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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South Africa: Asiatic, Telegraph, Mazeppa, Mosvalla & Southern Author shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

June 18:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1861: Asiatic, this vessel foundered in a storm in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape with the loss of 15 of its crew.

1872: Telegraph, this wooden schooner foundered off Cape Hangklip in the Western Cape.

1885: Mazeppa, this British/South African sailing cutter wrecked in bad weather near Port Beaufort in the Western Cape.

1912: Mosvalla, this Norwegian whaler disappeared along with 10 people on board during a heavy storm after leaving Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape late at night. It was last spotted near Vondeling Island. The area was reportedly patrolled for weeks and only some deckhouse planking was ever found.

What remains visible of the Southern Author (1961) today and is locally known as "Die Dop"

1961: Southern Author, this South African whaler wrecked on Dassen Island in the Western Cape. Its upside-down bow is still visible at low tide, and it is locally known as ‘die dop’.

The Southern Author (1961) stuck on the rocks and being claimed by the sea

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South Africa: L'Alouette, Chieftain, Gentana, Louise Scheller, Linga, William King & Hung Mou Hao shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Montrose shipwreck in Skeleton Coast, Namibia

June 6:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1817: L'Alouette, this wooden French sailing ship wrecked near Olifantsbos on the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape. One child drowned during the wrecking.

1848: Chieftain, this wooden British brig wrecked after drifting onto rocks just west of the Mouille Point lighthouse at around 03:00 while attempting to enter Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1857: Gentana, this sailing brigantine wrecked in a north-westerly gale in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1882: Louise Scheller, this German barque wrecked in a north-westerly gale near Cape Hangklip in the Western Cape.

1918: Linga, this French steel-hulled steam-powered whaler became a wreck after becoming stranded off Park Rynie in KwaZulu-Natal.

1943: William King, this American freighter was torpedoed and sunk by U-198 about 320 km east of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. The first torpedo caused an explosion that killed three men and opened a large hole as well as destroying the port boiler and two lifeboats. The survivors abandoned ship in two lifeboats and two rafts and a coup de grâce sunk the William King 10 minutes later. The Master was taken as prisoner. The two rafts and one of the lifeboats were picked up 36 hours later by the HMS Northern Chief and the other lifeboat six days after the attack by the HMS Relentless. Another man was lost and two of the crew died of burns in one of the lifeboats, bringing the total casualties from the event to six.

1976: Hung Mou Hao, this motor-powered fishing vessel exploded and sank near Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape.

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South Africa: Columbia, Grace, Silence, Lockett, Imp, Saft & Harvest Tamara shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Karimona shipwreck in Namibia

June 4:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1796: Columbia, this wooden American sailing vessel became stranded on Salt River beach in Table Bay in the Western Cape. It is assumed that it wrecked.

1822: Grace, this wooden British ship’s cargo of whale oil leaked into its cargo of wool which caught alight near the Ratel River mouth in the Western Cape. It was abandoned near Struisbaai/Struis Bay in the Western Cape after which it was driven ashore and wrecked.

1830: Silence, this wooden British brig struck a submerged wreck in Table Bay in the Western Cape. It was driven ashore near the south wharf. Upon inspection a hole was discovered, and it was therefore condemned.

1884: Lockett, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly wind on the west bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1920: Imp, this motor-powered South African collier sank after parting from its cables in a north-westerly gale near Cape Hangklip in the Western Cape. It was swept out to sea whilst carrying coal to Stony Point when its engines swamped. Three of the four on board drowned.

1931: Saft, this sailing cutter wrecked on Dassen Island in the Western Cape after being run ashore.

2006: Harvest Tamara, this motor-powered South African fishing vessel foundered off the west coast in the Western Cape after a collision with the Anangel Splendour.

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South Africa: Pigot, Barrys 2, Bulli, Tantallon Castle, Natal, Sneeugans & Ingrid shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

May 7:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1785: Pigot, this French East Indiaman was lost off Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about it.

1857: Barrys 2, this South African sailing schooner wrecked after its engine room flooded during a south-westerly gale while crossing the bar at the Breede River mouth in the Western Cape. The captain and two women were lost.

1884: Bulli, this Australian steam-powered ship wrecked on Paternoster Point in the Western Cape in dense fog.

The Tantallon Castle (1901), date and location unknown

1901: Tantallon Castle, this steam-powered British mail ship ran aground on Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape in thick fog on a flat sea.

