Shipwrecks of Cape Town

The coastline of Cape Town is roughly 307 km long, from Silwerstroomstrand at on the west coast to slightly south of Kogelbaai at on the east coast of False Bay. The coast may be subdivided into the Bloubergstrand (the northern part of the mainland coast), Robben Island, Table Bay, the Atlantic Seaboard (west coast of the north peninsula), Hout Bay and the South Peninsula west coasts, and the False Bay west, north, and east coasts. with mild, moderately wet winters and dry, warm summers. Winter, which lasts from June to September, may see large cold fronts entering for limited periods from the Atlantic Ocean with significant precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. Winter months in the city average a maximum of and minimum of . Summer, which lasts from December to March, is warm and dry with an average maximum of and minimum of . The region can get uncomfortably hot when the Berg Wind, meaning "mountain wind", blows from the Karoo interior. Spring and summer generally feature a strong wind from the south-east. This wind is caused by a persistent high-pressure system over the South Atlantic to the west of Cape Town, known as the South Atlantic High, which shifts latitude seasonally, following the sun, and influencing the strength of the fronts and their northward reach. Cape Town receives about 3,100 hours of sunshine per year. Unlike other parts of the country the city does not have many thunderstorms, and most of those that do occur, happen around October to December and March to April. Winds The winds have a strong influence on the waves and water circulation. The wind follows a characteristic pattern, which shifts in latitude with the seasons and follows the Rossby waves as they move eastwards over the southern ocean. A southwesterly wind follows the passage of a cold front as the anticyclone moves east and merges with the South Atlantic High, producing strong south-easterly winds. The high pressure cell moves further over the tip of Africa and splits off the South Atlantic High, with weakening south easterly winds, followed by a coastal low with north-westerly wind before the next cold front, bringing cool, wet westerly wind which passes around Table Mountain and converges as a northerly wind over False Bay. The South Atlantic High shifts latitude with the seasons, following the sun, and this causes a large variation in the wind pattern over the passage of the year. In summer it moves south and the south-easterly winds dominate, and on average are strongest during January and February. During winter the northward shift allows the fronts to extend further north with stronger north-westerly winds and more frequent and heavier rain. The winter winds tend to be strongest in June and are generally northwesterly. The transition periods are around April and September. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects the winds and rainfall over this region. During El Niño the south-easterly winds, while during La Niña the same winds are stronger. These effects on the winds are part of large scale influences on the tropical Atlantic and the South Atlantic High-pressure system, and changes to the pattern of westerly winds further south. There are other influences not known to be related to ENSO of similar importance. Some ENSO events do not lead to the expected changes. Local variations in wind direction and strength are caused by interaction with the mountains on both sides of False Bay. South-easterly winds are accelerated northwest of Cape Hangklip, and a distinct wind shadow can develop in the lee of the Kogelberg mountain. Northwesterly winds accelerate over Table Mountain and approach False Bay from varying directions depending on the local topography. Temperature differences between land and water can also produce diurnal variations of wind speed and direction, particularly in summer. Eastward-moving atmospheric Rossby waves move across the area at 3 to 20 day intervals, mostly in winter from May to September, and the subtropical ridge is replaced by coastal lows followed by northwesterly winds and frontal troughs that bring rain, stormy winds and seas. Waves The prevailing swell around Cape Town is long period (12 to 15 secons) swells from the southwest with an average height of about 3 m. These swells are generated far offshore to the southwest of the continent, and the anchorages at both Table Bay and Simon's Town are well protected from them. Storm waves are generated by northwest gales in winter and southeast gales in summer. Table Bay is very exposed to wind and waves from the northwest, but well protected from waves from the southeast, while Simon's Bay and the other western False Bay anchorages are exposed to southeast wind and waves, except where harbour breakwater structures have been built. ==History==

