SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage
Otavi shipwreck in Namibia
September 2:
“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”
1805: Brunswick, this wooden east Indiaman, which was a French prize ship at the time of its loss, wrecked on Long Beach in Simon's Bay in the Western Cape during a south-easterly gale. What remains of the wreck lies between 5-9 m in depth, just north of Long beach. The wreck has been formerly studied on at least three occasions, from the 90s, up until most recently in 2014.
1824: Locust, this wooden South African brig was abandoned to sink after incurring damage to its keel near the Breede River mouth in the Western Cape.
1881: Luna, this two-masted German brig wrecked after its cables parted in a south-easterly gale on Back Beach in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
1896: Lakme/Lakome, this wooden Norwegian barque struck Thunderbolt reef and foundered shortly after near Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape with the loss of one life.
1902: Poseidon, this wooden Norwegian barque dragged its anchors and was driven ashore to become a wreck in Mossel Bay in the Western Cape during a south easterly gale.
1970: Klipbok, this South African fishing vessel was swept out to sea on the 28th of August and was driven ashore near Bat’s Cave in East London in the Eastern Cape on this day to become a wreck.
1975: Gemsbok, this South African salvage vessel capsized and sank in Table Bay in the Western Cape. It was transferring an anchor chain with a cargo vessel when the chain snagged, and its weight dragged the vessel under. Eight lives were lost during the wrecking, and a few of their bodies were recovered by divers afterwards. It now makes for a popular technical dive site, lying at about 60 m in depth and being well intact, lying on its starboard side.
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