South Africa: Cape Town crowned Best City in the World for 2025 by Time Out

Cape Town crowned Best City in the World for 2025 by Time Out

Time Out, the global culture, entertainment, and events magazine, has unveiled its annual ranking of the world's best cities. For the 2025 edition, over 18,500 locals shared their thoughts on their hometowns, rating everything from food and nightlife to safety and overall livability. These local insights were combined with expertise from Time Out’s global network of city editors. After analyzing the data, the magazine revealed its list of the 50 best cities on the planet for 2025.

Topping the list is Cape Town, South Africa, which earned glowing reviews across the board. An impressive 97% of residents said the city makes them happy, 95% praised its vibrant food scene, and 82% celebrated its breathtaking beauty.

"Where else in the world can you hang out with a colony of African penguins, taste some of the world’s finest wines, stroll along Blue Flag beaches, enjoy stunning views from atop one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, and sample some of the most eclectic nightlife and vibes in the world… all in one day? That’s our Cape Town."

Time Out’s 50 best cities in the world 2025:

Cape Town, South Africa

Bangkok, Thailand

New York, USA

Melbourne, Australia

London, UK

New Orleans, USA

Mexico City, Mexico

Porto, Portugal

Shanghai, China

Copenhagen, Denmark

Chicago, USA

Lisbon, Portugal

Edinburgh, UK

Hong Kong

Sydney, Australia

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Barcelona, Spain

Seville, Spain

Paris, France

Medellín, Columbia

Hanoi, Vietnam

Madrid, Spain

Berlin, Germany

Dubai, UAE

Singapore

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Beijing, China

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Jakarta, Indonesia

Vienna, Austria

Tokyo, Japan

Marrakech, Morocco

Perth, Australia

Brighton, UK

Prague, Czech Republic

Glasgow, UK

Brisbane, Australia

Marseille, France

Budapest, Hungary

Los Angeles, USA

Lagos, Nigeria

Seoul, South Korea

Valencia, Spain

Montreal, Canada

Bilbao, Spain

Abu Dhabi, UAE

Belfast, UK

Bristol, UK

Mumbai, India

Warsaw, Poland

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Namibia: Namibia Maritime Museum in Lüderitz is temporarily closed

Namibia: The new Namibia Maritime Museum (NMM) in Lüderitz is temporarily closed

The new Namibia Maritime Museum in Lüderitz, Namibia, has informed the public that it is temporarily closed due to ongoing construction work from 16 January 2025 until 26 January 2025. The museum will be open again from Monday, 27 January 2025, at 09:30.

The new museum in Lüderitz, which opened its doors to the public on 01 November 2024, is first ever maritime museum in Namibia and one of Africa's largest maritime museums. It is located in the historic Lüderitz Old Power Station (LOPS) from 1911. The museum covers 2,000m² and features ancient watercraft, fossils, maps, a library, and a treasure trove of thousands of antiques, art displays, and skeletal remains of sharks.

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Namibia: Etosha National Park: Condition of roads is being addressed

Etosha National Park: Condition of roads is being addressed

The Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced on 29 October 2024 that the condition of roads in the Etosha National Park is being addressed as matter of urgency. According to the Ministry, the deterioration of the road between Okaukuejo and Namutoni, for instance, is impacted by large traffic volumes. This leads to loss of gravel, severe corrugations, potholes and drainage problems. As an immediate remedy, three graders have been deployed to blade the roads between Halali and Namutoni, Okaukuejo and Halali as well as between Namutoni and King Nehale Gate. The Ministry anticipates that this intervention will improve the road condition in the specified sections within a period of two weeks. Furthermore, the roads from Okaukuejo, Halali, Namutoni to King Nehale Gate will soon be upgraded from gravel to low-seal volume (tarred road).

While the road situation in Etosha National Park is being addressed, the Ministry encourages visitors to consider alternative routes from Okaukuejo to Halali via Gemsbokvlagte, Olifantsbad and Aus for a better travel experience.

Since 2018, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has successfully rehabilitated the western section of the tourist road between Okaukuejo and Galton Gate, completing over 200 kilometers of road upgrade by March 2024.

