Welcome to our S.S. Tilawa heritage site!

The purpose of this website and our mission is to share with you a story that has been long forgotten. 

The tragedy of S.S. Tilawa led to 280 passengers losing their lives, and forever traumatizing those who survived this horrific ordeal survivors. As descendants of a missing person, and of victim who lost his father at the age 9, we have a unique attachment to this historic event. 

S.S. Tilawa was attacked by a Japanese submarine, and to this day, we do not know why. Recently sixty tonnes of silver bullion was salvaged, and has become a legal battle between those who discovered it and the Government of South Africa. 

What happened on this calamitous day in the middle of the Indian Ocean? This website is an effort to try and places the missing pieces to this great mystery. Our intent is to try help bring some closure to the S.S. Tilawa tragedy by sharing whatever information is available, and continue digging for more. 

In the words of the SS Tilawa Foundation, we too wish to recognize and respectfully mourn those lost at sea, and to help others reflect on the impact this tragic event has had on the families of the survivors and the families of those who perished.