SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
August 21:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1817: Winnifred & Maria, this wooden-hulled brig wrecked near the Table Bay Wharf in Table Bay in the Western Cape. It now lies beneath reclaimed land.
1844: Isabel, this wooden-hulled barque was captured by the HMS Cleopatra and was en-route to Simon’s Bay in the Western Cape for adjudication when it lost its rigging and was brought into Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape, where it was driven ashore and condemned. It was due for adjudication as it was found with cargo stores for engaging in the slave trade. On this day, while anchored in Algoa Bay, its cables parted during a south easterly gale, and it was wrecked. It was officially condemned on the 2nd of October.
1844: Trekboer, this wooden-hulled schooner wrecked in the same south easterly gale as the Isabel in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. A boy was lost his life during the wrecking.
1851: Spy, this wooden-hulled brigantine wrecked after its cables parted in a south easterly gale in St. Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape.
1879: Pisa, this Italian wooden-hulled barque struck a reef 32 km from Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape on the 20th and started leaking. The captain tried to reach False Bay, but by the night of the 21st he decided to drive it ashore as he feared it would founder. He attempted to beach the barque near the mouth of the Bot River in the Western Cape but struck a rock before reaching the shore and wrecked. One newspaper article claims that the entire wreck washed ashore, whereas a different one claims that after its cargo was removed and it was stripped, its hulk remained on the rocks and eventually disappeared below water.
1972: Texanita, this Panamanian supertanker collided with the tanker Oswego Guardian in thick fog, off Stilbaai in the Western Cape and foundered. The oil vapours in the Texanita caused a massive explosion which broke the ship in two and it sank within 4 minutes. The event resulted in the loss of 47 lives on board the Texanita and the loss of one life from the Oswego Guardian. Three men from the Texanita and one from the Oswego Guardian were taken to a hospital in Mossel Bay. The oil spill at the time slicked approximately 500 penguins. The Oswego Guardian underwent repairs in Table Bay and continued tanking. At the time, this was the biggest collision in terms of size of vessels involved. The explosion on board the Texanita was heard over 100 km away and resulted in international regulations for the transport of inert gasses to be amended for safety.
2005: A privately operated Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander (registration no. ZS-PCJ) encountered engine problems shortly before attempting to land at Virginia Airport in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. During the landing attempt, the airplane drifted from the centre line and a go-around was attempted. This was unsuccessful with the airplane continuing banking to the left and the pilot flew over the M4 highway and struck a house’s roof with the nose and left wing, coming to rest with the tail high in the air. The 5 occupants and pilot survived albeit with many injuries, but the airplane was damaged beyond repair.
2013: Kiani Satu, this bulk carrier was towed out to sea about 200 km from Knysna in the Western Cape and scuttled by the South Africa Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA). After encountering engine failure, the 165 m bulk carrier was driven close to the coast and it came to rest just off the Goukamma River Mouth, near Buffels Bay, in the Western Cape where its crew was airlifted to safety.
Rescue operation by NSRI
Various governmental departments worked together to attempt to protect coastal resources from an oil spill and to remove the vessel’s fuel and cargo to lighten it enough to be towed to deeper waters. This was eventually achieved, with the bulk carrier being towed out to sea and finding its final resting place over 1000 m deep, 200 km from the coast. The following weeks involved much cleanup with the result being the oiling of over 150 sea birds, and the death of 14 sea birds and two seals.
Aerial photo/video service/inquiries: info@traveltonamibia.com
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