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South Africa: Le Victor, Martha, Suffolk & Flatdog shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Unknown wreck in Walvis Bay, Namibia

September 24:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1782: Le Victor, this wooden sailing corvette wrecked in a north-westerly gale at the Salt River mouth in Table Bay in the Western Cape. Records indicate that ‘nearly’ all aboard were saved, but the exact number of casualties is unknown. The wreck now lies beneath reclaimed land.

1826: Martha, this wooden sailing brig wrecked on the eponymous Martha Reef at Martha Point northeast of Arniston/Waenhuiskrans in the Western Cape.

1900: Suffolk, this four-masted steel steam-powered ship wrecked west of Cape St Francis near Tsitsikamma Point in the Eastern Cape after striking a reef and its holds flooding. A smaller steamer, the Lake Erie, was passing nearby and rescued all that were on board. However, the 900 horses that were being transported were left on board the ship, which disappeared below the waves later in the day. Wreckage washed up as far west as the Great Brak River and later investigations by the authorities found that many of the farm houses had used timber from the wreck that had washed up as there was a Troop letter stamped into the timber used for the horse stalls which made identification quite easy.

1996: Flatdog, this South African yacht collided with a fishing vessel in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape and whilst being towed back for repairs, it foundered.

2009: A SA Airlink British Aerospace Jetstream 41 (registration no. ZS-NRM) suffered an engine failure shortly after taking from Durban International Airport in KwaZulu-Natal and crash landed about 1.6 km from its takeoff runway in the Merebank residential area, skidding through an electrical pole, over a road, and eventually coming to rest against a concrete palisade. The two pilots and one flight attendant on board were seriously injured, with the one pilot succumbing to his injuries on the 7th of October. The wing of the airplane also clipped a member of the public who was seriously injured.

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South Africa: Norfolk, Osprey, Wild Rose & Julia Luckenbach shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Unknown ship in Walvis Bay, Namibia

September 23:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1850: Norfolk, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked on Seal Island in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

1865: Osprey, this sailing schooner wrecked on the East Bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1872: Wild Rose, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale on Orient Beach in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1943: Julia Luckenbach, this steam-powered ship collided with the British Resolution on this day and foundered, south of Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape.

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South Africa: Lucy Johnson, SAS Sekhukhuni & Zinder shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Unknown shipwreck in Walvis Bay, Namibia

September 22:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1862: Lucy Johnson, this American sailing barque wrecked on Woodstock Beach in Table Bay in the Western Cape after its cables parted shortly after dark.

1972: A United Air Volpar Turboliner II (registration no. ZS-PRA) had refuelled at Jan Smuts Airport in Gauteng and shortly after take-off requested to land again. This was granted and then radio contact was lost. The plane then nosedived into the ground, at a 45-degree angle, and disintegrated upon impact. The two pilots and 1 passenger lost their lives as well as two people on the ground.

2004: The SA Navy scuttled two vessels on this day, off Cape Point in the Western Cape at Pandora:

• SAS Sekhukhuni, a Navy strike craft; and

• Zinder, a South African fishing vessel.

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Bad service - avoid The Dome Hotel in Swakopmund, Namibia

Bad service - avoid The Dome Hotel in Swakopmund, Namibia

The hotel tried to overcharge when we made a boking request in December 2024.

When we pointed out obvious overcharging and showed them their own rates they've just stopped all communication. Typical mediocre service.

#TheDome #AvoidDome #SwakopmundBadService #Namibia #Mediocre #DomeHotel

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South Africa: Susan, Eliza and Alice, Eugenie S Embericos, Strathclyde & Eugeni Livanos shiwprecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Unknown vessel in Walvis Bay, Namibia

September 21:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1862: Susan, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked on Woodstock Beach in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1870: Eliza and Alice, this barque wrecked just off Mostert's Hoek in Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape. 

1917: Eugenie S Embericos, this steel steam-powered freighter ran aground on this day east of Great Fish Point in the Eastern Cape after presumably a strong inset current, thick fog, and navigational error as the only chart on board of the South African coast was found to be from 1865. Over the next two years, attempts were made to try and refloat the freighter, but by October of 1919 these were abandoned.

1933: Strathclyde, this iron sailing schooner was scuttled about 8 km off the coast of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

1971: Eugeni Livanos, this tanker was badly holed after striking Aliwal Shoal in KwaZulu-Natal and was scrapped in Durban harbour. Our records are incomplete on whether the scrapping occurred on this day or whether the impact with Aliwal Shoal occurred on this day.

