This ship was and still is a huge mystery. Usually when a ship vanishes, something is left behind. There wasn’t a life ring, lifeboat, or debris washing up anywhere after she went down that was confirmed. This is one of the most sought-after shipwrecks anywhere. Not for money but for answers. What happened in that storm in 1909? There was also a man who got off the ship at its last stop because he kept having horrible dreams that told him to get off that ship.
The SS Waratah was built in 1908 for the Blue Anchor Line. She was designed to carry passengers and cargo between England and Australia. At nearly 500 feet long, she was considered a modern and comfortable ship for her day. Some even called her the “Titanic of the Southern Seas,” although she sailed before the Titanic. Her early voyages seemed successful, but passengers reported that the ship tended to roll heavily in rough weather.
In July of 1909, the Waratah left Durban, South Africa, bound for Cape Town with 211 passengers and crew aboard. She carried a cargo that included lead ore concentrate, which some later believed may have affected her stability. After leaving Durban, another ship reported seeing the Waratah in heavy seas. Then she disappeared. The Waratah had no Marconi system (it wasn’t required by law at this time), so there were no distress calls. The ship and everyone aboard vanished without a trace.
A massive search was launched along the South African coast. Ships scoured thousands of miles of ocean looking for survivors or debris. Nothing was found. Some believed she may have been overwhelmed by a rogue wave. Others thought a sudden shift in cargo or a design flaw caused her to capsize. A few even suggested she may have been caught in an unusually powerful storm and sunk before anyone could react.
One of the most interesting stories connected to the Waratah is a passenger named Claude Sawyer. Sawyer had traveled on the ship from Australia and became concerned about her during the voyage. He thought she rolled too much in rough weather and seemed unstable. When the ship arrived in Durban, South Africa, he decided not to continue to Cape Town. Instead, he got off the ship and later sent a telegram saying he believed the Waratah was top-heavy.
After the ship disappeared, Sawyer testified at the official inquiry. He described several strange dreams he had during the voyage that left him uneasy. He also spoke about watching water in a bathtub remain tilted as the ship rolled. To him, it seemed as if the vessel was not righting itself properly after each movement. Whether those observations meant anything is still debated today.
He repeatedly dreamed of a strange man standing before him. The figure was dressed in unusual clothing he did not recognize. In one hand was a long sword. In the other was a blood-stained rag. Sawyer said the figure seemed to place the sword between them as if warning him away. He became convinced the dreams were trying to tell him that he should leave the ship at the first opportunity.
What we do know is that Sawyer trusted his instincts. He left the Waratah at Durban and watched her leave. The ship departed with more than 200 passengers and crew aboard and was never seen again. More than a century later, the mystery remains unsolved, and Claude Sawyer is remembered as the man who stepped off one of history’s most famous missing ships just before it vanished forever. He tried to warn other passengers, but they would not listen. Who can blame them in a way? I remember flying to Chicago, and I had the worst feeling about the flight. I’m here and still writing, so of course, nothing happened.
Whether Claude Sawyer truly had a premonition or simply trusted his gut is something we will never know. Sawyer’s strange story remains one of the most haunting parts of the mystery. For more than a century, many expeditions have searched for the Waratah. Several wrecks have been mistaken for her over the years, only to be ruled out later. As of today, the ship has never been positively located.
Coming up soon…Riverboats, Great Lakes Ships, Military ships, Expeditions, Ocean Liners, and maybe a lighthouse down the road.
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wow, this is such a mystery, and claude’s story is, wow!
I can’t imagine how he felt after he found out what happened.
right
Cool story and nice videos, Max.
Thanks…Jim I am trying to find at least one short one for these…
Interesting. You’d figure by now with sonar and different tech they should be able to find it. Mind you, I looked it up and that would be around 1000 mile voyage, so that is a lot of water to look through
Thats the problem Dave… They say finding a shipwreck is like finding a needle in a haystack…not just any needle but a certain one. There are many false alarms and they find other shipwrecks. Plus some rock formations are mistaken for ships. I still can’t believe it took them 73 years to find the Titanic and they actually knew the area! It’s as long as 3 football fields…but that is nothing in the ocean.
it is a whole lot of territory to cover and I’m sure it’s deep enough as to not be visible from above if flying over, they’d need sonar or some sort of echo-locators wouldn’t they?
Yes…a lot of ships do the side sonar stuff…and it will show things but easy to get confused with other things. Plus the bad part is they had no wireless…so they never gave their location…hell it could be anywhere in that route and maybe not if the storm pushed them out of it…
Right, another variable- maybe they were off course somehow. If they can’t find that Malaysian Airlines jet that disappeared 10+ years ago, with radar and transponders and all, pretty much a long shot to find this one
The guy that discovered the Titanic…he did a smart thing…instead of looking for the Titanic…he looked for the debris field that most ships leave…things that get torn off the ship or lose things…and that is how he found the Titanic….I’m sure they tried that with the plane.
This ship will be found probably when they are looking for another!
Amazing that guy paid attention to those feelings and got off!
