OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 5.00pm.
AN 18-year search for one of South Africa’s most famous vessels, the SS Waratah, has come to an end.
Her wreck was found off the eastern seaboard off the Transkei coast in June, marine explorer Emlyn Brown said on Wednesday.
It was his ninth expedition since 1983 to find the wreck of the luxury liner which sank with its 211 crew and passengers after leaving Durban on July 26 1909.
Cape mounted soldier Edward Joe Conquer said at the time he saw the ship “roll over and sink”.
Brown said he kept his latest expedition under wraps as could not face the public if he had miscalculated the ship’s position.
Brown, who heads the National Underwater and Marine Agency in South Africa, said “The wreck is lying upright on the seafloor, at a depth of 113 metres with its bow facing a north-easterly direction.”
“The forward section of the vessel was extensively damaged on impact with the seafloor and the effect of the current acting on her for 90 years.”
Brown said he kept his latest expedition under wraps as he could not face the public in the event of having miscalculated the ship’s position.
“She is an extraordinary sight. She appears so tragic, just sleeping in silence on the sea bed,” Brown said.
Brown has been issued with a licence and permit from the SA Revenue Services and National Monuments Council to protect the wreck from plundering.