South Africa: Prince Albert, Enchantress, Charmer & Lyndhurst shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Benguela Eagle shipwreck in Namibia

August 24:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1844: Prince Albert, this wooden-hulled brig wrecked after its cables parted during a south-easterly gale in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape.

1849: Enchantress, this wooden-hulled schooner missed its stays off Green Point and anchored shortly after, but its cables parted, and it was driven onto the rocks where it wrecked between Green Point and Mouille Point in the Western Cape.

1877: Charmer, this British full-rigged wooden ship wrecked on Dyer Island in the Western Cape.

1911: Lyndhurst, this steel-hulled four masted barque’s cargo of petrol caught alight and it was abandoned at sea about 100 km from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. Its floating wreck was scuttled on this day by the HMS Pandora as it posed a danger to navigation.

1974: An Emric Air Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander (registration no. ZS-IZZ) crashed on this day near Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal. Very little is known about this incident.

1998: An Airworld/Speed Service Couriers Turbo DC-3 (registration no. ZS-NKK) crashed during takeoff from Wonderboom airport in Gauteng resulting in the death of the pilot in command. The accident report found that there was no pre-flight inspection by the pilots and the elevator trim had been set to nose-up and not been returned to neutral by the maintenance engineer during an inspection. As a result, the pilot lost control of the aircraft during takeoff as the nose pitched up during a rotation movement.

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South Africa: George, Essex, Regular, River Plate & Thames/SATS General Botha shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

May 13:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history” 

1831: George, this wooden sailing cutter parted its cables in a gale and ran ashore at about 16:00, becoming a total wreck, on Dyer Island in the Western Cape. 

1832: Essex, this wooden British whaler wrecked in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. An alternative date of wrecking is given as the 22nd of June. 

1843: Regular, this wooden sailing vessel sprang a leak and was abandoned before running aground and becoming a wreck in Table Bay in the Western Cape. 

1878: River Plate, this sailing schooner was lost while attempting to enter Buffeljagsbaai, west of Quoin Point in the Western Cape. 

1947: Thames/SATS General Botha, this steam-powered South African cruiser was scuttled by gunfire in False Bay in the Western Cape. It was laid down in 1884 for the Royal Navy as the HMS Thames and was sold to a South African entrepreneur in 1920, who bought it in memory of his son who had died in the First World War.

The view of a diver at the bow of the SATS General Botha (1947) at about 54 m in depth

He named it General Botha and donated it to a trust with the stipulation that it be used for nautical training for those who would go on to serve on ships of the British Empire. During the Second World War the Royal Navy chartered the vessel and it assumed its previous name of HMS Thames, now serving as an accommodation and prison ship.

The SATS General Botha (1947) docked in Simon's Town, date unknown (pre-1925)

When it was returned to the trust, it was deemed uneconomical to repair and was scuttled in a naval exercise using gunfire, in the middle of False Bay in the Western Cape.

The SATS General Botha (1947) Memorial Plaque in Cape Town honoring those that were lost in the Second World War that were trained on the ship

The wreck site is known as the SATS General Botha and sits in just over 50 m deep water accessible to technical divers, but also tragically known for having claimed the lives of divers. To learn more about this ship, why not visit the South African Naval Museum in Simon’s Town as they have a permanent exhibition on it!

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South Africa: Everton, Hektor, Capetiques & Dahlia shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

Shipwreck in Luderitz, Namibia

March 23:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1864: Everton, this vessel ran aground after its tow rope broken and then it refloated, was blown out to sea, never to be seen again, off Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape.

1913: Hektor, this steel steam-powered ship struck a rock in thick fog and wrecked at Dyer Island in the Western Cape.

1992: Capetiques, this yacht wrecked in a south easterly gale at the Lower North Battery in Simon’s Town in False Bay in the Western Cape.

1998: Dahlia, this South African fishing vessel foundered off Cape Point in the Western Cape.

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South Africa: La Cybelle, Princeport, Astrida & Otori Maru 8 shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

March 19:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1756: La Cybelle, this 12-gun wooden sailing slaver wrecked north of Blaauwbergstrand in Table Bay in the Western Cape. It entered the bay in search of fresh water when it ran aground and wrecked.

1885: Princeport, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked on a reef near Dyer Island in the Western Cape.

1945: Astrida, this steam-powered passenger/cargo ship foundered, about 120 km south east of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

The Astrida (1945), date and location unknown

It capsized and foundered in a storm and a distress signal was radioed out before it went down. The frigate Nadder and the tug John Dock rescued 29 people within 10 hours of the sinking, however, 88 people were never found.

1984: Otori Maru 8, this motor-powered fishing vessel ran aground at Shell Point, just west of Quoin Point in the Western Cape.

The Otori Maru 8 (1984) in 1990

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South Africa: Gilbert Henderson, Prince Port, Rising Star, Alcyone, Craynip & Onibe shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

March 16:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1847: Gilbert Henderson, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale, opposite the old wooden jetty in Port Elizabeth in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

1885: Prince Port, this British wooden barque wrecked just off Dyer Island on a reef near Geyser Rock/Robklip in the Western Cape.

