Initially, the non-appearance of the ship did not cause alarm as it was not uncommon for ships to arrive at port days, or occasionally even weeks overdue. As "Waratah" was considered unsinkable, it was at first thought likely that she had been delayed by a breakdown or mechanical fault, and was still adrift. Fears started to grow for her safety, when ships which had left Durban after "Waratah" and had travelled on a similar course began arriving at Cape Town, and reported having seen no sign of her en route. The first search effort was launched on 1 August, when the tugboat "T.E. Fuller" was sent out to look for any sign of the ship, but was forced to turn back after encountering dreadful weather. She later returned to search along the coast. The Royal Navy deployed cruisers and HMS "Forte" (and later ) to search for the "Waratah". The "Hermes", near the area of the last sighting of the "Waratah", encountered waves so large and strong that she strained her hull and had to be placed in dry dock on her return to port. On 10 August 1909, a cable from South Africa reached Australia, reading "Blue Anchor vessel sighted a considerable distance out. Slowly making for Durban. Could be the Waratah". The Chair of the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament halted proceedings to read out the cable, saying: "Mr. Speaker has just informed me that he has news on reliable authority that the SS "Waratah" has been sighted making slowly towards Durban." In Adelaide, the town bells were rung, but the ship in question was not the "Waratah".