be much different.

Between Adelaide and Durban, Claude Sawyer had many restless nights. Sawyer experienced a reoccurring
dream whereby a demonic figure would rise from the sea wielding a blood dripping sword cursing the
Waratahxxiii. Accounts of Sawyer's dreams vary but all allude to the fact that Sawyer believed the
reoccurrence of the dream was a premonition and one to not
take lightly. The Waratah reached Durban on the 25th of July
and had experienced a relatively uneventful trip. The dreams
experienced by Sawyer were enough for him to leave the
Waratah in Durban. Sawyer telegraphed his wife explaining
that he had left the Waratah, as he “thought Waratah top-
heavy”xxiv. Sawyer later revealed that this was only an excuse
to get off the ship.

Figure 6: SS Waratah 1908

Swallowed by the Sea

On the 27th of July, the Waratah left Durban minus Claude
Sawyer. The Waratah's destination was Cape Town in a journey
predicted to take four daysxxv. At 9.20 am the Waratah contacted
via flag signals the steamer Clan McIntyre and was never seen
againxxvi. The Clan McIntyre made it to Cape Town having battled
rough seas, but nothing out of the ordinary. Strangely, the captain
of the Clan McIntyre later proclaimed that on the night of the
Waratahs disappearance, he spotted in the distance the outline of a
ship he believed to be the 'Flying Dutchman' heading in the same
direction as the Waratahxxvii. In sea lore, sighting the Flying Figure 8: Waratah in rough seas
Dutchman spells disaster. There were no immediate fears for the
whereabouts of the Waratah as it wasn't unusual for ships to be delayed in days prior to telegraphic
communications. Four
days passed and the
Waratah had not been
sighted sparking alarm
for the Blue Anchor
Line Company. Thus,
began a major search
for the company's prize
ship. The British
Admiralty sent war
ships within the area to
Figure 7: Search zone for the Waratah
search for the Waratah,
all trading vessels were asked to take alternative courses to search for the
ship and the Blue Anchor Line Company chartered three ships including the Sabine to find the Waratahxxviii.

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Naval experts and experienced navigators spent 88 days aboard the Sabine as she searched 14,000 miles of
oceanxxix. The south islands in the Indian Ocean were scoured and no debris found. A steamer, the SS
Tottenham reportedly observed the body of what the crew believed to be a young girl, but this observation
was never provenxxx. In December 1909, the search efforts for the Waratah ceased and the ship was officially
declared missing. In the following year, due to public donations, the family members of the lost passengers
commissioned the
SS Wakefield to
search for their
loved ones. After
months at sea,
their search
proved fruitless
and the ship was
forced to return
for homexxxi. What
remained a
mystery for even
the most
experienced of sea
travellers was the
fact that no debris
had been found
from such a large
vessel in one of
the world's most
populated
shipping routes.

Figure 9: The Route of the Waratah and Indian Ocean Map

Figure 10: Search efforts for the Waratah 1909

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Sadly, the Waratah was due to be fitted with telegraphic communications once she had reached London.

The news of the loss of the Waratah shocked the young Australian nation. Parliament sittings paused to
acknowledge the loss of life, Tasmanians Jack Calder and Alf Clarke were grieved for by the state of
Tasmaniaxxxii and the nations newspapers were flooded with revelations about the ships tragic fate. In 1910,
an official inquiry was launched whereby, former crew and passengers were questioned about the Waratah
and their experiences on board. This inquiry would continue the trend of bizarre stories that encompassed the
great ship. A Mr. Johnson was interviewed who had been a passenger on the Waratah's maiden voyage and
who was a close friend of the chief engineer Mr Hodder. Johnson and Hodder had met the night before the
Waratah had left Sydney in 1909xxxiii. The men conversed about their last voyage through the Backstairs
passage near Adelaide. The Waratah had been signalled to by the coastal lighthouse warning them that the
ship was about to run agroundxxxiv. Mr Hodder had exclaimed to
Captain Ilbery "aren't you going to turn her out?" Captain Ilbery
replied "wait until I go down and get my glasses"xxxv. This incident
had been enough for Mr Hodder to question the Captain's ability to
control the ship. A Mr Skailies had remarked to Mr Johnson that "it’s a
nice thing to feel all the time we're aboard that we may never reach
another port"xxxvi. With over forty years’ experience, Captain Ilbery
was considered by many as a fine seaman. Passengers Mr Charles
Richard Campbell and Mr Robert G. Millar told the inquiry that they
had never been on a more sea worthy ship. Although, both men did
remark on the fact that the Waratah had an unusual list where the ship
would lean to one side even in calm seas, sometimes taking hours to
correct herselfxxxvii. Mr Millar also stated that on one occasion the
waves had been so high that they washed over the ship, knocking two
passengers over and entered the port holesxxxviii. Another witness
claimed that while he was having a bath, the ship experienced one of
its extreme rolls and the water in his bath tub spilled onto the floor.
When the ship corrected itself, he noticed that the water in the tub
remained unlevelled, meaning that the ship was possibly alarmingly
unbalancedxxxix. Figure 11: Captain Ilbery 1904

