S.S. WARATAH

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

there is a gent n the US rc site who is really in need of some help, building the SS Waratah, and can find precious little. see here…         https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2769582#post36138382                              I have a vested interest in seeing this model built as my grand dad used to tell me the story of it's mysterious disappearance when I was a nipper, and would love to see a model of her built. does anyone know of plans that are available for her. if so could you either pass them on to me or directly to the gent through the link above. thanks. neil.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 07/11/2016 15:20:54

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Help needed

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Mysterious Person

What is the american chap looking for, I presume its the usual drawings, plans, photos?

Paul

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The National Maritime Museum apparently have plans as designed:

**LINK**

and

**LINK**

Colin

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

Thanks Colin……..I shall relay the information to him………..sand yes Paul…………he would like as much as he can to support his build, as he hasn't found much at all.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The Waratah is a fascinating mystery and was the subject of a novel by Clive Cussler.

The general consensus seems to be that the ship fell victim to the exceptional wave conditions that can be found around the foot of the African continent. It is well documented that these can create a 'hole' in the sea in which a ship can fall and then be overwhelmed by water falling on top of it. Few vessels could survive such an event.

Recent research suggests that 'monster waves' are rather more frequent than previously believed and are responsible for many unexplained shipping losses. During WW2 the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth of 83,000 tons encountered a sea which caused the ship to dive into the trough at such an angle that her bridge was submerged.

Post war, in 1966, the Italian liner Michelangelo of 40,000 tons hit a rough wave which stove in the forward superstructure, pictures here:

**LINK**

and

**LINK**Y

There is an interesting book by Douglas Myles which looks at the 'Great Waves' and their effects including the total obliteration of a lighthouse. https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Great-Waves-Douglas-Myles/dp/0070442371

More recently the Brittany Ferries Pont Aven, on which I have travelled a number of times, encountered a wave in the Channel which forced in the forward window frames and flooded a number of cabins. The ship was subsequently reppaired without replacing the vulnerable windows.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mv+pont+aven+wave+damage&client=firefox-b-ab&tbm=isch&imgil=9fNC5RZyYKrAzM%253A%253Boulf8VKR7GNC6M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.dieselduck.info%25252Fblog%25252F2006%25252F05%25252Fpont-aven-hit-by-freak-wave-2%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=9fNC5RZyYKrAzM%253A%252Coulf8VKR7GNC6M%252C_&usg=__SDH4aYl9CSG48fKzfaNzj1tMQbM%3D&biw=1800&bih=849&ved=0ahUKEwiB0rjo55fQAhUELMAKHdNRBTMQyjcISQ&ei=6Q8hWMG5JITYgAbTo5WYAw#imgdii=9fNC5RZyYKrAzM%3A%3B9fNC5RZyYKrAzM%3A%3BrZrwIwDFXOsAlM%3A&imgrc=9fNC5RZyYKrAzM%3A

The ocean can be a dangerous place.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

The "hole in the sea" off East London is quite well-known to those sailing in that area. The weather conditions occasionally produce a hugh, deep trough into which the unfortunate ship plunges. Many years ago, the 27,000-ton Union-Castle passenger liner RMS Edinburgh Castle encountered it, and received quite a bit of superficial damage, but came nowhere near being sunk. I was not aboard at the time, but I was aboard the 36,000 ton RMS Windsor Castle when we "took the plunge!" Middle of the night, and I woke with a feeling of going down in a sloping lift. At the bottom, we fetched up with a tremendous crash, and then rose out of it with a lot of jerking and squeaking, and continued on our way. The expansion joint next to my cabin on the bridge deck had opened to such an extent that a lot of the looped electrical cables crossing it had broken. There were some broken portholes, windows and deck screens, but we wer OK. Rumours were that the Waratah was not as stable as she should have been!

Unfortunately, the plans seem to have fallen into the hands of the National Maritime Museum, so anyone wanting to purchase them will need a big bank balance. Expect them to cost well over £100!

In the early 70s, the cargo liner Bencruachan came into Durban with a broken back after having taken the plunge.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Bencruachan at Durban in the early 70s – AAaargh! I took this photo from the Pendennis Castle at the ocean terminal.

Bob

Edited By Bob Wilson on 08/11/2016 13:49:11

Edited By Bob Wilson on 08/11/2016 13:49:34

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