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.

Figure 2: Lund's T.S.S Waratah

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
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
Figure 3:
tonne Waratah, that boasted eight state rooms, one hundred first-class Saloona of
cabins, SS Waratah
saloon and luxurious music
xiii
hall . The Waratah was to carry a new wave of
immigration between Britain and Australia, to
accommodate the newly formed White Australia
Policy. 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 Figure 4: Launch of Lund’s SS Waratah 1908
were 212 passengers and crew mostly
from Sydney and Adelaidexviii. 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

Figure 5: The SS Waratah in Port Adelaide

 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 had boarded the ship at Sydney bound for London. Sawyer was an
experienced 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
Figure 7: Waratah in rough seas
direction as the
Waratahxxvii. In sea
lore, sighting the
Flying 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 search for the Waratah, all trading vessels were asked
Figure 8: Search zone for the Waratah
3
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.

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

4
 Figure 10: Search efforts for the Waratah 1909

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

Figure 11: Captain Ilbery 1904

5
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.

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.

6
 Figure 12: Saloon passenger list 1908-including Mr. Johnson, Mr. Hodder and Mr. Skailes

7
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.

8
 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

9
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.
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.

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.

(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.