The shipwrecks that shook Madras

Meteorologically, the year 1966 was unique and Madras was hit by two November cyclones. Earlier that month, a low cyclonic depression formed over the south Andaman sea moved westwards. As it got closer, the wind wreaked havoc over Madras and thousands became homeless. The wind even pushed the Rameshwaram passenger train off its tracks. Telephones, radio and power were disrupted.

A passenger ship SS Rajula with 1,323 passengers from Singapore tried to play safe by berthing in Nagapattinam. But port authorities refused to disembark passengers. However, 22 Customs officials boarded the ship there hoping to spend an enjoyable and free trip. Little did they know how the joyride would change their lives.

Surprisingly, the Met Department predicted the cyclone at 150/200 km SSE of Madras. With a false sense of security, Rajula sailed towards Madras. The cyclonic storm had a mind of its own and moved north as well and Rajula was moving literally hand in hand with the storm. It was caught in the cyclone at 10 miles off the Madras coast. The excellent seaworthiness of Rajula helped her out of the ordeal unscathed.

Captain Toby Blackett tried to get the ship to steam away from the coast but the wind was too strong. The ship rolled heavily and furniture piled up on the starboard side of the dining saloon. The glass windows disintegrated and whipped dangerously across the deck. Life rafts were blown off and one anchor with its cable was lost. Many a time, Rajula was minutes away from going aground.

It was hell for the passengers. A few of them bravely sat in the partly wrecked bar and joked they were having their last whiskey.

The deck passengers were having a rougher time down in the bowels of the ship and many used their belts to latch themselves to some post. Most thought of imminent death.

Meanwhile, in Madras port, a bulk carrier called Mari Hora had brought wheat to Madras. Three ships including Progress and Stamatis were chartered as daughter vessels. Under the US Public Law 480, many bulk carriers brought wheat from the US to major ports and daughter vessels would then take portions elsewhere. With the two vessels floating adjacent, vacuuming machines sucked grain from the mother vessel’s holds and load it on to the daughter vessel.

Stamatis, a ‘Liberty’ type vessel flying a Liberian flag, arrived first. But SS Progress requested the Port captain to bring her alongside the mother vessel first. By now, the wind had increased considerably to gale force. The sea started breaking with ‘white horses’ all over. (Breaking waves have crests like the mane of a white horse)

Based on that wrong weather report the port had not shooed the vessels from the harbour which is the norm during a storm.

Now all the ships within the harbour were bobbing up and down and their ropes and wires were snapping like strings of twine.

Progress was trying to get away and due to heavy pitching people could see her propeller rising in the air, as her stern rose above the water. The wind and heavy seas were too much for her power and she dashed on the breakwater and broke into two, killing 25 Chinese crew members.

Stamatis jostled violently by the storm and was dragged near Marina and beached near the mouth of the Cooum River. Braving the cyclone, a sizeable crowd flocked to see the odd sight of a floundering ship. Ten days later, in attempts to pull the ship out of the sand, the tugs huffed and puffed but Stamatis would not budge. 

Diana Maritime Corporation, the owners, sold the ship as scrap for Rs 3.3 lakhs. But the wreckage could not be completely removed. For decades, the ruined Stamatis attracted a lot of curious onlookers; the more thrill-seeking would get on a catamaran paying a rupee to get a closer look.

But sadly, it also turned into a death trap. Many who swam close were lacerated, often fatally, by the rusting sharp steel girders. In Pongal 1983, 19 dead bodies were washed ashore. Finally in 1990, with the help of two winches, the wreckage was partially removed. SS Rajula berthed in Madras without casualties on the fourth morning amidst cheer from the passengers and onlookers to a great relief.