The English steamer Huarata, built at the beginning of the last century, was rightfully considered the largest in the world at that time. In 1909, with 211 passengers and crew, he sailed from Australia to England. Then no one suspected that this flight would be the last. Off the coast of South Africa, the liner disappeared. Until now, nothing is known about either his fate or the fate of the people on board.
Luxury giant
In 1908, the Scottish shipbuilding company Barclay Carl, commissioned by the British Navy, built the steamer Huarata. It was intended for long-haul flights, in particular to Australia. The ship had a displacement of 16 thousand tons, could take on board several hundred passengers and more than 10 thousand tons of cargo. Reliability and unsinkability of the ship was ensured by eight watertight compartments and a navigation system created according to the latest technology. In addition to comfortable cabins, "Huarata" had offices, a luxurious banquet hall, a smoking room and many other places for passengers to rest.
Having brilliantly passed the tests, "Huarata" went to the shores of Australia. Captain Joshua Ilbury was very pleased with the ship and crew. In Australia, the liner took on board 6.5 thousand tons of cargo, 211 passengers and moved to the port of Durban, where it replenished coal reserves. On July 29, 1909, the steamer headed for Cape Town, and from there was to go to London. But he did not arrive at any of these destinations. The last to see the ship was the sailor of the steamer Clan McIntyre. Both ships greeted each other. Since then, no one has heard of Huarat.
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The first 24 hours after the steamer did not arrive at its destination, its owners did not worry. You never know what could have happened, for example, a storm that changed course. And two days later it became clear that something had happened to “Huarata”. But what happened was not clear. If the steamer sank, where did the people go? After all, the liner was equipped with 17 boats for 800 people, rafts, lifebuoys and vests. However, nothing was found on the surface of the ocean.
There was a fuss in the press, various versions of the sinking of the ship were expressed. At the same time, it was reported that on August 11, sailors of other steamers saw bodies of the dead in the water. But when checking the records in the ship's logs, it turned out that the distance between them and the crash site was more than 100 miles. Soon there was another message from the captain of the steamer Harlow, which said that on July 27 at six o'clock in the evening he saw the Huarat, and two hours later a strong flame flared up on the ship's site, accompanied by a distant rumble. After that, the steamer disappeared. But the keeper of the lighthouse located nearby at Cape Hermes has never seen or heard anything like it.
Then, as usual, newspaper ducks began to appear about notes found in bottles thrown ashore, allegedly written by passengers before the sinking of the steamer. All the finds contradicted each other in coordinates, names of people, dates, reasons, etc. Yes, and they were written in the same handwriting. Nevertheless, the relatives of the victims bought them for good money.
Prophetic dream
One newspaper published the story of a Huarata passenger, Cloud Sawyer. He traveled by steamer on trade. As the ship was heading to Durban, Sawyer became suspicious. The passenger shared his observations about the poor stability of the steamer with the mate. He did not object, moreover, he told Sawyer that it was for this reason that he was going to leave the steamer upon arrival in London.
Sawyer had the same dream for several nights before this conversation. As if he was running away from a knight, clad in armor, through which blood was flowing. Putting together the conversation, the dream, and the fact that the Huarata was the 13th ship on his voyages, Sawyer realized that this was a sign. And left the ship in Durban. His story gave new food for discussion, but nothing more.
Wasted labors
For three months, search expeditions combed the South African coast. All to no avail. It was decided to suspend the search. In 1910, the inconsolable relatives of the missing equipped the steamer Wakefield, which sailed to Durban on February 10. For half a year the ship cruised along the route, but again no traces were found.
At the end of 1910, an official investigation into the mysterious incident began. Testimonials from passengers who disembarked in Durban were taken, engineers, workers who built the steamer, and naval experts were interviewed. Two months later, the commission came to a conclusion - I must say, not shedding light on the sad events. The protocol stated that the Huarat was caught in a violent storm and sank. No one doubted that the steamer was stable and well equipped, but it is not known whether the crew checked the tightness of the hatches and prepared life-saving appliances.
Some experts were inclined to believe that there was some kind of accident or explosion in the engine room, which led to the stop of the engines. The ship in this state could not withstand the storm. Perhaps a giant wave turned him over so rapidly that people did not have time to put on their vests and use the boats. In addition, the Huarata had a very heavy cargo on board, which, presumably, was not secured. And during the pitching, he began to move around the cargo compartment, thus shifting the center of gravity.
The versions about the fire on the ship or the explosion, which the captain of "Harlow" spoke about, were found to be untenable, since no traces of the disaster were found on the water.
The search continues
Many years passed, the First and Second World Wars ended, and, of course, the disappearance of Huarata was gradually forgotten. In 1955, the pilot of a combat aircraft, flying around the South African coast, noticed a strange shadow on the bottom between the reefs, very reminiscent of the outline of a large ship. Then he decided that this was the missing 50 years ago "Huarat". However, the next day, taking the journalists on board and flying with them along the same route, he could not see anything. Perhaps there was some deviation from yesterday's course, or the sea was not so clear, or the sun was shining at the wrong angle. In addition, many ships sank in these places during the war, so it is not a fact that it was Huarata.
Three years later, the captain of a fishing boat near Durban, using an echo sounder, discovered a huge sunken steamer under water. Just in the place where the pilot saw him. It was decided to start underwater work. And finally, a rusty sheet of ship's skin was lifted from the bottom. The specialists of the Barclay Carl company, who arrived at the scene, said that this was exactly the skin that was on the Huarat - as on all their ships built before the First World War. The shape and thickness of the sheet, preserved rivets - all testified in favor of the fact that the Huarat was found.
It remained to turn to the divers to examine the find in more detail. But the reefs, rough waters, sharks and diving equipment of the time did not allow this to be done.
And finally, in 1999, the members of the expedition led by Dr. Brown, the head of the South African National Submarine and Maritime Agency, were able to look into the holds of the sunken ship.
It turned out that they contained spare parts for trucks, the trucks themselves, cans for fuel, etc. That is, the cargo of the steamer belonged to the Second World War. And the ship sank in 1942, hit by a submarine of the Nazis … It was not "Huarata".
It is still unclear what happened to the steamer, where the passengers went, why no traces of the disaster were found. As for the company that owned the ship, its reputation was hopelessly damaged, people stopped buying tickets for its steamers. For some time she was engaged in the transportation of goods, and then completely ceased to exist.
They are still looking for Huarata, and the question of where the ship sank remains open. Historian Peter Humphreys believes that the ship sank just south of East London. In his opinion, a strong storm began, and the captain decided to wait it out in Port Elizabeth. But on the way to the port, the steamer ran into an underwater reef, which was the reason for the crash. Oceanologist Jack Mallory expresses the opinion that Huarat was the victim of giant waves, the nature of which is unknown.
Galina Orlova
