Sea Ports and Sea Power: South African Maritime Cultural Landscapes and Shipwreck Case Studies

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  • The Bay of Storms and Tavern of the Seas: Risk and the Maritime Cultural Landscape of the Harbour at Cape Town (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jeremy Borrelli.

    South Africa’s connection with the sea is most prevalent in its founding harbor, Cape Town. Until the opening of the Suez Canal, the passage by the Cape of Good Hope represented the most important oceanic route to the East. The passage, however, quickly became known for unpredictable storms that devastated shipping in locations such as Table Bay. This paper examines the way the nineteenth century British government managed the risks associated with using Table Bay as a harbor of refuge and how...

  • The Cape Point Maritime Cultural Landscape: Lighthouses, Shipwrecks, Baboons and Heritage Tourism in South Africa (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only B. Lynn Harris.

    Since 2004, the Cape Point Nature Reserve has been part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The spectacular reserve has an abundance of wildlife, historic shipwrecks and a lighthouse. A shipwreck hiking trail is a popular feature. Heritage visitation combined with nature tourism is a key component in South African economic growth today.  The Cape Point area is a good example of showcasing a global maritime cultural landscape in a broader context and this study explores the...

  • Sandalwood and Starfish: A Study of the Shipwreck Brunswick (1805) and Site Formation Processes in Simons Bay (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Nathaniel R King. Ivor R. Mollema.

    Brunswick was constructed in 1792 in London as a 1,244 ton East Indiaman with 30 guns. The ship was on its sixth voyage to the Far East when it was captured by a French frigate brought into Cape Town and wrecked in 1805. NAS Project Sandalwood investigations of the shipwreck site in 1994 and 1995, followed up by University of Cape Town research in 2013 yielded information the maritime environment of the site revealing that while the metal on the shipwreck was stable, timbers were damaged by...

  • Technology and Empire: A Comparative Analysis of British and Dutch Maritime Technologies during the Napoleonic Era (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ivor R. Mollema.

    A study of the Dutch vessel Bato (1806) and British vessel Brunswick (1805) wrecked in Simons Bay, South Africa presents a unique opportunity to compare and analyse the maritime shipbuilding technologies available to these two powerful seafaring nations during the Napoleonic Era (1792-1815). Preliminary research of the material culture record yields data about British and Dutch access and utilization of specific shipbuilding timbers, iron knees, metal sheathings, and variety of fastenings....

  • Thomas T. Tucker: A Beached US Liberty Ship in Cape Point Nature Reserve, South Africa (2015)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Nathaniel R King.

    Thomas Tucker, a US Liberty ship operated by the Merchants and Miners Company on behalf of the US Maritime Commission, was part of the 42-ship convoy carrying material to the African Front during World War II. The ship was reported lost in action – torpedoed at Cape Point. The cargo included 25 Sherman tanks, 16 tank cars, 200 motor vehicles, and barbed wire. This disarticulated beach shipwreck site provides an ideal educational opportunity for students to conduct basic pre-disturbance...