The history of the shipwrecks of Cape Town is part of the history of the shipping route around Africa, the history of the colonisation of South Africa and the history of the people of the region once they reached the stage of operating shipping in these waters. During the construction of the harbour, in the great gale of 17 May 1865, 18 ships were driven aground in Table Bay, of which seven were wrecked: The Fernande, Alacrity, Deane, Royal Arthur, Kehrweider, RMS Athens, and City of Peterborough. The others were beached but refloated later, including: Galatea, Jane, Star of the West, Clipper, Frederick Bassel, Isabel, Figilante, and Maria Johanna The harbour and breakwater have been extended on several occasions, with the Victoria Basin (1920), Duncan Dock (1945), tanker basin and layup dock(1962) and Ben Schoeman Dock with container terminal (1977). Cultural heritage There are approximately 2800 shipwrecks recorded on the National Shipwreck Database of which the approximate positions of about 840 are known, and the exact, verified position of over 300 vessels. The National Heritage Resources Act (No.25 of 1999) automatically protects any wreck older than 60 years since the date of loss, and can be used to protect more recent wrecks if they are deemed to be worthy of conservation. South Africa became a signatory to the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. Table Bay alone is recorded as the site of about 400 wrecks, of which 70 are now buried under the reclaimed land of the city foreshore. Archaeology of shipwrecks The archaeology of shipwrecks is the field of study specialising in shipwrecks. Its techniques often combine those of archaeology with those of diving to become Underwater archaeology, but shipwrecks can also be found on what have become terrestrial sites. It is necessary to take into account the distortions in the archaeological material caused by events and processes that occur during and after the wrecking. Prior to being wrecked, the ship would have operated as an organised system, and its crew, equipment, passengers and cargo need to be considered as such. The material remains should provide clues to the functions of seaworthiness, navigation and propulsion as well as to ship-board life. These clues can also infer how a ship functioned, in relation to social, political, and economic context. Identification of a shipwreck A number of techniques are used when trying to find a specific wreck, or to identify a wreck that has been found: • Historical records and archival research – When a ship is lost there are usually records of the loss and when and where it occurred. This information allows the researcher to track down more information on the vessel and its cargo or other inventory Details such as the construction method, materials, ballast, dimensions, rig, propulsion equipment, general arrangement and cargo may all be useful. • The location of a wreck will reduce the number of possibilities for identity, and conversely, the identity will limit the range of possible localities. • Superficial observation of the wreckage – Depending on the structural condition and orientation of the wreck it may be possible to measure some of the principle dimensions and general arrangement details by direct observation or measurement. These data can be compared with the information derived from documentary research. • Sonar and lidar bathymetry, human and AI analysis • Examination and analysis of artifacts • Interdisciplinary collaboration • Quality of evidence vs quantity of circumstantial evidence • Elimination of the impossible • Contamination of the site Operation Sea Eagle 10 shipwrecks were positively identified in the vicinity of Robben Island in Operation Sea Eagle, reported in 1994: Bernicia, Daeyang Family, Fong Chung No. 11, Goel No.1, Golden Crown, Natal, Rangatira, Sea Eagle, Solhagen, and Tantallon Castle. Five other sites were located but could not be identified. These may have included A.H. Stevens, Bittern, Il Nazareno, Kingston, and Timor. Although documents were available which provided approximate positions, seven other vessels could not be found: C. de Eizaguirre, Dageraad, Flora, Forfarshire, Gondolier, Hypatia, and Perseverance. Wreckless Marine survey The Cape Town based private company Wreckless Marine had previously contributed high resolution bathymetric survey data to several marine research agencies including the South African Council for Geoscience and the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, and during that work had incidentally acquired positional data on several shipwrecks in False Bay, some of which were well known, and others which were at the time, unidentified. They also had access to bathymetric survey data of similar quality from the Council for Geoscience which had been working in parallel on adjacent areas, mostly in Table Bay and the Atlantic Seaboard of the Cape Peninsula. Wreckless Marine undertook to resurvey those wrecks which were safely accessible with the available equipment at the highest resolution available with their equipment, and with the cooperation of in-house researchers and technical divers, and marine archaeologists from the South African Heritage Resources Agency, to identify the wrecks where possible. Dives were made to confirm the identities of some of the wrecks where relevant, as the positional records were often insufficient or ambiguous. This data was published in the book Wood, Iron, and Steel, in 2024, which features information on 60 of the wrecks of the Western Cape, 59 of which are in the coastal waters of Cape Town, and which had been identified to an acceptable level of confidence. In a few cases sister ships had been scuttled in fairly close proximity and it is not practicable to discriminate between them with the available information. Position data for a further 22 as yet unidentified wrecks is also given. ==Causes of shipwrecks==

