1853: Vigilant, this 304 ton wooden sailing vessel wrecked in a south-easterly gale at the mouth of the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape after her cables parted. Vigilant was built in 1846 at Southshields and was under the command of Captain W. Stewart.
1859: Florence, this sailing schooner of 40 tons under the command of Captain I. Bradston struck a rock and foundered in the entrance to the port at Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape. Most of her cargo was saved.
1875: Annie S, this 121 ton wooden sailing brigantine struck the bar in the Buffalo River in East London in the Eastern Cape whilst being towed by the tug Buffalo. It then drifted onto the western bank where it became a total wreck. Anni S was built in 1868 by Gillis, Prince Edward Island and commanded by Captain S.B. Avery. She was on a voyage from Cape Town with a cargo of coal and railway material – including a locomotive. She was grounded opposite the Old Customs House whilst under tow and then drifted to the West Bank.
1950: Bechuana, this 401 ton motor-powered coasting freighter built in 1941 wrecked just south of Kleinsee/Kleinzee in the Northern Cape. Bechuana was built in 1944 by the Furness Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Middlesbrough and, at the time of the wrecking, was owned by the Union Steamship Co. of South Africa Ltd., Cape Town. She was on route from Port Nolloth for Cape Town with a cargo of canned crayfish. Previously named, MV Chant 54 1944-1946, MV General Mitchell Baker 1946-1946, MV Steinsfjell 1946-1947, MV Klaver 1947-1949.
The Furness Shipbuilding Co. was part of the Furness, Withy and Co. shipbuilding empire based in Hartlepool in England. It had been built as an emergency shipyard to cope with the repair requirements of World War I. The yard was a massive 90 acres in size and had eight berths and two high tower cranes.
