Picture of Cape Point Nature Reserve
Caption: THE CAPE OF STORMS
shipwreck trail
Caption: 16.12.14
Caption: From the days when Portuguese explorers rounded the Cape to modern-day shipping, the aptly named “Cape of Storms” has claimed many a vessel.
Researchers have documented more than 2 500 wrecks along the South African coastline since 1500 – hundreds of these in the waters off the Western Cape – but believe many more await discovery
in their watery graves!
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Caption: We followed the easy
Shipwreck Trail in the Cape Point
Nature Reserve to catch a glimpse
of our rich maritime history.
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Caption: The SS Thomas T Tucker ran aground off Oliphantsbos Point, near Cape Point, on November 27, 1942, during heavy fog while on her maiden voyage from New Orleans to Suez. She was sailing close to the coast as she usually did when the sea was rough (and due to the fact that German U-boats were actively patrolling the area) when the captain misjudged the ship's location because of the heavy fog. Assuming they were close to Robben Island, and therefore not far from Cape Town, the crew relaxed, and the ship ran aground.
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Caption: The Nolloth was a Dutch coaster that ran aground just a few meters further up the beach in 1965.
She was carrying a large cargo of liquor and, after she ran aground, many people invaded the beach to try and salvage some of it!
Love this account of what happened the night the Nolloth
ran aground: http://www.two-oceans.co.za/with-our-own-ship-to-africa/
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Caption: There are still quite a few more
to be seen dotted along these dangerous shores! We'll have
to come back!