There are many potential causes of shipwrecks, and not all of them necessarily apply in all regions, however a few stand out as particularly relevant in the waters of Cape Town. The single most prevalent cause appears to be being blown onto a lee shore, either directly after parting of anchor cables or dragging of anchors, or when overwhelmed by wind and wave while under way, often while embayed. The causes also vary with time: Navigational error was more common when the waters and their navigational hazards were relatively unknown and poorly charted, and an accurate fix of position at night or in fog was difficult to determine The numbers of shipwrecks can be considered in the context of the number of ships visiting and transiting the region. In the absence of ships there can be no wreckings. More than 60% of all ships arriving in the 18th century up to the end of the 1760s were Dutch, and in some years more than 90%. Most of the rest during this period were English. Throughout this period the number of ships per year was fairly steady at about 50 per year except in the 1720s when it was about 70 per year The arrival of Dutch ships declined after 1770, then rapidly recovered, along with an increase in the numbers of ships of other flags. However, there is no data on the duration of the stay at the Cape for these ships, and it is obvious that the risk of wrecking at anchor is related to the time spent at anchor and the probability of onshore storms during that season, and the risk of multiple wreckings is affected by the number of ships in port at the same time. Ships that arrived at the Cape required replenisment of food, water and stores for the next stage of the voyage. After the local economy could support it, products were exported, and the Cape provided rest, recuperation and entertainment to crews, and an opportunity for repairs, all of which encouraged ships to stay at anchor longer. Between 1652 and 1793 the average stay was 28 days. A regulation was imposed by the directors on VOC ships in 1652 making it obligatory for them to check in at the Cape, and for this to be documented by the commander at the Cape. Ship's officers were not penalised for the time spent at anchor in the calculations for speedy voyage bonuses, and records show that 93% of VOC vessels travelling in both directions anchored in Table Bay. These introduction of chain cable for anchoring was delayed by objections that chain was inelastic, unmanageable, too heavy, and noisy, that it could not be cut, and that it would kink. Invention of the shackle in 1808 solved the problem of cutting and connecting chain. Improvements to the design such as stud links introduced in 1813 by Thomas Brunton reduced kinking problems. Chain cables proved to be considerably more resistant to abrasion than hemp, which can be critical on a rough rocky bottom. By 1817 all seagoing ships of the Royal Navy of fifth-rate or higher were partially outfitted with chain cables, and commercial shipping had started to convert to chain, which also has the advantage of needing less space for storage. By 1840 chain cables were in general use, though hemp was still used by some vessels. ==Wreck diving==

Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures is explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally refer to the specific task, such as salvage work, accident investigation or archaeological survey. Although most wreck dive sites are at shipwrecks, there is an increasing trend to scuttle retired ships to create artificial reef sites. The recreation of wreck diving makes no distinction as to how the vessel ended up on the bottom. Some wreck diving involves penetration of the wreckage, making a direct ascent to the surface impossible for a part of the dive. A shipwreck may be attractive to divers for any combination of several reasons: • it serves as an artificial reef, which creates a habitat for many types of marine life • it often is a large structure with many interesting parts and machinery, which is not normally accessible to casual observers on working, floating vessels • it often has an interesting history • it can present skill challenges for scuba divers to manage the risks associated with wreck penetration. • it is part of the underwater cultural heritage and may be an important archaeological resource • it provides a first-hand insight into context for the loss, such as causal connections, geographical associations, trade patterns and many other areas, providing a microcosm of our maritime heritage and maritime history • it may contain artifacts of historical, artistic and/or monetary value, which can be recovered for profit (treasure hunting) or collection purposes (ranging from rare collector's items to souvenirs, memorabilia or other "trophies", such as crew members' or passengers' personal belongings, nautical instruments, brass portholes or silverware, cutlery, intact china or other tableware). The impact of recreational scuba diving on recreational dive values and the cultural heritage of shipwrecks has been found to comprise four basic types: • The removal of artifacts and associated disturbance to wreck sites, • Direct contact with wrecks and the benthic biota living on them by divers and their equipment, • Exhaled air bubbles trapped inside the wreckage, • Impact damage by anchors of dive boats, considered by some researchers to be the most damaging form of impact associated with recreational wreck diving. ==Chronological listing of wrecks==

