The Vanishing of the Koombana: 150 Souls, No Trace, No Answer

Emergencies and World Disasters · Sep 17, 2026 · 21m

The Vanishing of the Koombana: 150 Souls, No Trace, No Answer

A century-old disappearance that still chills: on the morning of 20 March 1912 the SS Koombana sailed with a falling barometer and 150 people aboard, and not one was ever seen again - the wreck has never been found. What sequence of groundings, fires, disputes and a priceless pearl preceded the ship’s last voyage, and how did a vessel described as “the finest passenger ship on the Western Australian coast” simply vanish without trace?

In this episode, we recount the facts of the Koombana’s final voyage, the ship’s construction and…