No ship named SS Umlazi is identified in the major maritime databases or historical records. There is, however, a notable Dutch steam merchant named Sawahloento that was attacked and sunk by U-177 in December 1942 off the coast near Umhlanga Rocks (close to Umlazi, Durban). Survivors from this ship were rescued and brought to Durban[1]. Additionally, there is currently a vessel named UMHLANGA registered as a lightship operating under the flag of South Africa, but there is no record of a ship officially named “SS Umlazi”[2].
Ships carrying indentured laborers and other passengers to the Durban area historically are well-documented, but none bear the specific designation “SS Umlazi”. The Truro is noted as the first ship to carry Indian indentured immigrants to Port Natal (Durban) in 1860, starting a long history of shipping traffic to this region[3].
For those searching for historic shipping records relating to Umlazi or Durban, passenger lists and other documents can be found scattered across archives, including those for ships arriving in the wider Natal region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries[4].
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