Soares Shipwreck Michele van Rensburg Where Mossel Bay Date of wreck 1505 Survivors Unknown. Cumberland was built in India in 1827 probably at Cochin but possibly at Surat. But this 350-mile long waterway is only two miles wide at. 1900 oil tanker lost on December 1, 1927, during a heavy gale and used for target practice in 1929 by U.S. Army. on July 7, 1942. Unfortunately, this unconventional design made the ship difficult to control in choppy waters. Nearby is also the Old Waterwheel, a wooden water wheel that once supplied water to the lighthouse from a fresh water spring in the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge. 6. Cape Leeuwin /luwn/ is the most south-westerly (but not most southerly) mainland point of the Australian continent, in the state of Western Australia. A farmers son discovered them a few days later, and they were able to make their way back to Cape Town. Since 2008, NOAA and its partners, with the assistance of local divers, avocational researchers, and the fishing community, have worked to document these shipwrecks. 1921 tanker sunk by U-701 on June 28, 1942. ex-USS Cythera sunk by U-402 on May 2, 1942. Its a popular dive site, easily accessible from the shore and ideal for beginners. Some of the slaves were extracted, but only so they could be sold in the Cape Colony. One member of the crew describes how two of his shipmates. One of Western Australia's most loved and scenic holiday spots . Its cargo included six sherman tanks. You should read the important information in these notes.. Other formats 1920 oil tanker sunk by U-124 on March 19, 1942. Captain Robert Salmond gave the order to evacuate, but instructed his men to hold fast so that the women and children could board the lifeboats first. In celebration of the big reveal, visitors will be offered free access to the lighthouse grounds and Interpretive Centre on the 29th and 30th of October 2022. Naval Historical Review, Ship histories and stories, WWI operations Gallipoli, Australian Naval History Podcasts The Cape Leeuwin lighthouse is on the most south westerly point of Australia. She played a pivotal role in helping the British capture Louisburg and Quebec from the French. Needless to say, the situation ended with both tankers being blown ashore, after the crew of the tug boat was forced to cut through the cable with a gas torch. She was a powerful third-rate line of battle British warship that helped shape the course of American history. Of the colonial-era wrecks, the James Matthews, a former slave ship, and the SS Xantho, an iron-hulled steamer with a unique ex-gunboat engine are the most prominent. They had been rounded up and bundled aboard the ship at the Portuguese outpost in East Africa (now Ilha de Mozambique). It is the shallow sand bars several hundred yards off the beach that present the greatest danger. Taking advantage of a break in the weather, I make my way from the Lighthouse Interpretation Centre by foot and towards the oceanic roar. Website owner: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries | National Ocean Service | NOAA | Department of Commerce, Maritime Archaeology: Discovering and Exploring Shipwrecks, North Carolina's maritime cultural landscape, The Enemy in Home WatersHow World War I Came Home to North Carolina, World War I: Discovering and Exploring the Great War off the North Carolina Coast, proposal to expand Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, Battle of the Atlantic: Discovering and Exploring When the War Came Home. 1921 oil tanker sunk by U-71 on March 26, 1942. The story The BOS 400 was a French Lay Barge, and the biggest floating crane in South Africa at the time of its wreck. 0 mm of rain since 9 am. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. The Inside Guide has made every effort to ensure that the information in this post was correct at the time of publication. Unfortunately, this unconventional design made the ship difficult to control in choppy waters. While many today romanticize the story of the Whydah and Bellamy as a pirate ship with a mysterious fortune, it's important to understand and acknowledge the origins of the ship and its impact on African American history. After sailing in later military campaigns, an intense storm drove the Somerset onto the shallow Peaked Hill Bars on November 2, 1778. Cape Leeuwin is mentioned in the poem associated with the children's story The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo by Rudyard Kipling. A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further in Flinders Bay to the east of the cape. It has extensive heath vegetation and thick scrub which supports a very high number of plant species and also bird species that utilise this habitat. From the Antikythera, which held what may be the oldest computer, to a treasure-filled vessel, these shipwrecks are obscured not only by ocean waves, but by mysterious circumstances. The rocks where the ship met its end can be seen from the Danger Point lighthouse at Gansbaai (the lighthouse itself was built 43 years after the wreck, and has a plaque commemorating the vessel). 1921 oil tanker sunk by U-124 on March 18, 1942. 02667. It is a 45 minute drive south, along State Route 10, from Margaret River. Anniversary Cruise: Sydney under Japanese Attack, Garden Island Northern Hill and Garden Tour, Night of the midget subs Sydney under attack, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 1, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 2, D-Day commando on Sword Beach by Commander Jim Speed DSC, RAN Part 3. 