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South Africa: Benjamin, Royal William, St. Mungo, Charlotte & Piscataqua shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Unknown ship in Walvis Bay, Namibia

September 20:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1800: Benjamin, this wooden sailing sloop wrecked in Gordon's Bay in False Bay in the Western Cape with the loss of all hands.

1837: Royal William, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked off Green Point in Table Bay in the Western Cape whilst trying to enter Table Bay at night.

1844: St. Mungo, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on the eponymous St. Mungo Point near Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape. Of the 17 strong crew, ten were lost.

1854: Charlotte, this 3-masted wooden sailing troopship wrecked on the rocks near Jetty Street in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. They attempted to enter Table Bay for provisions but due to adverse winds sailed into Algoa Bay and anchored there on the 19th of September. The cables parted in a south-easterly gale at night and although at first it seemed that they would manage to sail out the storm, more of its cables parted and after striking the rocks just below Jetty Street, the entire vessel started breaking up and sinking. The heavy seas inhibited most assistance from the shore and although some lines reached the troopship, owing to the Manby mortar, nobody noticed the wrecking event at first because of the dark. Those that survived managed to cling to the floating wreckage long enough to reach shore. Of the 227 that were on board, 117 lives were lost that day, 18 crewmen, 62 soldiers of the 27th Regiment, 11 women, and all 26 children. The wreck now lies beneath reclaimed land.

1865: Piscataqua, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked in Granger Bay in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

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South Africa: Catherine Jamieson, Amersham, England, Fingoe, Forres, Major von Safft, Meg Merrilies, Sea Snake, St Croix & Amul shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Unknown ship in Walvis Bay, Namibia

September 19:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1840: Catherine Jamieson, this wooden sailing barque wrecked at Mouille Point in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1869: Amersham, this sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale off Struis Point in the Western Cape.

1869: The strong south-easterly gale that had struck Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape the evening of the 18th raged on, now with wind speeds over 120 kmph being recorded. The following vessels were lost along with the, Sarah Birch (1869), which had wrecked on the night of the 18th, as well several lighters and other small vessels:

• Duke of Buccleuch, deliberately beached in the hopes of refloating the vessel but it was lost;

• England, a barque which was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Fingoe, a barque which was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Flash, a brigantine which was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Forres, a barque which was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Gustav, a Swedish brig, deliberately beached in the hopes of refloating the vessel but was also lost;

• Jeanna, a French barque which was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Major von Safft, a German barque which was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Meg Merrilies, a vessel which was anchored in the bay and had already been condemned was driven ashore and wrecked;

• Sea Snake, a Swedish barque which was driven ashore and wrecked. Only 8 of the crew of seventeen made it safely to shore, with one member succumbing to his injuries in hospital. One of the rescuers also perished, and when his body was later recovered, the surviving crew carried him to his grave as a mark of honour;

• St Croix, the only steam-powered tug in the port was deliberately beached in the hopes that it could be refloated, but this was not the case and it was also lost;

1972: SAS Natal, this frigate (converted to a Navy survey vessel) was scuttled south of Cape Point on the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape.

2007: Amul, this Indian bulk carrier foundered over 100 km offshore after springing a leak in heavy weather off the Eastern Cape.

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South Africa: Sarah Birch, Bia, Jacaranda & Kathleen Louise III shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

September 18:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1869: A strong south-easterly gale, recorded with wind gusts of up to 100 km/ph struck Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape late at night on this day, wreaking havoc for the town of Port Elizabeth. Many vessels were driven ashore, and the lucky ones were refloated. Only one vessel, the Sarah Birch (in one source the Sarah Black), a British barque was lost on this day, after attempts to ride out the storm had failed. The storm would go on to claim 11 lives and result in the loss of 11 vessels the following day.

1917: Bia, this Swedish steel steam-powered freighter wrecked on Albatross Rock at Olifantsbos on the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape. The loss was explained by faulty seamanship owing to not giving enough berth to this dangerous stretch of coastline. Of the crew of 31, only four lives were lost when a boat overturned. Captain Axel Johanson of a passing ship called the Clara, risked his life for over four hours in the shallow waters rescuing 14 of the stricken crew. The Swedish King awarded him the highest honour for bravery. The wreck now lies between 8 and 4 meters in deep in thick kelp, in two ‘wreck areas’, just off the Thomas T Tucker trail.  

