SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
July 21:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1781: Middelburg, this wooden Dutch East Indiaman was scuttled during the “Battle of Saldanha” to avoid capture by the British in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. It was one of six merchant vessels sent to hide in Saldanha Bay, but its Captain was preparing for capture by the British and had taken the precautions to leave mainly flammable material on board. The crew only stopped lighting the fire once the British fleet of about 30 vessels were within cannon range. It exploded violently with cotton balls and timber being hurled into the air.
The French naturalist, François le Vaillant, later to become famous for his books on his travels in South Africa, had obtained an invitation to sail on the Middelburg to Saldanha Bay and had taken all his possessions, including his priceless collection of natural history specimens, with him. On the morning of the attack, le Vaillant was out hunting with one of the local farmers and upon hearing gunfire, hastened back to the coast. He arrived just in time to see the Middelburg go up in flames and explode sending his collections and research up in smoke.
Numerous efforts have been made over the years to salvage some of the porcelain from the wreck as it lay in shallow water near Hoedjiespunt. In the early 1900s explosives were used on the site, supposedly to kill an octopus but more likely to break up concretions. The salvage attempt recovered cannons, porcelain, tea chests, and other material. The most recent salvage attempts were undertaken in the late 1960s when more complete pieces of porcelain were uncovered though it was noted that the earlier use of explosives had caused a lot of damage. It was also reported that much of the lower hull remained intact buried in the sand. Subsequently, a breakwater has been built joining Hoedjiespunt and Marcus Island which now partially covers the site under reclaimed land.
"Capture of the Durch East India Company Fleet in Saldanha Bay 1781" by Thomas Luny. The painting shows the Middelburg (1781) up in flames and the captured Dutch vessels already having a Union Jack above the Dutch tricolour, via Van Niekerk, J.P., 2015. Of naval courts martial and prize claims: Some legal consequences of commodore Johnstone's secret mission to the Cape of Good Hope and the "battle" of Saldanha Bay, 1781 (Part 1). Fundamina, 21(2), pp. 414.
1822: A north-westerly gale, referred to as the Great Gale of 1822, led to the wrecking of seven vessels in Table Bay in the Western Cape:
• Adriatic, a wooden British snow, wrecked on Woodstock Beach with two of its crew drowning;
• Good Intent, a wooden South African schooner;
• Lavinia, a wooden British snow that wrecked on Woodstock Beach;
• Leander, a wooden British brig that wrecked on Woodstock Beach with its Captain being seriously injured and one of the crew drowning;
• Olive Branch, a wooden British brig;
• Royal George, a wooden British vessel;
• Sun, a wooden British brig.
A copy of "Voyage dans l’intérieur de l’Afrique (1790, 2 vols.)" by François le Vaillant, housed in the Africana collection at the Library of the National Museum in Bloemfontein
1859: Thomas Brassy, this American sailing vessel wrecked after being driven ashore, unmanned between Cape Padrone and the Kowie River mouth in the Eastern Cape. It sprang a leak during a storm near the Kowie River mouth and was abandoned, with the crew landing safely at Cannon Rocks on either the 20th or the 24th of July.
1867: Knight of Snowdown, this ship foundered 33 km from Danger Point in the Western Cape.
The Hannington Court (1941) ablaze, with one of the assisting vessels nearby
1878: Ardour, this sailing barque was lost off Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about this vessel.
1880: Zenina, this wooden Irish barque wrecked on Annabella Bank after its cables parted in a north-easterly gale in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
1883: City of Lima, this British barque wrecked in a north-easterly gale about 1km from the Durban Bar Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal.
1904: Lion, this iron British steam-powered tug wrecked after striking the North Pier in Durban harbour in KwaZulu-Natal after trying to cross the bar in bad weather. Either six or seven men (based on different reports) lost their lives.
1941: Hannington Court, this motor-powered steel cargo ship caught alight after an explosion in the engine room, on the 14th of July, in the early hours of the morning, near Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. Two engineers were unable to escape the engine room and died in the blaze. The crew attempted to battle the fire, but by noon, they were ordered to abandon ship. The Burdwan picked up the survivors and attempted to tow the still burning vessel to Cape Town. The tow parted after a few hours, and the burning ship was left behind. Over the next few days, S.A.N.F minesweepers attempted to tow it with no success. This was followed by the tug St. Dogmael which ran out of fuel. On the sixth day, the tug T.S. McEwan towed it stern first, but was unable to get it into Table Bay this way. The HMS Dragon eventually arrived from Algoa Bay and was waiting for calmer seas to make a towing attempt. Eventually the seas became too rough, and the order was finally given to sink the week-long burning vessel by gunfire. Thirteen 6-inch shells finally laid the Hannington Court to rest on the 21st of July, with it having drifted past Cape Point towards the east and finding its final resting place near Dyer Island in the Western Cape.
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