Yes it did…the bathtub thing was a giveaway…he was a smart guy to pay attention to that…
Really interesting!
Every time I read a story like this it makes me stop to think about the last moments of the folks on board. When Mother Nature hits there’s not a lot of time. It’s a big ocean, a lot of places for a wreck to hide.
I know…what a helpless feeling that would be…nowhere to go. I wish there weren’t’ many like this but there are…especially in the Great Lakes. Like a needle in a haystack so to speak…and people have spent their lives trying to find her.
Another fascinating story, Max. The sailors eyewitness account of the ship rolling to its as a huge wave washed over it and then forever disappearing is so haunting. If it ever is found, there’s undoubtedly a fortune of gold and silver to be recovered.
Thanks Pam. I love the ships but it’s the human stories that really do it for me…and there are some great ones. Oh yes…there is usually quite a bit of money on these ships. I’ve been reading about Canada, the Great Lakes, the Atlantic and I never stopped to think…hmmm what about Nashville and the Cumberland River? This town was somewhat made by steamboats…so I’m checking into that now.
Carelessness heaped upon recklessness heaped upon greed is what made this tragedy. I’m glad one person took his dream seriously and lived because of it. I wonder if it could have flipped upside down and trapped everything in it? I do hope they find the ship someday.
Yes it could have…or just rolled to the side like the Empress did and went to the bottom rather quickly. No lifeboats were even launched…it was very quick. Those storms…and the storms the Great Lakes get…wow. You can have all the lifeboats in the world but with no time and if the storms are bad enough…you will be out of luck. I so hope they find it. I saw a documentary made in the 80s of them looking for it. They got excited when they found a wreck but it wasn’t that one.
There’s storms a’plenty off South Africa. With that lead concentrate and the ill-feelings Claude had as an engineer. (Even if those feelings became more portentous and ominous and over time, as legends tend to- any good newspaper editor never lets a good story go unembellished!)
Perhaps the Waratah was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? There seems a lot of unlucky strikes against it design-wise. Seems it might have literally hit the perfect storm.
Also intriguing is the testimony/words from those two soldiers.
Looking at it from todays Health and Safety rules and regulations I could not imagine a boat sailing without radio being a lawful requirement for ANY commercial ship. I guess at the time it was in that grey area of new technology?
Them not having the Marconi system was just damn cheap and foolish obbverse. You have a major investment in that ship…get a radio! It was in most ships at that time…no reason not to have it. Not one lifeboat was launched…that shows you, going back to the Titanic, if you are in a bad enough storm…they won’t do you much good…although you should still have them of course. The way Claude described that bathtub…that is what interested me…how the water reacted showed it probably had a pretty bad list.
Now…there are ships that went down without a trace with a radio so it could have happened really quick. I think what you said…a storm, a rogue wave hit her from the side and turned her like the Empress of Ireland.
I do hope they find it…they might be able to see why…if they hit a shoal in the storm or what happened. There is always a story with these ships.
The Claude Sawyer story is an epic all its own! If they got him to testify they must’ve thought he had some credibility.
The bathtub part is the part that tells it all…if the water was doing that at the drain…she was listing probably pretty bad. Bruce…I love these ships but it’s the stories that really hooked me into all of this.
What an incredible mystery, Max! You covered this so well and I was caught up in your account of Claude’s dreams. In my research, I found two interesting passengers to write about. I hope you enjoy my story:
https://theelephantstrunk.org/2026/06/20/promised-land-fire-water-from-mount-breckan-to-ss-waratah/
I honestly don’t recall hearing about this. But what an incredible story. That Sawyer tale is very compelling. Interestingly variations of which has been placed in the plot of many a disaster movie. Interesting you mention that Chicago flight, I have had that same feeling many times. But oddly for all the flying I used to do (and still hate it) at one time for work, I never had those thoughts about a plane.
These stories really stick with you. This field is rich in stories.
The night before the Chicago trip (my first plane ride) I was nervous and barely slept. I then woke up to the news about….what else? A plane wreck. I’m not a good flyer at all. The take off I always white knuckle…once I’m up…I’m alright.
Ok well that first plane ride is always a white knuckler. For me we took a quick flight on a DC9 for a class trip when I was in elementary school. Best thing that could have happen. Didn’t ever like flying but it took away that initial fear.
Yea that is a good way…I was by myself completely.
“A ship is always safe at the shore, but that is not what it is built for.” John A. Shedd’s 1928 book Salt From My Attic
That is great! Thanks dude!
I am excited with your plans about this blog. I am a huge fan of lighthouses.
In time, I found another fellow blogger that loves to write military navy, I believe you might find it interesting.
https://laststandonzombieisland.com/
Thank you man…it’s so many stories! Yes you have the great ships, submarines, and such…and in some…they are settings for some great stories…but I can’t wait to get on the Ocean Liners…
I’ve been watching some documentaries about lighthouses…I can’t wait to get to them…and I’m diving into the Military ships and subs. This is so much fun. Thank you for the link…I’m going there now.