SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage

SAHRA Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) official MUCH Page - learn about SA's MUCH!

Welcome to the Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (MUCH) Unit's page. The MUCH Unit consists of a small team of heritage officers that work in the Heritage Conservation Management Division at the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA). The unit is responsible for managing all maritime and underwater cultural heritage below the high water mark along the ~3,000 km long South African coast. The extent of its remit includes the Territorial Sea (to 12 nautical miles / 22 km offshore) and the Contiguous Zone (to 24 nautical miles / 45 km offshore). This equates to 135,000 km² of some of the roughest seas and coasts in the world. In addition, the Unit manages underwater heritage in internal waters such as lakes and rivers. The Unit’s key functions include:
• Implementing and enforcing the National Heritage Resources Act 25 of 1999;
• Formulating and implementing national MUCH policy;
• Managing MUCH permitting;
• Surveying, recording and researching MUCH sites;
• Promoting and building MUCH management and capacity;
• Raising and promoting public awareness of MUCH;

Aims of the page:
•To discuss current topics related to MUCH resources in South Africa and around the World;
•To create a forum for discussion where the public can ask questions and comment on the status of MUCH resources;
•To create a space for the public to report or share any new information regarding MUCH sites in South Africa;
•To keep in touch with the general public and let them know what the team has been up to.

17/09/2026

Today, September 17:

“This day in our shipwreck History”

1840: Bengal, this British wooden sailing barque wrecked on Blaauwbergstrand in Table Bay in the Western Cape after missing its stays while entering the bay at night.

1889: South American, this sailing vessel was an American ship of 1694 tons built in 1876 in Boston. The ship was wrecked on 17 September 1889 in Struisbaai in thick fog with the loss of one life. The vessel was travelling from Manilla to Boston with a cargo of sugar which was reportedly strewn along the beach after the wrecking.

Today, September 16:“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”1803: John, this wooden sailing brig wreck...
16/09/2026

Today, September 16:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1803: John, this wooden sailing brig wrecked between De Kelders and the Klein River/Lagoon mouth in the Western Cape. Only five people survived the wrecking and the exact number that were on board is unknown.

1850: Cockburn, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a north-westerly gale on Salt River Beach in Table Bay in the Western Cape. The exact number of casualties is not known, but all reports state that there were some casualties.

1875: Bibsy/Bibsey, this vessel parted its cables and wrecked on a beach in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

1891: Madelpad, this vessel wrecked in the East London Harbour in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about it.

1995: Kalahari Sands, this South African fishing vessel wrecked on Dassen Island in the Western Cape.

1999: Oceana Apollo (pictured below), this South African/Namibian fishing vessel developed a leak and subsequently foundered just outisde of Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape. The crew of 10 was rescued by the crew of a nearby fishing vessel, the MFV Gregory.

Today, September 15:“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”1846: Fleetwood, this wooden sailing vesse...
15/09/2026

Today, September 15:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1846: Fleetwood, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked in Struisbaai in the Western Cape after its anchor cables parted.

1851: The strong south easterly gale that started on the 13th of September in the Eastern Cape raged on into this day, moving west, claiming a further two vessels, both in Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape:

• George Henry Harrison, this wooden sailing schooner had been put into Plettenberg Bay to escape the storm on the 14th. However, whilst leaving the next morning, the remnants of the gale drove it ashore onto the rocks, where it wrecked.
• St. Helena, this wooden sailing schooner was also driven ashore close to, and in the same manner as the George Henry Harrison.

1864: Forfarshire, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked between Whale Rock and Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape. The captain had died from a lung ailment and the choice was made to head into the nearest port. They were not carrying any chart for Table Bay, which resulted in the vessel striking an unknown rock near Whale Rock and wrecking.

1909: Umhlali (pictured below), this steel steam-powered passenger/cargo ship wrecked on Albatross Rock at Olifantsbos Point in the Western Cape. Reports on the number of casualties varies by newspaper, however, in the official enquiry it states that only one of the lifeboats capsized and all the passengers were rescued, except for a three-year-old boy.

14/09/2026

Today, September 14:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1870: Hemba (or Hecuba), this iron vessel foundered after striking a rock in Struisbaai in the Western Cape.

1876: Enfants Nantais, this French sailing barque wrecked on Back Beach in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal after its cables parted in an east-north-easterly gale.

1880: Phoebe, this wooden lighter wrecked after striking the bar in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.

1880: Strathmore, this sailing barque was abandoned on this day off Duiker Point near Hout Bay in the Western Cape. Owing to bad weather, it had started leaking and its steering became unmanageable. It foundered shortly after being abandoned.

1950: Quoin, this whaler was scuttled off Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape.

1996: Iolcos Victory, this 74 000-ton Cypriot ore carrier foundered about 200km off Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape when holds 1, 2, and 3 were flooded. Of the crew of 25, sixteen were saved by a Japanese fishing vessel, five were lifted by helicopter to Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth for medical care, and four, including the captain were never seen again.

13/09/2026

Today, September 13:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1851: A strong south easterly gale claimed two wooden sailing schooners in the Eastern Cape:
• Albinia, wrecked in Algoa Bay.
• Foam, wrecked on the east bank of the Buffalo River in East London.

