Lost Ship SS Waratah

In 1909, the SS Waratah embarked on her second voyage, from Sydney to England via South Africa. Filled up with families anticipating a new life on the other side of the world, what started out as a journey full of hope ended abruptly when the ship vanished between Durban and Cape Town. Ironically, the ship was due to be fitted with pioneering radio equipment when she reached England, but to this day nothing has been heard of the ship or her human cargo. Believing her to be drifting, the horrified authorities ordered a search vessel to comb the seas but in three months they found nothing. A second longer search was commissioned but still no trace was found. The mystery has spawned many conspiracy theories and even a million-dollar search mission by author Clive Cussler. A popular theory suggests the searches themselves were at fault, but here the humorous and fascinating diaries, maps, and log books of Walter Smith, a key figure on board both search missions, proves their thoroughness and describes the wide ground they covered, the dangers they faced and bizarre things they stumbled across, and the day-to-day experiences of the crew.