1600 to 1649 Yeanger 1611: A Dutch sailing vessel Yeanger of Hoorn was wrecked on the northern shore of Robben Island. Jaeger 27 July 1618: French jacht Jaeger (ex Prinsens Jagt), wrecked in Table Bay near Woodstock beach during a northwest gale, at about . (Nieuw Haarlem in Turner 1988) On 24 December 1789, Guardian was severely damaged by an iceberg, and the ship was sailed to the Cape of Good Hope. Pénélope 16 April 1809: French prize vessel Pénélope, Wrecked in Table Bay near Milnerton. Woodbridge 5 November 1816: British wooden ship Woodbridge of 522 tons, wrecked in Table Bay. The remains of the wreck lie in about seven meters of water. (ship (proper) according to Werz 1994. near the hospital, at about . Now under reclaimed land. Phoenix 19 July 1829: Ship Phoenix wrecked at Simon's Town. Phoenix was a wooden merchant sailing vessel of approximately 500 tons launched in 1810 at Topsham, Devon, and was originally chartered by the East India Company. Phoenix was wrecked at Simon's Bay on 19 July 1829. The vessel was built in the US in about 1809. The British captured the ship in 1814 and it was sold as a prize. In 1829 it became a whaler in the southern whale fishery ,and was wrecked at Muizenberg Beach, False Bay, in July 1839 while returning to London from its third whaling voyage. On 19 October 1839. The Times reported that Admiral Cockburn had gone onshore at Muizenberg Beach on 26 July 1839 while returning to London from a whaling voyage in the South Seas. The crew, except for one man, was saved, as were 1100 barrels of oil. Paragon 1 April 1840: Ship Paragon of 376 tons, wrecked slightly to the west of Green Point during a northwest gale. Waterloo 28 August 1842: British convict transport Waterloo, a wooden ship of 414 tons built at Bristol in 1815, parted anchor cables and ran aground on Salt River beach in Table Bay during a northwest galeat about . Now under reclaimed land. Fairfield 9 September 1842: American barque Fairfield of 198 tons, wrecked in Table Bay when her cables parted during a northwest gale, at , and now lies under reclaimed land. Crystal Palace 8 August 1862: British wooden barque Crystal Palace of 480 tons, built at Teighnmouth in 1852, wrecked in Table Bay on Sceptre reef in a northwest gale at . SS Thermopylae 12 September 1899: Steel screw barquentine SS Thermopylae of 3711 tons, built at Aberdeen in 1891, wrecked in Table Bay at night in front of the Green Point lighthouse at about . 1900 to 1949 Kakapo 25 May 1900: Ship Kakapo wrecked on the Cape Peninsula. Kakapo was a 665-ton schooner-rigged steamship built in 1898 by the Grangemouth Dockyard Company, and registered in the United Kingdom. The ship ran aground on 25 May 1900 on Noordhoek beach on the Cape Peninsula, while on passage to Sydney, Australia in a northwesterly gale with heavy rain that impaired visibility. The watch mistook Chapman's Peak for Cape Point and the ship ran aground on the sandy beach from which it was not possible to refloat it, The ship was powered by two oil-fired boilers and a single triple-expansion steam engine with a top speed of 11.5 knots. Length 134.57 m, beam 17.37 m, 7176 gross registered tons. Launched on 31 August 1942. Katsu Maru No. 25 7 August 1978: Ship Katsu Maru No. 25 sank in Hout Bay. The Katsu Maru No. 25 was a fishing vessel built in Namikata, Japan. Length 50.39 m, beam 8.23 m, 299 tons, powered by a diesel engine, with a speed of 11.5 knots. It sank on 7 August 1978, 1.5 km south of the harbour in Hout Bay on the Cape Peninsula after a collision, at . The wreck lies on its starboard side on a sand bottom at 27 m. in Smitswinkel Bay at . Chanson de la Mer 1986: South African yacht Chanson de la Mer, ran aground on Robben Island. 355-ton long liner. Daeyang Family 30 March 1986: Ship Daeyang Family ran aground in Table Bay. The Korean bulk carrier Daeyang Family, of 96,760 gross registered tons and deadweight 183570 tons, carrying 180,000 tons of iron ore, dragged anchors in a storm and went aground on the reef at Whale Rock south of Robben Island on 30 March 1986. The hull remained substantially intact until the great gale of 1994. The wreck lies 500 m southeast of Whale Rock in Table Bay at . The ship has largely broken up and debris is strewn over an area of about 500 m by 400 m. Initial salvage operations focused on removal of 630,000 litres of oil from the ship. Eventually the ship was broken up on site and much of the wreckage removed as scrap The wreck lies 530 m off Bloubergstrand, Table Bay, at . ==Unidentified wrecks==

