SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

09/09/2026

Today, September 9:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1842: A strong north-westerly gale parted the cables of and resulted in the wrecking of four vessels in Table Bay in the Western Cape:
• Fairfield, a wooden sailing barque wrecked near the Hospital Lines at Woodstock Beach. It now lies beneath reclaimed laid.
• Henry Hoyle, a wooden sailing brig became stranded near the Hospital Lines at Woodstock Beach. It was condemned after refloating attempts failed.
• John Bagshaw, a wooden sailing barque wrecked on the South Wharf.
• Reform, a wooden sailing brig wrecked in front of the Imhoff Battery on Woodstock Beach.

1845: Active, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape. It was en route from Knysna, bound for Table Bay, when it had to enter Plettenberg Bay on the 6th of September, leaking badly. On the morning of this day, its master had to run it ashore as the leak became completely unmanageable, and it wrecked during this event.

1889: Queen of the Nations, this wooden sailing barque was found abandoned on the 6th of June and towed to East London in the Eastern Cape by the Clan Alpine. After its 90 tons of cargo were removed, it was driven ashore near Bats Cave on this day and became a wreck. Another report suggests that instead its tow cable parted, and it was driven ashore and wrecked.

1891: Courland, this iron steam-powered ship wrecked east of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Very little is known about this vessel.

1895: Hartfield, this iron sailing barque caught alight and was abandoned over 400 km west of Table Bay in the Western Cape. Its crew was initially thought to have been missing but were later brought in having been picked up by the Luna. The vessel is presumed to have foundered after burning down.

1930: Malmesbury, this steel steam-powered freighter wrecked in heavy fog on Jacobs Reef, south of Cape Columbine on the West Coast in the Western Cape. It was on its maiden voyage, bound for Cape Town with a cargo of maize when it struck the reef and flooded. Its crew were picked up by the tug TS McEwan.

08/09/2026

Today, September 8:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1854: Rachel, this sailing schooner foundered in Hondeklip Bay in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. Very little is known about this vessel.

1875: Aurora, this wooden sailing cutter wrecked south east of Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape.

1903: Congella, this steam-powered ship wrecked in the outer anchorage of East London in the Eastern Cape.

1936: Hogni, this steel steam-powered whaler was scuttled just beyond the three-mile limit, off the coast of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Its scuttling was observed by 160 spectators on board the SS Panther.

2009: Seli 1 (pictured below), this Panamanian bulk carrier was driven ashore at Bloubergstrand in Table Bay in the Western Cape just after midnight in a strong westerly. It had suffered an engine failure and whilst at anchorage, a strong westerly picked up and blew it from its anchorage. The crew of 25 were promptly rescued by the NSRI and the Seli 1 sustained structural damage. Salvage operations attempted to remove the 600,000 litres of oil onboard the ship and over the years the SAMSA slowly removed parts of the wreck before it disappeared below the water in 2013. An oil spill that occurred during the salvage work reportedly resulted in the slicking of 219 birds.

07/09/2026

Today, September 7:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1852: Fairfield, this wooden sailing ship was blown ashore and subsequently wrecked at the Mbango River mouth in Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal. Of the 24 souls that were on board, seven managed to reach the shore where they were assisted by locals.

1934: Queenmoor, this steel steam-powered cargo freighter struck the rocks near Chelsea Point in dense fog off Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape. It was stuck on the rocks and only abandoned the following day when the tug, Sir David Hunter helped everyone off. Ten days later its back broke and the freighter started vanishing beneath the waves. Most of its cargo, which was timber from London destined for East London, floated ashore and was salved. The breaking up was captured on film and a short report on its wrecking was compiled by the BBC https://youtu.be/7BPz0NulqbU .

Near Port Elizabeth, South Africa.Shots of the British cargo sh...

06/09/2026

Today, September 6:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1880: Bates Family, this steam-powered ship caught alight and was abandoned on the 2nd of September, foundering four days later, near Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape.

1995: Christine Marine, this fishing vessel was scuttled by the South African Navy south of the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape.

05/09/2026

Today, September 5:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1859: Unity, the area of the wrecking of this British wooden sailing brig is under question as different sources claim different areas in the Western Cape as the wrecking site, such as Dassen Island, Saldanha Bay, and Bellows Rock. The most likely explanation is that it was lost on Bellows Rock off the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape and that its wreckage washed up as far north as Dassen Island and Saldanha Bay. The crew of ten and its 6 passengers were all lost.

1885: Maron Neil, this sailing barque wrecked on Orient Beach, just east of the Buffalo River, in East London in the Eastern Cape after its cables parted.

1888: Hopefield Packet, this sailing schooner ran aground and possibly wrecked in Paternoster Bay on the Vredenburg Peninsula in the Western Cape. It is possible that it was refloated.

1976: Kerriefontein, this South African fishing vessel foundered in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

1986: Maranatha, this fishing trawler ran aground near the Gouritz River mouth in the Western Cape after having sprung a leak. The crew was assisted by the NSRI and it is possible that it was refloated.

2001: Ikan Tanda (pictured below), this Singaporean cargo carrier was driven ashore during a storm near Scarborough on the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape after a fire broke out in its engine room and it lost power about 40km outside of Cape Town. The crew were rescued by SAAF helicopters and the vessel was refloated by assistance from the tugs, John Ross and Wolraad Woltemade, which towed it 300km out to sea to be scuttled, by order of the SAMSA.

