Pretoria grandfather Haroon Tar Mahomed, 69, has spent decades chronicling the intriguing tale of the sinking of SS Tilawa in World War 2.
One of his vivid recollections is how his father Moosa, one of the survivors, was tormented with guilt for the rest of his life after losing his younger brother, Omar, 13, in the tragedy.
Omar and Mahomed’s two uncles, Joosub Hassim, 20, and Omar Mockaria, 21, were among the 280 people who drowned when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the passenger ship on November 23 1942.
Moosa and Omar were returning to SA after visiting family in India, while Hassim and Mockaria had just got married on the subcontinent.
The ship was sailing from the then Bombay — now Mumbai — en route to Mombasa, Maputo and Durban when it was torpedoed northwest of the Maldives.
His voice trembling with emotion, Mahomed said his father, who was only 24 at the time, heard a “thud” when the first torpedo struck the ship.
“There was a mad rush for the lifeboats. Many of the crew were the first to rush towards the lifeboats and they took a few passengers but a lot of people were left stranded.”
His father and brother had to make a very painful decision because they had only one life jacket.
“My father insisted that my uncle wear the life jacket but he refused, saying, ‘You don’t know how to swim and I know how to swim.’ My uncle insisted that my father wear the life jacket. There was an understanding that they will be holding each other’s hands.”
There was a mad rush for the lifeboats. Many of the crew were the first to rush towards the lifeboats and they took a few passengers but a lot of people were left stranded
— Haroon Tar Mahomed
He said both managed to reach one of the lifeboats but during the frantic attempts to release it into the water “it came loose on one end but the other end was stuck”.
“It tilted and they fell from the lifeboat into the water. My dad told us he was holding Omar in his hands when they fell into the sea.
“As they hit the water, my dad lost consciousness. He could not recollect what happened. All he can remember was coming up for air but his brother was not there.”
His father held onto a piece of timber to stay afloat and spent two nights clinging to it.
“He also pulled an old man onto the plank. Bodies were floating all around. It was reminiscent of scenes from the Titanic when it sank.”
Mahomed said his father kept on shouting out his brother’s name. Moosa was eventually rescued by the HMS Birmingham.
“My father, who passed on in 1983, did not speak a lot about it but felt responsible because he had his younger brother in his care and he lost him.”
Mahomed said the family would be happy if the government donated even 1% of the proceeds of the silver to honour the victims of the Tilawa.
“A foundation could be set up where study bursaries could be offered, for example, to families of the survivors and also to those whose loved ones were lost at sea. It’s a huge pity that it has become a forgotten tragedy.”
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