Many believed the SS Waratah to be cursed. In fact, five ships previously called Waratah had all met
tragic ends around the coastline of Australia.

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 Figure 12: Saloon passenger list 1908-including Mr. Johnson, Mr. Hodder and Mr. Skailes

6
An Australian gazette the ‘Newsletter’, while the inquiry was taking place had encouraged former crew
members to talk about their experiences on the Waratah. Six men came forward damningly stating that they
would rather die than spend another minute on the Waratahxl. They testified that the ship was a ‘floating
coffin’xli. On the ships, maiden voyage only six members of the entire crew were in fact crew members the
others being one voyage workers such as coal stockersxlii. These workers were dressed in Blue Anchor Line
uniforms and passed as crew members. They reported that the ship had rotting lifeboats and the unusual roll
was going to be the end of the shipxliii. Perhaps most damning was the report given by a junior engineer who
when embarking on the ship at Sydney, had run into Mr Hodder the chief engineer trying to flee the ship with
all his possessionsxliv. Yet, all this information resulted in a lack of evidence and the inquiry reached no
conclusive result.

The Newsletter also ran a story about a South African child seer who had experienced a similar dream to
Claude Sawyer the night the Waratah disappeared. The child claimed to have seen a great ship swallowed
by a gigantic wave.

Over the years, many theories as to what happened to the Waratah have been suggested from explosions,
rogue waves and supernatural theories. The most plausible of these explanations is the theory of the rogue
wave due to the strong Agulhas currents in the Indian Oceanxlv. Scientific knowledge is relatively limited on
rogue waves and rogue waves have only been taken seriously since the 1960'sxlvi. Although, no ship has been
known to have been swallowed by a rogue wavexlvii. If the Waratah had been swallowed by a rogue wave
aided by the ships uneven roll, then an explanation of why no debris was found could be provided. If a rogue
wave had swallowed the Waratah, it could have possibly sucked everything to the bottom of the ocean floor
wherever the ship lies.

Figure 13: Artists impression of the demise of the Waratah

South African marine archaeologist Emlyn Brown and Clive Cussler have spent 30 years searching for the SS
Waratah. Using the latest modern day technology and examining all possible accounts of the last sighting of
the ship. Emlyn Brown concluded painfully, in 2004 that he had “exhausted all options and had no idea
where to look”xlviii.

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 Remembering the SS Waratah
Fascinating tale I know. In terms of mysteries of the sea, the tale of the SS Waratah is equal to that of the
Mary Celestexlix. But is that all the Waratah will ever be, a fascinating tale? The loss of the Waratah has been
overshadowed by other major events of the time, especially the loss the RMS Titanic in 1912 and the
enormous death tolls of the First World War. Only has public awareness once again resurfaced for the
Waratah as a link to the lost MH370 flight, with information scattered across online blogs. Yet, tragically, the
facts about the disappearance of the SS Waratah are often masked by the mysterious and intriguing events
that encompass the ships two voyages. In a maritime mystery that stems beyond Australia, it is tragic that a
greater monument beyond the small plaque in Queenscliffe, Victoria has not been dedicated to the lives lost
on the SS Waratah, the Titanic of the South.

