SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
April 18:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1911: Lusitania, this Portuguese steam-powered passenger liner got stuck and wrecked on Bellows Rock in fog, just off Cape Point in the Western Cape. Of the 774 people on board, 8 lives were lost when a lifeboat capsized.
The collapsed hull of the Lusitania (1911) in 2011
Two days later the Lusitania slipped off the rock and found its resting place in 40 m deep water. The wreck is a popular dive spot, but at a depth of 30-40 m with strong currents and breakers on the nearby reef, it makes for a challenging dive.
1943: Corbis, this motor-powered tanker was struck by two torpedoes fired from U-180 about 800 km east-south-east from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Two further torpedoes were fired, with the Corbis evading the first by reversing, but the second hit the foreship and it caught fire and started sinking rapidly.
Corbis (1943), date and location unknown
Only one of the four lifeboats did not swamp after launching. This lifeboat, with only 10 of the original 60 on board, was only picked up 13 days later by a SAAF crash launch who landed the survivors at East London.
1943: Manaar, this British steam-powered cargo ship was attacked and sunk about 300 km east of Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal by the Italian submarine Leonardo de Vinci. After the first torpedo struck at 03:15, the ship was abandoned. The second torpedo only struck at 04:30, but the Manaar remained afloat. From 5:45 to 7:20, the submarine fired its gun intermittently to eventually sink the Manaar. Of the 98 that were on board, three were killed and 94 survivors (including one survivor from the Sembilan) reached Port St Johns on the 21st of April in four lifeboats. The master, or second officer in some reports, was taken as prisoner on board the submarine.
1974: A Caisson, destined for East London, came off the tow rope and sunk around 8 km east of Cape Point in the Western Cape.
1977: Bella Theresa, this South African fishing vessel foundered approximately 30 km off St. Helena Bay in the Western Cape.
Aerial photo/video service/inquiries: info@traveltonamibia.com
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