1876: Elmira, this sailing vessel wrecked, 50 km east of East London in the Eastern Cape.

1991: A (name as yet unknown) crayfishing vessel struck the submerged wreck of a lighter and wrecked near Geelbek in the Langebaan Lagoon in the Western Cape. Three lives were lost because of the wrecking.

2009: John Barbery, this fishing trawler sank in Hout Bay harbour in the Western Cape.

Today, September 12:“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”1854: Chancellor, this wooden sailing vess...
12/09/2026

Today, September 12:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1854: Chancellor, this wooden sailing vessel wrecked on Martha’s Strand near Skipskop in the Western Cape. Two of the passengers drowned during the wrecking.

1861: Theresa, this schooner cables parted during a southerly gale and it wrecked on the west bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1871: Mackay, this British wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale at De Mond, north of Struisbaai in the Western Cape. The wreck occasionally washes open when the tide reaches up high enough to wash out some of the dunes. It is locally known affectionately as the ‘Maggie’.

1873: African Belle (possibly African Queen), this sailing brig wrecked on the west back of the Kowie River in Port Alftred in the Eastern Cape. It was later blown up to clear the shipping channel.

1876: Stella, this sailing barque wrecked after its cables parted in a south-easterly gale in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Another source lists the day of wrecking as the 18th of September instead.

1993: Voortrekker (pictured below), this oil rig supply tug foundered about 3km from the Gouritz River mouth in the Western Cape. It had capsized on the 10th of September, about 80km offshore, trapping the crew of 12 and the ship’s cat inside the upturned hull. Three of the crew managed to escape, although one later died from his injuries. Heroic divers attempted in four different operations to rescue those that were trapped, but the rough seas made this task impossible. It was towed closer to the coast in the hopes that rescue attempts would be easier in calmer coastal waters. Two bodies surfaced during the towing, and then, on this day, two days after being upturned, it sank, claiming the remaining seven men, and the ship’s cat, Lighthouse. It settled, still upside down, hull up, at a depth of 40m and in a thick mud, which made body recovery attempts futile. There is a memorial in the Port of Mossel Bay commemorating those who lost their lives and the local SPCA has a framed memorial for the cat. In 2012, whilst draining fuel that had started leaking, divers also erected a cross on the wreck.

Today, September 11:“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”1858: Helen, this wooden sailing brig wrec...
11/09/2026

Today, September 11:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1858: Helen, this wooden sailing brig wrecked on Coney Glen Rocks at the Knysna Heads in the Western Cape.

1861: Barbadoes 2, this wooden sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape.

1861: Lunaria, this wooden sailing barque wrecked on the West Bank of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape.

1874: Hermann, this sailing barque wrecked in a south-easterly gale on North End Beach in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

1887: Mona, this sailing barque caught alight and burned before foundering off Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. Its crew were picked up by the Livingstone and landed at Mossel Bay.

1899: Thermopylae, this steel steam-powered barquentine/freighter wrecked at Greenpoint Lighthouse in Table Bay in the Western Cape on the eponymous Thermopylae reef. On a bright moonlit night, it wrecked because of an error in judgement, being much closer to land than was thought.

1929: King Cadwallon, this steam-powered freighter wrecked in the surf zone at the Esplanade in East London in the Eastern Cape. It caught alight on the 7th of July, about a week out from Durban. Its crew battled the flames before it was abandoned on the 12th of July off the eastern coastline, and everyone taken off on the SS Ardenhall. It remained afloat for 41 days before being sighted off East London. The tug Annie brought it in and two days after being anchored, its cables parted during a south easterly gale, and it wrecked. The East London Museum houses and displays many of its artefacts.

1933: Langebaan, this motor-powered coaster wrecked off Stompneus Point in the Western Cape after the crew mistook a campfire light inland for the light of the coaster’s owners on shore.

1936: Solhagen (pictured below), this steel steam-powered whaler wrecked on the southern end of Robben Island in Table Bay in the Western Cape. Of its crew of 12, six drowned and the remainder were rescued by rocket apparatus 14 hours later. They had to cling to the rigging and had food dropped on them by plane. An enquiry into the wrecking found evidence that the crew had been intoxicated.

1974: Cape Hangklip, this fishing trawler wrecked off Ystervarkpunt between the Gouritz River mouth and Stilbaai in the Western Cape.

1990: Bluefin, this South African tunny boat broke its moorings and wrecked in a north-westerly gale on the eastern side of Hout Bay, beneath Chapman Peak’s drive, in the Western Cape.

10/09/2026

Today, September 10:

“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”

1844: Bella Angela, this wooden sailing barque was captured by the HMS Dolphin and started being broken up in Table Bay in the Western Cape on this day, with its hull and fittings auctioned off on the 27th of September.

1895: GM Tucker, this vessel wrecked in the Old Harbour on the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape. Very little is known about this vessel.

1960: SBA 305, this barge wrecked off the Railway Jetty in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape during rough weather.

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.

Today, September 8:“This day in our shipwreck and aeronautical wreck history”1854: Rachel, this sailing schooner founder...
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.

Address

The South African Heritage Resources Agency, 111 Harrington Street
Cape Town
8001

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 16:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:30
Thursday 08:00 - 16:30
Friday 08:00 - 16:30

Telephone

+27214624502

Website

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