A further 22 wrecks have been found and surveyed by multibeam sonar, but have not been identified as of early 2025. • , 45 m length, 80 m depth • , 40 m length, 92 m depth • , 46 m length, 85 m depth • , 28 m length, 89 m depth • , 25.5 m length, 77 m depth • , 40 m length, 83.5 m depth • , 42,5 m length, 82.5 m depth • , 41 m length, 66.5 m depth • , 41.5 m length, 108.5 m depth • , 38.8 m length, 76.5 m depth • , 17.5 m length, 60 m depth • , 44 m length, 98.5 m depth • , 8.8 m length, 5 m depth • , 27 m length, 41 m depth • , 30 m length, 40 m depth • , 18.5 m length, 54 m depth • , 42.3 m length, 60 m depth • , 27 m length, 47 m depth • , 25 m length, 47 m depth • , 21 m length, 47 m depth • , 25 m length, 68 m depth • , 30 m length, 81 m depth ==Wrecks of uncertain location==

There are also vessels known or reported to have been lost in this vicinity, but their positions are not known, or no wreckage remains. • 25 January 1989: Motor fishing vessel Harvest Pegasus scuttled by torpedo from the S.A.S. Emily Hobhouse, southwest of Cape Point. Position vague, may have been far offshore. ==Unconfirmed==

• c.1720: Dutch East Indiaman Hollandia Caught fire and sank in Simon's Bay (dubious?) • 1740: Rooswijk, near the Vis? • 27 January 1894: Wooden sailing schooner Crystal Wave capsized in Hout Bay in a violent squall. It is assumed that it foundered after capsizing, but this is uncertain. • 1903: Rex wrecked in the vicinity of Fish Hoek • 21 January 1911: The Shaw Savill steamer Aotea ran aground about 100 m off Green Point: It was refloated after about two months and towed to Cape Town. (Image on flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/hilton-t/16758742219/in/photostream/) • Shian Feng Chang: Steel fishing boat stranded at Woodstock beach, shortly before 26 August 1974 https://www.flickr.com/photos/hilton-t/16758751539/in/photostream/ ==Erroneous reports==

Some vessels have been reported to have been wrecked in this region, but there is strong evidence that they were not: The ship may well have struck Whittle Rock, but did not sink, as the Euphrates (1803 EIC ship) is recorded as having been wrecked off Dondra Head, Ceylon on 1 January 1813. A later East Indiaman, also named Euphrates, and built in 1834 was lost of Holyhead, Wales, in 1868. • Frigate HMS Révolutionnaire (1794) was stranded in Simon's Bay on 29 July 1816, but could not have been wrecked as it was broken up on 4 October 1822 after further service. • Brig-sloop HMS Zebra (1815) was stranded in Simon's Bay on 29 July 1816, but not wrecked, as it was eventually wrecked on 2 December 1840, when a heavy gale drove it ashore and wrecked it off Mount Carmel near Haifa. • British flag, 17 November 1874. A wooden 3-masted full-rigged sailing ship that caught fire and sank south of the Cape of Good Hope, with a loss of 469 lives. at about , quite a long way from Cape Town in the South Atlantic. ==See also==