Figure 14: Plaque at Queenscliffe for the SS Waratah

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i
Paul Ashton & Paula Hamilton, ‘Connecting with history: Australians and their past’ in Paul Ashton & Hilda Kean (eds.), People
and their Pasts (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 23.
ii
Jane Lydon, ‘Driving by’: Visiting Australian colonial monuments, Journal of Social Archaeology, 5/1, (2005), 109.
iii
Ashton and Hamilton 2009, 23.
iv
Ann Curthoys and Ann McGrath, ‘How to write history that people want to read’ (University of NSW Press, 2009), 15.
v
T Sheckles, ‘Australian Film’, in N Birns and R Mineer (ed.), A companion to Australian literature since 1900 (Boydell and
Brewer, 2009).
vi
B Kapferer, Legends of People Myths of State: Violence, Intolerance, and Political Culture in Sri Lanka (New York: Berghahn
Books, 2011).
vii
Janis Wilton, Museums and Memories: Remembering the Past in Local and Community Museums, Public History Review,
vol.12, (2006), 8.
viii
Samuel Davey, Neil Gordon, Ian Holland, Mark Rutten & Jason Williams, Bayesian Methods in the Search for MH370
(Singapore: Springer, 2016), 1.
ix
Edward Hallett Carr, What is history? (Camberwell, Victoria: Penguin, 2008), 8.
x
Vanessa Collingridge, The Story of Australia (Victoria: The Five Mile Press, 2008), 59.
xi
Tom McCluskie, Michael Sharpe & Leo Marriott, Titanic & Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic (London: Parkgate Books, 1998,
63.
xii
Ibid.
xiii
J Haynes, The Best Australian Yarns: And Other True Stories, (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2013).
xiv
Flinders Ranges Research, ‘The Lost Ship’, (website), https://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/waratah.htm, viewed 10th
September 2018.
xv
Ibid.
xvi
Ibid.
xvii
Ibid.
xviii
Pauline Conolly, The mystery of the Waratah, Quadrant, 56/5, (2012), 85.
xix
SS Waratah inquiry-evidence seaworthiness, D, 596, National Archives, Canberra.
xx
Pauline Conolly 2012, 85.
xxi
Ibid.
xxii
P Taylor, Great Australian Tales, (Victoria: The Five Mile Press Pty Ltd, 2005), 216.
xxiii
Ibid.
xxiv
‘The Mystery of the “Waratah”, The Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal, 12th March 1910, New South Wales.
xxv
J Haynes, 2013, 129.
xxvi
Peter Ilbery, ‘The loss of the Waratah 1909, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 82/1 (1996).
xxvii
J Haynes, 2013,129.
xxviii
Peter Ilbery, 1996.
xxix
Ibid.
xxx
Pauline Conolly, 2012, 86.
xxxi
Ibid.
xxxii
Ibid.
xxxiii
SS Waratah Inquiry, Canberra, 1910, A5522, National Archives of Australia.
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xxxiv
Ibid.
xxxv
Ibid.
xxxvi
Ibid.
xxxvii
Ibid.
xxxviii
Ibid.
xxxix
Ibid.
xl
‘The Waratah Scandal, The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People, 19th March 1910, Sydney, (online database).
xli
‘Waratah inquiry Humbug’ The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People, 2nd April 1910, Sydney, (online
database).
xlii
‘The Waratah Scandal, The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People, 19th March 1910, Sydney, (online database).
xliii
Ibid.
xliv
Ibid.
xlv
Anonymous, Science and Technology: Monsters of the deep; Rogue waves, (The Economist, 2009), 94.
xlvi
Ibid.
xlvii
Ibid.
xlviii
Pauline Conolly, 2012, 87.
xlix
Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe, Unsolved Mysteries of the Sea (Dundurn, 2004), 77.

Bibliography

Primary:

SS Waratah inquiry-evidence seaworthiness, D, 596, National Archives of Australia, Canberra.

SS Waratah Inquiry, Canberra, 1910, A5522, National Archives of Australia, Canberra.

The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘The Waratah Search Ship’, Wednesday 16th February 1910, 8.

‘The Waratah Scandal, The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People, 19th March 1910,
Sydney, (online database).

‘Waratah inquiry Humbug’ The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People, 2nd April 1910,
Sydney, (online database).

Secondary:

Anonymous, Science and Technology: Monsters of the deep; Rogue waves, (The Economist, 2009), 94.