04/09/2026

Today, September 4:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1825: Mulgrave Castle, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked near the Green Point Lighthouse in Table Bay in the Western Cape. It entered the bay in hazy, but otherwise fine weather and attempts to refloat it were unsuccessful.

1840: Alert, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked after its cables parted in a south easterly gale in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

1841: Prince Rupert, this wooden sailing barque wrecked after a sudden change in the current resulted in it swinging onto the rocks at Mouille Point in Table Bay in the Western Cape. Of the approximately 160 that were on board, only one life was lost, but four rescuers also lost their lives. The Bucephalus was anchored nearby and was one of the first to render assistance. On the fourth voyage between the vessels, to look for any more people that were on board, the boat that the rescuers were using was swamped by a wave. Five of the rescuers perished, one of whom was a passenger returning to the Prince Rupert.

1869: Sparfel, this wooden sailing schooner wrecked on Struispunt, just south of Arniston/Waenhuiskrans in the Western Cape. Immediately after striking the rocks, it broke apart. Although the exact number of those that were on board is not known, all hands were lost. For the next few weeks its cargo of hides washed ashore.

1872: Niagara, this sailing vessel wrecked at the Slang River mouth, at Oyster Bay, in the Eastern Cape.

1900: Abeona, this iron sailing vessel wrecked on Thunderbolt Reef, off Cape Recife in the Eastern Cape. After getting stuck on the reef in a sinking condition, its master and crew of 19 abandoned ship and landed at the North Jetty within three hours. The tug James Searle II found it the following day on its side and breaking up. Some salvage was carried out, but by the next day it had completely broken up. The wreck site was known for many years as the ‘Lead Wreck’ by local divers. This changed in 1978, when Mike Klee, David Allen, and Gerry van Niekerk positively identified it. Amongst the wreckage they found a brass winch (or a capstan cover) which was inscribed with “Abeona Glasgow 1867”.

03/09/2026

Today, September 3:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1902: We have on record from a single source, four further wrecked vessels in Gqeberha/Port in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about these vessels, and it is possible that they were lighters that wrecked during, or shortly after the great storm that started on the 1st of September:
• Advokate Schieande
• Fernandos
• Swamsee
• Werner

1985: Theo Rubis, this motor-powered fishing vessel was scuttled by the SA Navy southeast of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

02/09/2026

Today, 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 Simons Bay in the Western Cape during a south-easterly gale. What remains of the wreck lies between 5-9m 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 (pictured below), 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 60m in depth and being well intact, lying on its starboard side.

01/09/2026

Today, September 1:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1902: A great south-easterly storm, resulted in the loss of at least 61 lives, the wrecking of 18 vessels, and the grounding of at least four vessels in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. This is the greatest loss of vessels in a single event in South African maritime history. The vessels that were refloated include the Coriolanus (1 life lost), the Elliot, the Gabrielle, and the Hans Wagner. An additional four men drowned after their line broke when they attempted to aid some of the vessels from the shore. Many of the vessels wrecked after being driven onto the hulk of the Queen Victoria (1896) which was lying near North End Beach.

• Agostino Rombo, an Italian wooden barque, wrecked after striking the sunken hulk of the Queen Victoria with the loss of life of 7 or 8 (pending the source).
• Arnold, a German iron barque, wrecked at North End beach.
• Cavalieri Michelle Russo/ Michael Cavalieri, an Italian steel ship, wrecked at North End beach. Reports vary, on the exact the number of lives lost, but it is believed to have been between 17-19 with only 1 man surviving.
• Clara, a British tug, ran aground and was refloated on the day, but shortly after, the heavy seas ripped its rudder away and its chains were dragged onto North End beach where it became a total wreck.
• Constant, a Norwegian wooden barque, wrecked near the Arnold at North End beach.
• Content, a Norwegian wooden barque, wrecked at the North End beach next to the Emmanuel.
• Countess of Carnarvon, a British wooden steam-powered tug, ran aground and wrecked.
• Emmanuel, a German iron barque, wrecked at the North End beach next to the Content.
• Hermanos, a Norwegian wooden barque, struck the sunken hulk of the Queen Victoria and was wrecked with the loss of two lives.
• Inchcape Rock, a British fully rigged iron ship, wrecked opposite Darling Street and the wreck can be dived on, now lying at about 7m in depth.
• Iris, a German schooner, wrecked at North End beach when its cables parted.
• Limari, a Swedish iron barque, struck the sunken hulk of the Queen Victoria and was wrecked with the loss of 8 lives.
• Nautilus, a German iron barque, first struck the Hans Wagner, then the sunken hulk of the Queen Victoria and eventually the stranded Limari, and was wrecked with the loss of 12 lives.
• Oakworth, a British iron ship, wrecked at North End beach.
• Sayre, a British wooden barque, wrecked at the North End beach.
• Scotia, a British cargo steamer wrecked with the loss of two lives, although it may have been refloated.
• Thekla, a German three-masted wooden schooner wrecked.
• Waimea, a Norwegian iron barque, struck the sunken hulk of the Queen Victoria and was wrecked with the loss of 8 lives.

1965: Claren, this British steam-powered ship was lost in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about it.

1974: Little Nook, this South African yacht wrecked near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

31/08/2026

Today, August 31:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1958: Helderberg, this wooden auxiliary motorship wrecked in Saldanha bay after breaking her moorings and drifting onto the rocks.