A description of the wrecking was featured in the book “Eight Bells at Salamander” by Lawrence G. Green and reads “Huge seas washing over us," reported the distress call. "Am breaking up. Crew in great danger. Send tug with lifeboat at once." Soon the Admiralty tug Afrikaner was standing by, and the Cape Town harbour tug Ludwig Wiener arrived. But they could not approach the wreck. The seas were breaking over her so heavily that the ominous thudding sound of salt water against steel could be heard a mile away.

At great risk the Afrikaner sent a boat among the reefs and rescued fifteen men. Still heavier seas ended this effort, and twenty-five men remained on board the Bia. At this stage Captain Johanson happened to be passing in the Clara, and decided to take a hand. It seemed hopeless, but the three rescue ships waited, hoping for a lull. 

Suddenly they observed the desperate men in the Bia lowering one of their own lifeboats. The boat rose and fell on the tremendous seas, vanishing and reappearing. The watching seamen felt that no boat could stand such a battering, and they were right. The lifeboat was swamped, but most of the crew was saved. Four men were drowned. And there were still fourteen men on board the wreck. (Captain Johanson) …… offered to take the rocket apparatus on board the Clara and run in close in the hope of saving his fellow countrymen.

The plan was carried out. Somehow the shallow Clara evaded all the rocks and reefs until she came to a patch of broken water two hundred yards from the surf-beaten wreck. Johanson fired rocket after rocket before a line fell at last across the deck of the Bia, there to be secured by the frantic men. They hauled the breeches-buoy on board. One by one they were dragged to safety on board the Clara. Fourteen men - and it was four hours before the last man left the wreck. Johanson breathed again, and steamed out to open water. After that valiant effort he received the highest decoration for bravery awarded by the King of Sweden.”

Bia on the left

1971: Jacaranda, this Greek freighter wrecked at the mouth of the Kobonqaba River in the Eastern Cape. The ship was caught by strong winds and although the crew dropped 2 anchors in an effort to stabilize the ship, the anchors refused to stay down, and dragged along the sandy ocean floor, causing the ship to head into the rocks. The wreck has been an attraction for many years, although in 2019 it was noted that much of the vessel is now broken up and becoming unrecognizable in the waves.

2005: Kathleen Louise III, this South African fishing vessel capsized and foundered north west of Robben Island in the Western Cape.

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South Africa: Bengal & South American shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

September 17:

“This day in our shipwreck History”

1840: Bengal, this British wooden sailing barque wrecked on Blaauwbergstrand in Table Bay in the Western Cape after missing its stays while entering the bay at night.

1889: South American, this sailing vessel was an American ship of 1694 tons built in 1876 in Boston. The ship was wrecked on 17 September 1889 in Struisbaai in thick fog with the loss of one life. The vessel was travelling from Manilla to Boston with a cargo of sugar which was reportedly strewn along the beach after the wrecking.

In 2020 SAHRA was called to the beach at De Mond, Struisbaai after a large piece of wreckage was exposed lying in the vicinity of the known wreck of the Mackay. During the site visit the wreckage was surveyed, the visible structure was at least 45 m in length and 5.7 m wide but it was difficult to determine the exact dimensions as it was buried under the sand.

The pieces of timber had large iron nails protruding from them, the size of the nails together with the wood indicates that this would have been a large vessel. During a previous survey of the area undertaken as part of a master’s degree project in 2006 by Jaco Boshoff, a large keelson was partially excavated at the same location as the above wreckage, due to its size and location the wreck was tentatively identified as that of the South American as it is the only one of its size that wrecked in the area.

The wreckage continues to be exposed during strong tides and spring lows, the most recent images were taken at the beginning of September 2024.

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South Africa: John, Cockburn, Bibsy, Madelpad, Kalahari Sands, Dassen Island & Oceana Apollo shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Eduard Bohlen shipwreck in Namibia

September 16:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1803: John, this wooden sailing brig wrecked between De Kelders and the Klein River/Lagoon mouth in the Western Cape. Only five people survived the wrecking and the exact number that were on board is unknown.