1919 freighter sunk by U-432 on February 15, 1942. A plaque near the beachfront, erected by the wife of Lieut Colonel Andrew Giels, commemorates the loss of her four eldest sons, who were returning home from visiting their father in Ceylon. Date of the wreck 1815 With no significant land mass separating the great capes from Antarctica, the unabated wind and swell beneath represent an inhospitable wilderness that is both terrifying and captivating in equal measures. The ship was a steel framed construction and wooden planked. The wreck was found by Tom Snider in 1957 at 3425.33S 11508.24E. Address: Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Leeuwin Rd, Augusta WA 6290, Australia, Margaret River Map Timings: 09:00 am - 04:30 pm Details Phone: +61-897805911 Ticket Price: 8 AUD Time Required: 01:30 Hrs Tags: Light House, View Point, Family And Kids, Tower Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Margaret River Contribute/Review Ask a Question I would love to visit these wrecks after covid! The remains of the Somerset, along with the timbers of thousands of other shipwrecks within the boundary of Cape Cod National Seashore, are preserved as federally protected archeological resources for future generations to research and study. This prompted still-living crew members to come forward with stories of having served on the famous vessel. Contents 1 Description Salvage of the Somersets cargo was dangerous and difficult. Survivors of these wrecks would try to make their way overland to Portuguese trading posts on the Eastern coast, but many would end up settling among the locals instead, deciding they preferred life in Africa after all. It then sailed to the Caribbean to exchange the human slaves for precious metals, sugar, indigo, rum, logwood, pimento, ginger, and medicinal ingredients, which were to then be transported back to England. Date of wreck 1900 I stop at the aptly named Storm Bay Road on the outskirts of Augusta, a town that sits perched on the south-western extremity of the Australian continent. Flinders landed in the bay to the east of Cape Leeuwin, today's Flinders Bay. As a dive site, it is only accessible by boat, with Gansbaai Harbour being the preferred departure point. 1919 freighter sunk by U-203 on April 14, 1942. 1918 freighter sunk by U-124 on March 18, 1942. Our team of local experts are here to help plan and book your stay in the Margaret River Region. , and the phrase Birkenhead drill became synonymous with standing strong in the face of death. He demanded to know what was going on and after being informed, it was then the work partys turn to be surprised when informed that they had been working on top of an unexploded bomb. They attached a rope to the crane and leaped from a 30-foot platform, swinging under the crane and launching themselves into the turquoise blue waters. 1940 tanker sunk by U-124 on March 21, 1942. Lowest 15.6 C 6:22 am. 1920 oil tanker sunk by a mine on June 15, 1942. He was from Portugal. German U-boat sunk by USS Icarus on May 9, 1942. [3], Cape Leeuwin is considered one of the three "great capes" of the world.[4]. But each tells the story of a particular period in human history; and together they provide a glimpse into the rich history of the Cape. Survivors All members of the crew survived. Any ideas re:above appreciated. To hear the treasure hunters tell it, the Graveyard of the Atlantic is a much quieter place these days. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse: Entry fee!! We acknowledge the Wadandi peoples 60,000-year custodianship of this special place, and we thank them for generously sharing with us their immensely deep cultural knowledge and connection to the land. Date of wreck 1977 Resultingly, Long Point was revitalized as a Civil War Battery. The Cape to Cape track runs from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, in the south west corner of Western Australia. Get the practical know how to adventure into Western Australias national parks confidently, responsibly and safely. The first known European sighting of the cape was by Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in 1791. d'Entrecasteaux thought the cape was an island, and named it "Isle St Allouarn" ("St Allouarn Island"), in honour of Captain de St Aloarn. The Green trail on the map below will show you the route of the trail. This supposed isle is, therefore, what I denominate "Cape Leeuwin", as being the south-western and most projecting part of Leeuwin's Land.[3]. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse: Striking scenery with stories of keeper's lives and shipwrecks - See 1,625 traveler reviews, 1,412 candid photos, and great deals for Augusta, Australia, at Tripadvisor. Hamelin Bay is a bay and a locality on the south-west coast of Western Australia between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste. Along with the communitys remoteness, members of the Long Point Community packed their belongings and moved to Provincetown. History has it that there were 23 shipwrecks in the vicinity of Augusta-Cape Leeuwin area, 22 prior to the constructi 1918 tanker sunk by U-124 on March 23, 1942. [3], The St Alouarn Islands is a group of islands off the tip of Cape Leeuwin. She Learn more So The Arniston, with 100 wounded soldiers, some wealthy passengers and their families aboard, struck a reef. All they found was a mast and a skeleton. cape leeuwin shipwrecks 16 cape leeuwin shipwrecks. He braved the treacherous waves seven times, saving two sailors each time; clinging to a rope on each side of the horse. U.S. Navy Tug Keshena sunk by a mine on July 19, 1942. Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse: Beautiful - See 1,639 traveler reviews, 1,416 candid photos, and great deals for Augusta, Australia, at Tripadvisor. Old hulk used as a Fertilizer Screening House Worth 1891. From the first bit of writing on the top right-hand corner of this photo, we get a date and what Whittaker was used for at the Oil Work during the 1890s, screening fertilizer. Location of the wreck The wreckage lies about 900 meters offshore, under six metres of water. On my way I pass a mass of gnarled melaleuca scrub at the side of the road, forced over at a 45-degree angle it appears to turn its back on the ocean by the ever-present might of the wind. The tow-rope snapped during a storm off the Cape Peninsula, and the BOS 400 ran aground on the rocks at Duiker Point. The nearby town of Waenhuiskrans was renamed Arniston in honour of those lost in the shipwreck. I am sure it performed on the day. If you want to dive a little deeper, click here to read the full document, The Enemy in Home WatersHow World War I Came Home to North Carolina. The Somerset is also protected under international law, and is the sovereign property of the United Kingdom. Cape Leeuwin is often grouped with the next headland north, Cape Naturaliste, to identify the geography and ecology of the region. Built by timber tycoon Maurice Coleman Davies and John Wishart, with a clockwork apparatus and a kerosene lantern designed by Chance Brothers, the 39m tall light operated in original condition until 1982, when it was converted to hydraulics and electricity. Despite existing in a state of constant environmental flux, Cape Leeuwin presents visitors with an opportunity to pause. It is the tallest mainland lighthouse in Australia, standing 56 meters above sea level. The ship is believed to have run aground during the night, and though the wreck was sighted by Soares fleet as they sailed past it, there is no record of what befell it or its crew. The tow-cable attached to the Antipolis snagged on the seabed, and the Romelia exacerbated the situation by moving ahead of the Kiyo Maru 2 and getting the cable stuck under the tug boats hull. We take for granted that women and children first has always been the case during evacuations, but the sinking of the. Guided tours are conducted daily at the Lighthouse. The wreck has gradually been transformed into a colourful manmade reef, populated by a wide variety of sea life including squid, shysharks and cuttlefish. Salmond could have saved (83 = 24) The lighthouse remains the tallest in mainland Australia, leaving no doubt to the significant navigational risk that the area posed and continues to pose to passing vessels. Located on headland of the cape is the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and the buildings that were used by the lighthouse keepers. Thank You Very Much for your research & a great read indeed. To honor the anniversary and the men who fought and died during World War I off our shore, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary actively conducts research on World War I and the ships that sank off our coast. Highest 24.3 C 12:42 pm. The harbour was crowded with all types of Allied shipping which were subjected to a heavy bombing attack. Its a popular dive site, easily accessible from the shore and ideal for beginners. The others: Cape Horn in Chile and the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa both bookend the South American and African continents respectively. One example is in the name Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. 1928 tanker sunk by U-332 on March 16, 1942. ran aground on the rocks at Duiker Point. A Japanese tugboat named the. Within five years, on December 9, 1876, Whittaker coal laden, for Boston, struck and became a total loss. Sea temperatures in those regions in winter are several degrees higher than against the mainland coast. In this case, a Russian boat named the Tigr had the unenviable task of hauling the BOS 400 from the Republic of Congo to Cape Town. Between the rushed blur of my wiper blades, I can make out a couple of whales launch themselves out of the salty brine of Flinders Bay before crashing back in an explosion of blubber and whitewash. The climate of Cape Leeuwin is warm-summer Mediterranean (Csb in the Kppen climate classification), with an average annual rainfall of around 954 millimetres (37.6in). The captain thought he spied Cape Point in the distance, and ordered the ship to turn hard to port, full steam ahead. The French fleur-de-lis symbol engraved on a 16th-century bronze cannon discovered in a shipwreck off the coast of Cape Canaveral, in Florida. , and some are on loan to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in Washington DC. It was constructed in 1895 by John Wishart and Maurice Davies and was the 11th . It was built in 1903 using limestone carted by bullock wagon from a quarry about 1.5km away. For further information, please visit mrbta.com. [6], At two in the morning we had 80 fathoms, and veered towards the land. Visit website. Id found a peace of a shipwreck on my grounds and want to know from witch ship it came and what was it used for. Click here to request more information on these shipwrecks or future maritime heritage projects. Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin When the Leeuwin Current is flowing Unfortunately, the Tigr was not up to the job. Flinders was aware that the area had been known to the Dutch as "Leeuwin's Land". A shore base and a ship of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMASLeeuwin after the cape. All members of the crew survived, although legend tells that the captain was in such shock, he refused to leave the wrecked ship, and may even have lived on it for three years. Whilst there is no remaining documentation or log from the Leeuwins historic 1622 voyage, the coastline that was recorded during this maiden journey appeared on a Dutch map in 1627 by Hessel Gerritsz. Download a free curriculum guide, Battle of the Atlantic: Discovering and Exploring When the War Came Home, for students in grades 6-12. Discover this 78.6-mile point-to-point trail near Dunsborough, Western Australia. Site plans are archaeological drawings created from data collected during an expedition to a shipwreck site. is actually the earliest recorded instance of that protocol. Despite the vast distance between them, the three great capes are all connected by a conveyor belt of relentless westerly wind that circumnavigates the Roaring Forties latitudes beneath them. 1925 tanker sunk by U-129 on May 4, 1943. A handful of survivors managed to make their way to the shore, where they sought shelter in a nearby cave, living off whatever supplies happened to wash up on the beach. The story The 665-ton steamship was bound for Sydney with a cargo of coal, and was facing extremely poor visibility as it prepared to round the Cape. Whilst Cape Leeuwin is not the most southerly point of the Australasian continent, its exposure to the abundant swell of both the Indian and Southern Oceans is unparalleled. 1922 freighter sunk by U-432 on February 27, 1942. The countless captains who saw their ships sink beneath the waves probably would have sided with Dias on that one, but the willingness of men like them to brave the storms made it possible for the good hope of King John II to flourish, and grow into the reality we now witness. A farmers son discovered them a few days later, and they were able to make their way back to Cape Town. Interesting fact We take for granted that women and children first has always been the case during evacuations, but the sinking of the Birkenhead is actually the earliest recorded instance of that protocol. Sometimes owners of the wreck paid the local people to salvage their cargo; often the local people simply went on the theory that finders were keepers. 1941 oil tanker sunk by U-66 on January 24, 1942. [2], Located on headland of the cape is the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and the buildings that were used by the lighthouse-keepers. This podcast series examines Australias Naval history, featuring a variety of naval history experts from the Naval Studies Group and elsewhere. The first recorded wreck was the Sparrow-Hawk which ran aground at Orleans in 1626. The wreck was found by Tom Snider [13] in 1957 at 3425.33S 11508.24E. After using the ship to plunder vessels throughout the Caribbean, Bellamy sailed the ship north, up the east coast of the United States, until the Whydah and her crew met their untimely fate and sank off the coast of Cape Cod in April of 1717 during a bad storm. Im on my way to Cape Leeuwin, one of the three great capes of the Southern Hemisphere. Cape Leeuwin is the start/finishing point for the Cape to Cape Track. 1919 freighter sunk by U-158 on March 11, 1942. Contact. There is something about liminal spaces that speaks to many of us. Artefacts recovered from the wreck will soon be on display at the. It was named after Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste - which are located at either end of the park. This complex naval battlefield stretched from New England into the Gulf of Mexico, but the area off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, emerged as a strategic hotspot for this activity and the resulting concentration of shipwrecks is unparalleled in the nation. Below the waves that batter and reshape North Carolina's coastline, the . The story One of many ships churned out by the American industrial powerhouse during World War II; the SS Thomas T Tucker was on her maiden voyage, and bound for North Africa, when she met with mishap off the Olifantsbos coast. 2021 Margaret River Region ABN: 62 934 317 700, Saturday, 4th March 2023 - 3:00pm to 9:00pm, Edge of the World: The Great Cape Leeuwin, A community day to commemorate the 400-year anniversary. Recent shipwreck is sinking into the beach at Cape Hatteras May 02, 2020 10:07 . For these measures to be fully effective it was necessary for the Cape Leeuwin to operate close to the scene of activities, mostly unescorted. To book a tour visit Your Margaret River Region. The countless captains who saw their ships sink beneath the waves probably would have sided with Dias on that one, but the willingness of men like them to brave the storms made it possible for the good hope of King John II to flourish, and grow into the reality we now witness. MA Ship: Roman Cargo Ship. was scuttled, but the remains are still visible above the surface. A plane actually passed low over the ship and crashed into motor torpedo boats nearby, causing great damage. 1917 tanker sunk by U-402 on April 30, 1942. Cook saw the Whittaker towed to the Cape Cod Oil Works, and on December 27, 1876, the Provincetown Advocate reported the brig was now alongside the wharf. A second attempt to work on the light brought about a repetition of the strafing and not until the Allied Forces were contacted and convinced that the shore party was quite friendly was the work able to be completed. Luckily for Soares, he was not aboard the particular ship that sank, but it was one of 13 under his command, and one of two that he sent ahead to scout as his fleet sailed past Cape St Blaize on a return voyage from India. The 697-foot Andrea Doria was a superstar ship of the 1950s. The ship ran aground with such force that it skidded a few meters up the beach. UNLESS SOMETHING UNFORESEEN HAPPENS it would appear that the grand old ship SS Cape Leeuwin has completed her last itinerary for this Service.