SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
July 10:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1822: Sarah, this wooden-hulled British barque wrecked near the Salt River mouth in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
1840: Dom Pedro, this wooden Portuguese slaver was beached on this day in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. It was captured by the HMS Curlew in March 1840 along the East coast of Africa because it was outfitted for transporting enslaved people, although at the time it supposedly did not have any enslaved people on board. There are reports claiming that there were in fact enslaved people on board, but further research is needed to ascertain this. A prize crew from the Curlew attempted to sail the Dom Pedro to Cape Town for adjudication but a storm on the way dismasted it on the 11th of May and it was put into Algoa Bay on the 20th of May.
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| The Dom Pedro jetty before the harbour was constructed in the 1930s |
It was considered unseaworthy and was beached on this day, where its remains lay for many years. Over sixty years later, a jetty was built where its timbers lay, which is why the jetty is known today as the Dom Pedro jetty. This later became part of the current breakwater.
1887: Alfredia, this steam-powered ship wrecked on the bar of the Mzimvubu River in Port St. Johns in the Eastern Cape. The captain apparently ignored signals from the shore and attempted to cross the bar, but struck it and wrecked.
1972: Juanita, this South African fishing vessel foundered off Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape with the loss of one life.
1975: Aurora, this fishing vessel capsized after being struck by a freak wave near Mtunzini in KwaZulu-Natal. Although the exact number is not known, it is believed that of its 14-strong crew, between six to ten lives were lost.
2018: A Rovos Air Convair CV-340 (registration no. ZS-BRV) had just been sold to new owners in the Netherlands and after undergoing a scenic flight following major maintenance and repainting, the left engine caught alight in 50 knot winds and the plane was crash landed at Derdepoort, an industrial area near Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria in Gauteng.
The wreckage of ZS-BRV during cleanup in 2018
The plane crashed into several trees, powerlines, commercial vehicles, and finally came to rest after breaking through a wall at a factory. One of the 17 passengers lost their life.
Aerial photo/video service/inquiries: info@traveltonamibia.com
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