Newly found shipwreck at Bloubergstrand Beach, Cape Town, South Africa
Photos: Dronesberg
Special thanks: Clare Lindeque
Shipwrecks in Namibia: link
We were in Cape Town in January 2018. While walking around Bloubergstrand beach on 30.01.18 we saw a group of workers digging out some wooden pieces of shipwreck (?). Do you know what this ship was? I found your blog when searching for information about Athens wreck at Green Point.
Hi,
I am not familiar with that wreck - it looks as though it was buried very deep in the sand! The people doing the work were probably from SAHRA, The South African Heritage Resources Agency. There are many, many forgotten wrecks under the sand and in the shallows along that stretch of coastline, and it is great to see one of them getting some attention!
Hi,
I messaged SAHRA about the wreck you saw, along with one of your photos, and this is what they said:
There is currently a project being undertaken along the beach at Blouberg to locate the wreck of the Haarlem which wrecked somewhere along the bay in 1647. A geophysical survey was undertaken to try and pinpoint places to look more closely at and then small test excavations were undertaken to uncover what was picked up in the survey. A few pieces of wreckage were uncovered but as yet they have not been identified. The African Institute for Marine and Underwater Research (AIMURE) is the organisation that has been undertaking the project and have been doing it under permit from SAHRA. They will publish the results of the survey in the near future.
This is really cool - the Haarlem was a Dutch ship that wrecked at the Cape in 1647. The survivors of the wreck spent a little bit of time here before being rescued, and I think when they got back to Holland they reported that the Cape had water and fertile soil etc etc - and that it would be a good place for a settlement/refreshment station. Following that, Jan van Riebeeck was sent here and the rest is history. So it is a very significant wreck in the history of European settlement at the Cape, and finding it would be extremely exciting!
Photos: Dronesberg
Special thanks: Clare Lindeque
Shipwrecks in Namibia: link
I am not familiar with that wreck - it looks as though it was buried very deep in the sand! The people doing the work were probably from SAHRA, The South African Heritage Resources Agency. There are many, many forgotten wrecks under the sand and in the shallows along that stretch of coastline, and it is great to see one of them getting some attention!
I messaged SAHRA about the wreck you saw, along with one of your photos, and this is what they said:
There is currently a project being undertaken along the beach at Blouberg to locate the wreck of the Haarlem which wrecked somewhere along the bay in 1647. A geophysical survey was undertaken to try and pinpoint places to look more closely at and then small test excavations were undertaken to uncover what was picked up in the survey. A few pieces of wreckage were uncovered but as yet they have not been identified. The African Institute for Marine and Underwater Research (AIMURE) is the organisation that has been undertaking the project and have been doing it under permit from SAHRA. They will publish the results of the survey in the near future.
The shipwreck that changed South Africa forever
The "Haarlem" ("Nieuw Haarlem"), Dutch East India Company's (VOC) ship (one of numerous "Indiamen"), sank at the coast of Table Bay on Sunday, 25 March 1647 during the storm. "Haarlem" was constructed at the VOC Amsterdam shipyard with a length of about 45 metres and a width of 10 metres.
The route around the Cape was particularly treacherous and was officially known as the Cape of Good Hope or Cabo do Bona Esperana (Portuguese). It was soon renamed the Cape of Storms as many "Indiamen" ran aground or sank while negotiating the route around the Cape Peninsula.
58 crew members were repatriated by accompanying ships soon after the incident with 62 men left behind to salvage as much of the cargo as possible - spices, pepper, porcelain and textiles. They built in a makeshift camp, Fort "Zandenburch" (Dutch for Sandcastle), where they lived for about one year, bartering livestock and fresh meat from the indigenous Khoe Khoen people. They had a great success fishing in the nearby Salt River and ventured as far as Robben Island.
Crew men reported favourably on their experiences when they returned to Holland and, as a result, VOC management decided to establish a stopover for their ships. This restocking settlement, known as the "Tavern of the Seas", where ships stopped for replenishing of water and food supplies, later developed into the city of Cape Town. The wrecking of Haarlem can be regarded as the starting point that created the roots of the modern South African society.
The site is situated just off shore at a depth of about 3 to 4 m below the sea bed, close to the Dolphin Beach Hotel in Table View, Sunset Beach and parking area at Rietvlei, Cape Town. No shipping accident around the world had ever such an impact on the history of a whole nation, according to AIMURE. Table Bay is location of more than 350 recorded shipwrecks.
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