SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
March 24:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1593: Santo Alberto, this Portuguese wooden sailing galleon is believed to have wrecked near Sunrise-On-Sea south of the Kwelera River in the Eastern Cape. It was in a poor condition and was overloaded, having suffered damage near Madagascar. After encountering adverse weather conditions and springing an unmanageable leak, the crew made the decision to run the ship aground before it sank. After running aground it quickly began to break up. Luckily it was close to the shore, with 285 people managing to reach safety whilst 62 people perished (28 Portuguese and 34 enslaved people).
Engraving depicting the wrecking of the Santo Alberto (1593)
The survivors were made up of 125 Portuguese and 160 enslaved people who now faced a long journey on foot back to modern day Maputo (Delagoa Bay). The account of the journey was taken from a notebook written by the ship’s pilot. The journey undertaken by the survivors has one of the highest survival rates of any other wreck in this period, partly due to strong leadership and partly since the travelling party took an inland route, led by local guides, which, although longer, took them through less arduous terrain. The survivors established good relationships with the local people who in turn provided hospitality and guides for most of the journey. There were a few deaths along the way and some of the party, particularly the Indian and African enslaved people, chose to stay with the locals. After 88 days and a journey of 1017 km, 182 survivors reached Inhaca island, in the times before a Portuguese fort was established. Here, by July, a Portuguese ivory trader picked up the survivors.
1859: Briseis, this British East Indiaman wrecked on Fountain Rocks in the Kowie River at Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape. It was badly damaged off the Mozambique coastline with the crew making desperate efforts to sail it home to England. It became obvious that the vessel was doomed so the cargo was transferred onto the Royal Arthur and it was abandoned on the 16th of March, just off Cape Padrone. The east Indiaman then washed ashore on the 24th of March on Fountain Rocks and sank. It was salvaged by Mr. Croukamp of Port Alfred in the 1980s under a National Monument’s Council permit.
1874: Albatross, this schooner wrecked in a south easterly gale between Danger Point and Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape. The crew was stranded on Dyer Island for three days before being rescued. The Albatross was the original Thesen’s vessel, which was meant to take the family to New Zealand, but after encountering trouble in South African waters in 1869, they decided to settle in South Africa.
A short article on the history of the Thesen family business
They set up the famous Thesen logging trade operation out of Knysna which expanded to include amongst other operations, the construction of small boats, but also included a fleet of vessels which sailed under the Thesen’s Steamship Co. flag.
1988: Conquest, this motor-powered tunny boat wrecked near Slangkop Lighthouse, near Kommetjie in the Western Cape.
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