1850: Cockburn, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a north-westerly gale on Salt River Beach in Table Bay in the Western Cape. The exact number of casualties is not known, but all reports state that there were some casualties.

1875: Bibsy/Bibsey, this vessel parted its cables and wrecked on a beach in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

1891: Madelpad, this vessel wrecked in the East London Harbour in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about it.

1995: Kalahari Sands, this South African fishing vessel wrecked on Dassen Island in the Western Cape.

1999: Oceana Apollo, this South African/Namibian fishing vessel developed a leak and subsequently foundered just outside of Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. The crew of 10 was rescued by the crew of a nearby fishing vessel, the MFV Gregory.

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South Africa: Fleetwood, George Henry Harrison, St. Helena, Forfarshire & Umhlali shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Eduard Bohlen shipwreck in Namibia

September 15:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1846: Fleetwood, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked in Struisbaai in the Western Cape after its anchor cables parted.

1851: The strong south easterly gale that started on the 13th of September in the Eastern Cape raged on into this day, moving west, claiming a further two vessels, both in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape:

• George Henry Harrison, this wooden sailing schooner had been put into Plettenberg Bay to escape the storm on the 14th. However, whilst leaving the next morning, the remnants of the gale drove it ashore onto the rocks, where it wrecked.

• St. Helena, this wooden sailing schooner was also driven ashore close to, and in the same manner as the George Henry Harrison.

1864: Forfarshire, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked between Whale Rock and Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape. The captain had died from a lung ailment and the choice was made to head into the nearest port. They were not carrying any chart for Table Bay, which resulted in the vessel striking an unknown rock near Whale Rock and wrecking.

1909: Umhlali, this steel steam-powered passenger/cargo ship wrecked on Albatross Rock at Olifantsbos Point in the Western Cape. Reports on the number of casualties varies by newspaper, however, in the official enquiry it states that only one of the lifeboats capsized and all the passengers were rescued, except for a three-year-old boy.

1952: Mount Anderson, a SAA Douglas DC-3 (registration no. ZS-AVI) became lost due to faulty navigation between Livingstone airport in Zambia and Palmietfontein in Gauteng, with it crashing after its wheel struck a rocky outcrop at Carolina Airport, near Ermelo in Mpumalanga. Electrical storms created much radio interference and the captain had set an incorrect course with poor visual identifications being made en-route. A landing attempt was made at an unknown, unlit aerodrome (Carolina) with unknown altitude and the wheels struck a rocky outcrop on approach with the plane crash landing at the airport, suffering irreparable damage. All 19 on board the plane survived.

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South Africa: Hemba, Enfants Nantais, Phoebe, Strathmore & Quoin shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

James Searle, Algoa Bay, South Africa

September 14:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1870: Hemba (or Hecuba), this iron vessel foundered after striking a rock in Struisbaai in the Western Cape.

1876: Enfants Nantais, this French sailing barque wrecked on Back Beach in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal after its cables parted in an east-north-easterly gale.

1880: Phoebe, this wooden lighter wrecked after striking the bar in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

1880: Strathmore, this sailing barque was abandoned on this day off Duiker Point near Hout Bay in the Western Cape. Owing to bad weather, it had started leaking and its steering became unmanageable. It foundered shortly after being abandoned.

1950: Quoin, this whaler was scuttled off Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1996: Iolcos Victory, this 74 000-ton Cypriot ore carrier foundered about 200 km off Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape. It had flooded in its no. 1, 2, and 3 holds. Of the crew of 25, sixteen were saved by a Japanese fishing vessel, five were lifted by helicopter to Port Elizabeth for medical care, and four, including the captain were never seen again.

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South Africa: Albinia, Foam, Elmira & John Barbery shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Shawnee wreck, Namibia

September 13:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1851: A strong south easterly gale claimed two wooden sailing schooners in the Eastern Cape: 

• Albinia, wrecked in Algoa Bay.

• Foam, wrecked on the east bank of the Buffalo River in East London.

1876: Elmira, this sailing vessel wrecked, 50 km east of East London in the Eastern Cape.

1991: A (name as yet unknown) crayfishing vessel struck the submerged wreck of a lighter and wrecked near Geelbek in the Langebaan Lagoon in the Western Cape. Three lives were lost because of the wrecking.