Ashton, P & Hamilton, P ‘Connecting with history: Australians and their past’ in Paul Ashton & Hilda Kean
(eds.), People and their Pasts (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009), 23.

Carr, H.E, what is history? (Camberwell, Victoria: Penguin, 2008), 8.

Collingridge, V, The Story of Australia (Victoria: The Five Mile Press, 2008), 59.

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Conolly, Pauline, The mystery of the Waratah, (Quadrant, 56/5, 2012), 85-87.

Curthoys, A and McGrath, A, ‘How to write history that people want to read’ (University of NSW Press,
2009), 15.
Davey, S, Gordon, N, Holland, I, Rutten, M & Williams, J, Bayesian Methods in the Search for MH370
(Singapore: Springer, 2016), 1.

Fanthorpe, L & Fanthorpe, P, Unsolved Mysteries of the Sea (Dundurn, 2004).

Flinders Ranges Research, ‘The Lost Ship’, (website),

https://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/waratah.htm, viewed 10th September 2018.

Haynes J, The Best Australian Yarns: And Other True Stories, (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2013).

Ilbery, Peter, The Loss of the Waratah 1909, (Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, 82/1, 1996).

Kapferer, B, Legends of People Myths of State: Violence, Intolerance, and Political Culture in Sri Lanka
(New York: Berghahn Books, 2011).

Lydon, J, ‘Driving by’: Visiting Australian colonial monuments, Journal of Social Archaeology, 5/1, (2005),
109.

McCluskie, T, Sharpe, M & Marriott, L, Titanic & Her Sisters Olympic and Britannic (London: Parkgate
Books, 1998, 63.

Sheckles, T, ‘Australian Film’, in N Birns and R Mineer (ed.), A companion to Australian literature since
1900 (Boydell and Brewer, 2009).

Taylor P, Great Australian Tales, (Victoria: The Five Mile Press Pty Ltd, 2005), 216-217.

The Mystery of the “Waratah”, The Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal, 12th March 1910, New South
Wales.

Wilton, J, Museums and Memories: Remembering the Past in Local and Community Museums, Public
History Review, vol.12, (2006), 8.

Images
(Figure 1) Monument of Burke and Wills 1865, Charles Nettleton Charles 1880, State Library of Victoria,
(online database), accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 2) Lund’s Blue Anchor Line TSS “Waratah, 1909, [image],

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/730498002032181310/, accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 3) First-class music saloon of the Waratah, [Image], (2018), http://historydaily.org/the-nautical-

mystery-of-the-ss-waratah, accessed 7th October 2018.
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(Figure 4) Launch of Lund’s Blue Anchor Liner Waratah, 1908, [image], (2015),
https://molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/07/countdown-to-waratah-anniversary.html, accessed 7th October
2018.

(Figure 5) SS Waratah at Port Adelaide 1909, State Library of South Australia (online database), accessed 7th
October 2018.

(Figure 6) Green, A Waratah 1909, State Library of Victoria, (online database), accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 7) Duffy, A ‘Waratah’, State Library of Western Australia, (online database), accessed 7th October
2018.

(Figure 8) ‘The Search For The Missing Waratah’, The Daily Telegraph 1909, SS Waratah Inquiry,
Canberra, 1910, A5522, National Archives of Australia, (online database), accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 9) ‘Where is the Waratah?’ The Daily Telegraph 1909, SS Waratah Inquiry, Canberra, 1910, A5522,
National Archives of Australia, (online database), accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 10) ‘Recent Search For The Waratah’, The Daily Telegraph 1909, SS Waratah Inquiry, Canberra,
1910, A5522, National Archives of Australia, (online database), accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 11) Captain J.E Ilbery, 1904, [image], (2018), http://historydaily.org/the-nautical-mystery-of-the-ss-

waratah, accessed 7th October 2018.

(Figure 12) Lund’s Blue Anchor Line, T.S.S Waratah 1908, SS Waratah Inquiry, Canberra, 1910, A5522,
National Archives of Australia, (online database), accessed 7th October 2018.
(Figure 13) Waratah in heavy seas, [image], (2013), https://molegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/07/, accessed
7th October 2018.
(Figure 14) SS Waratah plaque 2009, Queenscliffe Maritime Museum, (online database), accessed 7th
October 2018.

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