On November 20th 1942 at 17:00, S.S. Tilawa set sail for the continent of Africa. She departed from Ballard Pier, Mumbai with 222 crew members, 732 passengers, and 4 gunners. There were 9 lifeboats, over 6,000 tons of cargo, including 60 tons of silver bullion.
In the middle of the Indian Ocean, 930 miles northeast of the Seychelles, on November 23rd the Japanese Imperial Navy fired 2 torpedos and sunk Tilawa.
HMS Birmingham and S.S. Carthage rescued 678 people. Sadly 280 people perished.
Follow our quest to answer many burning questions, such as:
On Thursday November 23rd 2023, the iconic National Maritime Museum Greenwich held the first ever commemoration on British soil to officially acknowledge the forgotten tragedy of the ill-fated S.S. Tilawa. This event memorialized the loss of 280 passengers who sadly drowned. This is the 81st year since the Japanese Navy attacked the British passenger cargo liner.
Listen to our 4th radio interview with Ben Jackson on BBC Radio Leicester, U.K (November 20th 2023). We provide an update on the upcoming commemoration to be held on the 81st anniversary at the London Greenwich Maritime Museum.
Listen to our radio interview this week on @sabrasradio, Leicester, U.K. Managing Director Don Kotak speaks with Emile Solanki about the latest news on S.S. Tilawa, including the upcoming 81st anniversary commemoration event at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, UK.
Listen to our conversation on Lyca Radio with the Rt Hon Mr. Keith Vaz. He interviews Founder of Tilawa1942.com Emile Solanki, Sunday November 19th at 9am GMT.
Listen to a “Witness History” episode by Ben Henderson on at BBC World Service aired on May 9th 2023.
Featuring the forgotten tragedy of the ill-fated S.S. Tilawa. Mr. Arvindbhai Jani, and Mrs. Tejparkash Kaur Manget are 2 known survivors who were interviewed and told some of their recollections.
Also, 94 year old Mr. Mervyn Maciel lost his family, and was a teenager at the time.
Thank you Ben Henderson and BBC World Service!
Click below to the hear the latest radio interviews, or watch recent TV news segments.
Click below to see the latest newspaper articles on recent developments on the S.S. Tilawa.
On December 16th 2022, The Right Honorable Mr. Rishi Sunak, U.K. Prime Minister had this office write a letter acknowledging the S.S. Tilawa tragedy.
Emile Solanki, founder of tilawa1942.com was invited to write an article for The Times of India and Sunday Mumbai Mirror. The article was published on January 1st 2023.
Whilst we do not expect donations, we have provided a PayPal link below if you wish to make a contribution.
All funds received are used to maintain our online presence, and help pay for expenses incurred from our research work and obtaining resources.
Your support is sincerely appreciated!
Dedicated to the missing & surviving victims of the SS Tilawa tragedy.