Bantu Wind

The Bantu Wind is an old tramp steamer used as an escape vessel in the Cairo sequence and the subsequent nocturnal crossing. Moored at a mist-locked Cairo pier, its deck is alive with pirates loading final stores while Sallah, Indy and Marion interact and Captain Simon Katanga stands on the rail giving orders and spotting enemy submarines. Later the same vessel powers through the flat Mediterranean under a cold moon, its hull carving steady wakes as it carries characters on a night voyage that momentarily halts the immediate chase and heightens the passengers' tense, confined atmosphere in the hold.

3 appearances

Purpose

Transport vessel for escaping Cairo; provides concealment in hold during Nazi pursuit

Significance

Offers a tense emotional respite that bonds Indy, Marion, and Sallah before Nazi submarines shatter the calm, thrusting the group into hiding and amplifying the voyage's peril

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Last Calm on the Bantu Wind

The tramp steamer Bantu Wind is the central set piece: moored at the pier as final stores are loaded and as the gangplank serves for boarding and the farewell embrace. It anchors the imminent departure and frames the emotional pause.

Before: Moored at the pier, partially loaded and attended by crew preparing final stores.

After: Still moored but completing final preparations; poised to cast off once loading and farewells conclude.

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S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Moonlit Crossing on the Batu Wind

The Bantu Wind functions as the filmic subject: its hull cutting through water provides movement and rhythm while its moonlit surface becomes a visual metaphor for temporary calm. As the vessel transits, it physically carries characters between danger and intimacy and narratively suspends immediate pursuit.

Before: Underway at sea; bathed in moonlight, actively cutting through calm waters as it transits the Mediterranean.

After: Continuing its course across the Mediterranean; no visible change in condition—still the vessel providing transit and temporary refuge.

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S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Wolf Submarines on the Horizon — Katanga Orders Hide

The Bantu Wind is the platform on which the event unfolds — the ship's bridge is the vantage point revealing the approaching submarines and the deck becomes the threatened space. It functions as both refuge and target, forcing crew decisions about concealment belowdecks.

Before: Operating as a tramp steamer at the pier/bridge, with passengers on deck and stores being loaded; visually exposed.

After: Placed under immediate siege threat — crew and passengers are instructed to hide below; ship faces imminent boarding.

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