The cape fur seals enjoying sunbathing on what is currently assumed to be the keel of the Prince Port (1885) on Geyser Rock/Robklip, just off Deyer Island

It is speculated that a storm later lifted a piece of its keel onto Geyser Rock/Robklip and the local seals regularly use this for sunbathing purposes.

1893: Rising Star, this iron steam-powered launch ran aground on Dassen Island off the west coast in the Western Cape after encountering a strong inset current. More research is required to determine whether it was refloated or if it became a wreck.

1942: Alcyone, this Dutch steam-powered merchant ship sank after striking two mines laid by the German minelayer Doggerbank, 40 km west of Cape Town in the Western Cape. All on board made it safely to the boats.

The Alcyone (1942), date and location unknown

1991: Craynip, this sailing yacht wrecked in a south easterly gale east of the Dassen Island lighthouse off the west coast in the Western Cape.

1992: Onibe, this motor-powered 5000 tonnage freighter collided with the 23 000 tonnage Fathulkhair and foundered south of Quoin Point in the Western Cape.

The Onibe (1992), date and location unknown

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South Africa: Alcestis, Glenwilliam & Wafra shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

February 28:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1892: Alcestis, this British steel steam-powered ship foundered after striking a sunken wreck about 2.5 km off Cape Agulhas/L'Agulhas in the Western Cape. The SS Guernsey picked the crew and the Customs Department labelled it a massive danger to navigation at the time.

1966: Glenwilliam, this South African fishing vessel was abandoned due to a severe leak on this day in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. Some unknown time later, it washed ashore and became a wreck.

1971: Wafra, this Liberian steam-powered (50 000 ton) oil tanker’s seawater intake pipes failed on the 27th of February, which resulted in it losing control of its buoyancy and the engine room flooding. It was towed by the Gdynia at first but handed over to the Pongola after struggling. Then, on the 28th of February, the tow cables snapped, and it ran aground near Cape Agulhas/L'Agulhas in the Western Cape.

The refloated portion of the Wafra (1971) burning after the first attempt was made to scuttle it in deeper waters

Approximately 200,000 barrels of crude oil were leaked into the ocean, resulting in approximately 26,000 tons of oil leaking around the site, of which 6,000 tonnes washed up around the shore. A 32x5 km oil spill resulted which affected a colony of 1,200 African penguins on Dyer Island. On the 8th of March, to contain the oil spill’s damage, the larger part of the ship was refloated and towed out to sea. On the 10th of March, an attempt was made to sink it by the South African Air Force, but this only started a fire which raged for two days. The South African Air Force then used depth charges which finally laid it to rest in 1800 m deep water.

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South Africa: Noord, Linnaeus, Atlas, Arab, Luna, Shin Yung & Madame shipwrecks

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

January 16:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1690: Noord, this VOC wooden sailing galiot wrecked at Klippen Point near Oyster Bay in the Eastern Cape. The Noord was on its second voyage to search for survivors of the Stavenisse, when it found three of them at the Bay of Natal. It crossed the bar there and was the first recorded ship to have moored in the Bay of Natal. On its way back to Cape Town it struck Klippen Point and wrecked. The entire crew survived the wrecking and reportedly abandoned the stricken vessel during low tide without even getting their feet wet. After unloading some cargo, the choice was made to head to Cape Town overland on foot. The survivors split into smaller parties and only five of the 19 ever made it back to Cape Town, with the rest believed to have lost their lives along the way.

1834: Linnaeus, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on a reef off Dyer Island in the Western Cape.

1859: Atlas, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on the eponymous Atlas Reef, about 10km north-west of Arniston/Waenhuiskrans in the Western Cape. It was on a return trip from Batavia with sugar, rice, nutmegs, hides, and sundries.

1891: Arab, this British iron steam-powered ship wrecked after striking an unknown rock near the Great Fish River mouth in the Eastern Cape. 

1901: HMS Sybille, this British Naval cruiser was used as a patrol boat at Lamberts Bay on the west coast in the Western Cape during the Anglo Boer war when it was lost.

SAHRA interpretive signage in Lamberts Bay detailing the HMS Sybille (1901) wreck

A north-westerly gale forced part of the crew that were on board to leave the anchorage at Lamberts Bay and to battle the heavy seas. In the early hours of the morning, unaware that their position was more southerly than they expected, they struck a reef opposite the farm Steenbokfontein whilst steaming back to Lamberts Bay.

A British officer's sketch ( J Nash) of the HMS Sybille (1901) wrecking event. Date unknown.

The City of Cambridge had just left Lamberts Bay and spotted the incident so could render assistance as the wrecking unfolded. One life was lost during the event. In recent years the wreck was the subject to some salvage work. One of the propellers was donated to SAHRA and is now on display at the Sandveld Museum in Lamberts Bay.

The one surviving propeller of the HMS Sybille (1901) after being transported from the wreck site to Lamberts Bay before being prepared for display

1945: Luna, this South African coaster was mysteriously lost off Hondeklip Bay with all eight that were on board.  

1972: Shin Yung, this Taiwanese motor-powered fishing vessel foundered about 80 km west of Saldanha Bay off the west coast in the Western Cape.

1973: Madame, this Australian yacht wrecked during misty weather on Saxon Reef, just off Arniston/Waenhuiskrans in the Western Cape.

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