SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
April 5:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1841: Africaine, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked on the rocks on East Beach, about 1 km east of the Kowie River Mouth in Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape.
1848: A south-easterly gale in the Eastern Cape claimed three vessels on this day:
• Johanna, this wooden sailing barque’s cables parted, and it subsequently wrecked in Port Elizabeth in Algoa Bay.
• Martha, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in Port Elizabeth in Algoa Bay. All on board the Johanna and Martha were saved by the Port Elizabeth lifeboat.
• Waterloo, this iron sailing schooner (coaster) wrecked just north of the Great Fish river mouth after offloading supplies at Port Jessie in what was named Cawood/Waterloo Bay. The master and second mate drowned during the wrecking and the loss precipitated the abandonment of the port.
1894: Fleur de Mourice, this vessel struck the bar in Durban harbour in KwaZulu-Natal whilst being towed on this day. It was officially condemned on the 14th of April.
1900: Mexican, this British steam-powered passenger ship left Table Bay on the 4th April transporting 244 passengers and a cargo of mail. It collided with the troop transport ship Winkfield in thick fog, about 65 kilometres north of Dassen Island, late at night on the 5th.
The Mexican (1900) in Table Bay in 1883
All on board were rescued by the Winkfield, and its cargo of mail by the Montrose. By the time the Winkfield left, the Mexican had disappeared below water. The Mexican was the first loss of the newly formed Union-Castle line.
1905: Ashmount, this steel steam-powered cargo ship struck a rock between Fish Point and Stalwart Point and subsequently wrecked in Waterloo Bay in the Eastern Cape. One of the lifeboats capsized in the surf whilst trying to land at Three Sister’s Rocks near the Kowie River mouth which resulted in the loss of seven (possibly eight) lives.
1943: Aloe, this British steam-powered merchant ship was torpedoed and sunk by U-182 off Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal. The 46 that were on board were picked up by the Alexander Ramsey and landed at Cape Town.
The Aloe (1943), date and location unknown
The master was however taken as prisoner on board the U-boat and presumed to have died when U-182 was attacked and sunk on the 16th of May off Madeira.
Aerial photo/video service/inquiries: info@traveltonamibia.com
No comments:
Post a Comment