SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
November 14:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1856: Sea Eagle, this sailing barque missed it stays in a south-easterly gale between Robben Island and Blouberg and wrecked in Murray’s Bay on Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
1857: Puntado, this vessel wrecked on the west bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about it.
1887: Idomene, this iron sailing schooner wrecked on a reef during bad weather, north-east of the Xora River Mouth in the Eastern Cape. The ship broke up too rapidly to launch the boats and of the 24 lives that were on board, only 11 managed to make it to land. The dead were buried nearby, and the survivors were picked up by the Courland.
1903: On this day a powerful south-easterly gale struck the south coast of South Africa, wrecking at least five vessels in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape and a further two in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape:
Brave rescuers on the line in Algoa Bay during the gale of 1903
• County of Pembroke, this British iron sailing barque dragged its anchors and collided with the Lütto (which was only damaged as its anchor chain held fast) and it was then driven ashore at North End Beach. In March the following year, it was refloated and then scuttled at the Coega River mouth.
Bayworld Museum in Port Elizabeth has selected artefacts on display from the rescue excavation of the County of Pembroke (1903)
The wreck was encountered during the construction of the new harbour and rescue archaeology operations ensued co-ordinated by maritime archaeologist Vanessa Maitland. Selected artefacts are now housed and displayed at the Bayworld Museum.
The Aranmore, which was severely damaged during the gale of 1903 in Algoa Bay and was run aground, was refloated 5 months later and towed back to the river Clyde in Scotland where it was repaired and went on to serve in various, such as when it was renamed the 'Walraute' serving as a Seaman's hotel ship, a WWI Submarine Depot ship, and then as the 'Vindicatrix' where it was a training ship at Gravesend and Sharpness, only finally being broken up in 1967
• Elda, this Norwegian iron sailing barque wrecked on North End Beach.
• King Cenric, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked on Dias Beach in Mossel Bay. There is some debate about whether a wreck in the surf zone that sometimes opens up is that of the King Cenric or that of the Rosebud (1888). The consensus seems to be that the King Cenric lies further south.
• San Antonio, this Italian iron sailing barque wrecked on North End Beach.
• The Two Brothers, this Norwegian wooden sailing barque was driven against the wreck of the Sayre (1902) and the Wayfarer (1903), causing it to also wreck in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.
The Two Brothers (1903) on the left, the Wayfarer (1903) in the middle, and the hulk of the Sayre (which wrecked in the 1902 gale) in Algoa Bay
• Thresher/Thrasher, this vessel (possibly a schooner) wrecked in Mossel Bay.
• Wayfarer, this Norwegian wooden sailing barque was driven onto and wrecked against the older wreck of the Sayre (1902).
1943: Gilia, this motor-powered vessel wrecked east of Cape Padrone in the Eastern Cape.
The fire on board the Griqualand (1970) raged on because of its highly flammable cargo and could not be contained
1970: Griqualand, this motor-powered coaster caught alight shortly after leaving Durban harbour in KwaZulu-Natal and had to be abandoned. The floating hulk was then sunk about 8 km offshore from Amanzimtoti, by gunfire from the HMS Dido as it posed a danger to navigation.
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