SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
March 12:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1826: Perseverance, this British wooden sailing vessel wrecked on Whale Rock off Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
1908: Newark Castle, this steel steam-powered mail ship struck an unknown obstruction and sprang a leak, just north of Port Dunford, in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Newark Castle (1908), date and location unknown
The seas were calm, but the master was afraid that the ship may capsize and made the call to launch the boats and abandon ship to ensure the safety of the 69 crew and 48 passengers. The next morning, the trawler Elelyn rescued all but one of the boats. The last boat attempted to reach the shore, but was swamped, resulting in a passenger and two members of the crew drowning. With the increasing roughness of the sea, the unmanned Newark Castle floated off and drifted 11 km north, finally striking a sandbank near the modern-day Richards Bay breakwater and becoming a total loss.
The Newark Castle (1908) aground
A court of inquiry was held, but they found that it could not be proved that the loss of the Newark Castle was due to any misconduct or negligence of the master or chief officer. The remains were discovered in the 1970’s during construction work in the Richards Bay harbour, but it was left in situ.
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