The Tantallon Castle (1901) after running aground on Robben Island

Although reversing was attempted to get it off, it started listing to starboard, so a signal gun was fired and all 120 of its passengers were taken off. Several tugs tried to tow it off without success. Two days later, after the holds started flooding, its cargo was rescued and by the 15th of May, its masts and funnel had disappeared with only bits of the hull still left to be seen.

The Tantallon Castle (1901), a few days after wrecking, the sea started breaking it up

1916: Natal, this steam-powered British-South African fishing vessel (probably finishing its life as a whaler) ran ashore and wrecked near Cape Hangklip, whilst trying to enter Stony Bay in the Western Cape. It had a long life, first serving as a passenger tender and tug in Durban. Thereafter it was used by the Caste Line to carry mail between Durban and East London. It then served in the Boer War in Cape Town ferrying passengers and goods because of the congestion in Cape Town harbour. After the war, it returned to Durban, now under the African Boating Company, and after 12 years of service it was sold to the Cape Town City Steamers where it was renamed Sir Fred and used in Cape Town as a pleasure steamer. Its final owner, Alfred James Parker, reverted its name to Natal and it was used as a fishing vessel, possibly a whaler, when it ran ashore and wrecked.

1993: Sneeugans, this motor-powered South African fishing vessel foundered about 3 km from the Gansbaai harbour in the Western Cape after its engine room flooded.

1998: An Eswatini registered Antonov An-32B (registration no. 3D-DRV), crashed on a small airstrip about 30 km outside of Vaalwater in Limpopo. Smoke had appeared behind the pilot’s seat and an emergency descent finished with the left wing striking a tree and the nose gear collapsing. The four people on board were unharmed but the plane was damaged beyond repair.

2014: Ingrid, this South African yacht wrecked during storm near Oyster Bay in the Eastern Cape.

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South Africa: Grundel, Deutan & Johan shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Winston shipwreck in Namibia

February 20:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1673: Grundel, this Dutch East India Company Hoeker wrecked near Cape Hangklip between Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay in the Western Cape. An attempt was made on its return from Batavia to stop and to take on water in Madagascar, but the French had taken occupation of the island and drove off the Dutch with gunfire. They made a dash for the Cape with the captain being wounded by the French. They managed to come close, wrecking on the other side of False Bay, near Cape Hangklip. The captain and two others rowed the ship’s boat across False Bay to find assistance on its western shore. One of these men died of exhaustion, but the captain and the other crew member survived and beached the boat. A party was sent to rescue those left behind - some of whom had started walking along the eastern coastline of False Bay. They were found by the Goudvinck, which rescued the remainder of the survivors. The Grundel is believed to have operated as a packet at the Cape a few years earlier with it having surveyed the southern coastline of South Africa in 1669 and 1670. 

1863: Deutan, this Spanish vessel was put into Table Bay in the Western Cape for water but was instead condemned and broken up. Very little is known about it.

1882: Johan, this Swedish sailing barque wrecked near Orient Beach in East London in the Eastern Cape after its cables parted in a south-easterly gale.

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South Africa: This day in our shipwreck History: Grundel, Deutan, Early Morn, Johan & Dora

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Shipwrecks Namibia

February 20:

“This day in our shipwreck History”

1673: Grundel, this Dutch wooden sailing vessel wrecked near Cape Hangklip between Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay in the Western Cape. An attempt was made on its return from Batavia to stop and to take on water in Madagascar, but they were driven off by the French with gunfire who had taken occupation of the island. They made a dash for the Cape with the captain wounded by the French. They managed to come close, wrecking on the other side of False Bay, near Cape Hangklip. The captain and two others rowed the ship’s boat across False Bay to find assistance on its western shore. One of these men died of exhaustion, but the captain and the other crew member survived and beached the boat. A party was sent to rescue those left behind, some of whom had started walking along the eastern coastline of False Bay. They were found by the Goudvinck, which rescued the remainder of the survivors. The Grundel is believed to have operated as a packet at the Cape a few years earlier with it having surveyed the southern coastline of South Africa in 1669 and 1670. 

1863: Deutan, this wooden vessel was put into Table Bay in the Western Cape for water but was instead condemned there and broken up. Very little is known about it. 

1863: Early Morn, this vessel wrecked in East London in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about it. 

1882: Johan, this sailing vessel wrecked near Orient Beach in East London in the Eastern Cape after its cables parted in a south-easterly gale. 

1897: Dora, this sailing barque wrecked in thick fog in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape with the loss of one life.

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