South Africa: Clymping, Brighton, Die Heimath, Sir Frederick, Tong Nam & Taiyin 1 shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Suiderkus shipwreck in Namibia

July 25:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1881: A south-westerly gale resulted in the wrecking of three vessels and the loss of life of 30 people off the East London coast in the Eastern Cape: 

• Clymping, a wooden British barque with only one survivor;

• Brighton, a British barque with only two survivors with the captain being ashore at the time;

• Die Heimath, a Norwegian barque with the captain being ashore at the time. 

1928: Sir Frederick, this South African tug was scuttled off Cape Recife near Thunderbolt Reef in the Eastern Cape. 

1979: Tong Nam, this Singaporean ore carrier foundered during a storm about 50 km from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. The captain had tried to return to Durban to find shelter with a broken hull, but it broke in two in the mountainous seas. Of the 38 on board, only six were rescued by helicopter. 

1992: A Bonanza Learjet 24XR (registration no. ZS-MGC) crashed into meteorological equipment after attempting to land at Lanseria Airport in Gauteng. The accident was determined to have been caused by a nose gear centralizing cam that had been damaged when the jet was towed up a steep incline. When landing, the nosewheel was in an offset position which caused the jet to swerve violently off the runway as it touched down. The two people that were on board survived. 

1993: Taiyin 1, this fishing vessel was lost east of East London in the Eastern Cape with the crew of 27 being rescued. Very little is known about it.

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South Africa: Nossa Senhora da Belem, Nimrod, Constantia, Shantung & Bina Campbell shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Suiderkus shipwreck in Namibia

July 24:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1635: Nossa Senhora da Belem, this wooden Portuguese East Indiaman wrecked near Port St. John's in the Eastern Cape just north of the Mzimvubu river mouth (or as the Portuguese called it, Rio da Praia). The vessel was in dire need of repairs and most of the sailors were suffering with scurvy. With its holds filling with water and the cargo bashing against the ship, the decision was made to run it ashore. This was done without a loss of life, and it has often been speculated that no lives were lost in the wrecking as it was not overloaded like other Portuguese vessels at the time. The captain refused to let anyone attempt to walk overland as he knew about the dangers of doing so from previous survivors from wrecks along the South African coastline. Instead, they manufactured two vessels out of the wreckage. The first, the Senhora da Natividade headed towards Algoa Bay where provisions were obtained, and then continued onwards to Angola. Thereafter, it crossed the Atlantic to Brazil where passage home to Portugal was later found. The other vessel, the Boa Viagem is believed to have foundered shortly after being launched.

1851: Nimrod, this wooden British ship was driven ashore and wrecked after its cables parted at night in a north-westerly gale, near the Salt River mouth in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1868: A south-easterly gale in East London in the Eastern Cape claimed two vessels after their cables parted:

• Constantia, a wooden British barque, was driven onto Esplanade Rocks,

• Shantung, a wooden British barque, was lost just east of the Buffalo River.

1883: Bina Campbell, this British barque was abandoned at sea in a sinking condition in heavy weather near Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. It is assumed to have foundered shortly after.

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