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.
