Imagine a massive luxury liner so hauntingly similar to the Titanic that it featured the exact same “unsinkable” design, yet vanished without a single trace three years before the famous disaster even happened. In this episode of The DownUnder Mystery Club, authors AJ Blythe and Ava Ness chart a course back to 1909 to unpack the baffling disappearance of the SS Waratah and discuss how Australia’s premier steamship completely disappeared into the ocean along with everyone on board.
Listen in as we trace the liner’s final steps through the eyes of the last sailors to see her alive, exploring a chaotic mix of hurricane-force waves, chilling unconfirmed accounts of mid-ocean explosions and a mysterious final lamp signal cut short by the dark. Then, we head into our Mystery Book Club segment to chat about the best mystery novels this eerie cold case brings to mind!
Do you think the Waratah was swallowed by a freak wave, or did fatal engineering flaws doom her to the deep? We want to hear your theories. Make sure you share your current mystery reading list!
[Transcript in post below]
Book Links:
Wake by Shelley Burr
Vanish by Shelley Burr
Deep Six by Clive Cussler
Scend of the Sea by Geoffrey Jenkins
Brewing Up a Storm by Amanda M. Lee
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Lady Clues and the Mystery of the Vanishing Valet by Ava Ness
The Lost Ship SS Waratah: Searching for the Titanic of the South by PJ Smith
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References:
Adelaide AZ. (2021). “Alexander Hay’s wife Agnes, daughter Helen leave South Australia in 1909 to disappear in the SS ‘Waratah’ mystery.” Adelaideaz.com Articles. https://adelaideaz.com/articles/alexander-hay-s-wife-agnes–daughter-helen-leave-south-australia-in-1909-to-be-lost-in-ss–waratah–mystery-
Burr, Shelley. (2022). Wake. Hodder & Stoughton.
Burr, Shelley. (2024). Vanish. Hodder & Stoughton.Company of Master Mariners of Australia. (2023, January 2). “The Other Titanic? SS Waratah, the Lost Ship Of South Africa.” Stories from the Past. http://www.mastermariners.org.au/stories-from-the-past/5114-the-other-titanic-ss-waratah-the-lost-ship-of-south-africa
Cussler, Clive. (1984). Deep Six. Pocket Books.
Discovery UK. (2024, January 18). “What Happened to the SS Waratah and Has it Been Found?” Discovery UK Mysteries. https://www.discoveryuk.com/mysteries/what-happened-to-the-ss-waratah-and-has-it-been-found/
Doyle, Arthur Conan. (1909). “Official Seance Records and Medium Transcripts Regarding the Missing Passengers of the SS Waratah.” Spiritualist Investigation Files. London, UK.
Historic Mysteries. (2024). “The Unsolved Disappearance of the SS Waratah: Maritime Analysis by B.P. Dimri.” Historic Mysteries Archive. https://www.historicmysteries.com
Jenkins, Jeffrey. (1979). A Scent of the Sea. Collins.
Lee, Amanda M. (2018). Brewing Up a Storm. Winchester Creek Publishing.
Logbook of the Clan McIntyre. (1909, July 27). “Final Visual Signal Exchanges and Lamp Communications with the SS Waratah at 4:00 AM.” Clan Line Shipping Company Records. Cape Town Archive.
Logbook of the Harlow. (1909, July 27). “Observations of Smoke and Distant Fire Flashes Near the South African Coastline.” Harlow Tramp Steamer Logs. Maritime Incident Records.
Morton, Kate. (2008). The Forgotten Garden. Allen & Unwin.
Ness, Ava. (2023). Lady Clues and the Mystery of the Vanishing Valet. Independent Publisher.
NUMA. (1987). “SS Waratah Expedition: The Search for the Lost Flagship of the Blue Anchor Line.” National Underwater and Marine Agency Expeditions. https://numa.net/expeditions/waratah/
Official Diary of the Shore Rifleman. (1909, July 27). “Telescopic Observations of a Vessel Struggling and Floundering Off the Coastline.” Personal Waratah Observation Logs. Pondoland Archive.
Sawyer, Claude Gustav. (1909, July). “Correspondence, Documented Nightmares, and Warnings Regarding the Top-Heavy Design Weaknesses of the SS Waratah.” Durban Disembarkation Inquiry Submissions.
Smith, P.J. (2009). The Lost Ship SS Waratah: Searching for the Titanic of the South. Wilderness Press.
South Australian History Network. (2010). “The 1909 Voyage and Demise of the Blue Anchor Liner SS Waratah.” South Australian History Resource Center. https://www.southaustralianhistory.com.au/waratah.htm