SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
May 9:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1798: Jefferson, this wooden American sailing vessel wrecked in Table Bay in the Western Cape. Very little is known about the vessel and the event.
1979: Benguela Astra, this motor-powered South African fishing vessel foundered south of Cape Point in the Western Cape.
1985: Princess Royal, this motor-powered fishing vessel was scuttled in 3.5 km deep water off the west coast in the Western Cape.
1994: A SAAF Douglas C-47/DC3 (registration no. 6816) crashed and was damaged beyond repair at the Bloemspruit Air Force Base in Bloemfontein in the Free State.
1998: Sea Challenger, this motor-powered South African salvage vessel attempted to pull off the Han Cheng 2 from the rocks on Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
Sea Challenger (1998) as it is today
In the early hours of the morning, the Sea Challenger also ran aground, and its engine room started flooding. The crew of four was taken off by helicopter and the equipment on board the Sea Challenger was salvaged, before it was left to become a wreck.
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