2009: John Barbery, this fishing trawler sank in Hout Bay harbour in the Western Cape.

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South Africa: Chancellor, Theresa, Mackay, African Belle, Stella & Voortrekker shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

September 12:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1854: Chancellor, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked on Martha’s Strand near Skipskop in the Western Cape. Two of the passengers drowned during the wrecking.

1861: Theresa, this schooner cables parted during a southerly gale and it wrecked on the west bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1871: Mackay, this British wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale at De Mond, north of Struisbaai in the Western Cape. The wreck occasionally washes open when the tide reaches up high enough to wash out some of the dunes. It is locally known affectionately as the ‘Maggie’.

1873: African Belle (possibly African Queen), this sailing brig wrecked on the west back of the Kowie River in Port Alftred in the Eastern Cape. It was later blown up to clear the shipping channel.

1876: Stella, this sailing barque wrecked after its cables parted in a south-easterly gale in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Another source lists the day of wrecking as the 18th of September instead. 

1993: Voortrekker, this oil rig supply tug foundered about 3 km from the Gouritz River mouth in the Western Cape. It had capsized on the 10th of September, about 80 km offshore, trapping the crew of 12 and the ship’s cat inside the upturned hull. Three of the crew managed to escape, although one later died from his injuries. Heroic divers attempted in four different operations to rescue those that were trapped, but the rough seas made this task impossible. It was towed closer to the coast in the hopes that rescue attempts would be easier in calmer coastal waters. Two bodies surfaced during the towing, and then, on this day, two days after being upturned, it sank, claiming the remaining seven men, and the ship’s cat, Lighthouse. It settled, still upside down, hull up, at a depth of 40 m and in a thick mud, which made body recovery attempts futile. There is a memorial in the Port of Mossel Bay commemorating those who lost their lives and the local SPCA has a framed memorial for the cat. In 2012, whilst draining fuel that had started leaking, divers also erected a cross on the wreck.

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South Africa: Helen, Barbadoes 2, Lunaria, Hermann, Mona, Thermopylae, King Cadwallon, Langebaan, Solhagen, Cape Hangklip & Bluefin shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Shawnee wreck in Namibia

September 11:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1858: Helen, this wooden sailing brig wrecked on Coney Glen Rocks at the Knysna Heads in the Western Cape.

1861: Barbadoes 2, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. 

1861: Lunaria, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on the West Bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1874: Hermann, this sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale on North End Beach in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

1887: Mona, this sailing barque caught alight and burned before foundering off Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. Its crew were picked up by the Livingstone and landed at Mossel Bay.

1899: Thermopylae, this steel steam-powered barquentine/freighter wrecked at Greenpoint Lighthouse in Table Bay in the Western Cape on the eponymous Thermopylae reef. On a bright moonlit night, it wrecked because of an error in judgement, being much closer to land than was thought.

1929: King Cadwallon, this steam-powered freighter wrecked in the surf zone at the Esplanade in East London in the Eastern Cape. It caught alight on the 7th of July, about a week out from Durban. Its crew battled the flames before it was abandoned on the 12th of July off the eastern coastline, and everyone taken off on the SS Ardenhall. It remained afloat for 41 days before being sighted off East London. The tug Annie brought it in and two days after being anchored, its cables parted during a south easterly gale, and it wrecked. The East London Museum houses and displays many of its artefacts.

1933: Langebaan, this motor-powered coaster wrecked off Stompneus Point in the Western Cape after the crew mistook a campfire light inland for the light of the coaster’s owners on shore.

1936: Solhagen, this steel steam-powered whaler wrecked on the southern end of Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape. Of its crew of 12, six drowned and the remainder were rescued by rocket apparatus 14 hours later. They had to cling to the rigging and had food dropped on them by plane. An enquiry into the wrecking found evidence that the crew had been intoxicated.

1974: Cape Hangklip, this fishing trawler wrecked off Ystervarkpunt between the Gouritz River mouth and Stilbaai in the Western Cape.

1990: Bluefin, this South African tunny boat broke its moorings and wrecked in a north-westerly gale on the eastern side of Hout Bay, beneath Chapman Peak’s drive, in the Western Cape.

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