1734: De Hoop, this wooden sailing galiot wrecked during a north-westerly gale on Dassen Island off the west coast in the Western Cape.
1858: Arago, this German sailing barque of 630 tons was wrecked in a strong south-easterly gale at Rietvlei in Table Bay in the Western Cape. The court enquiry at the time found that the captain – Captain JC Koling – was drunk. The Arago was on a voyage from Memel (a fortified Prussian sea-port to Batavia with a cargo of timber. No lives were lost.
1865: Etheldreda, this wooden sailing barque wrecked at Skipskop near Marthapunt in the Western Cape.
1899: Tiger, this steam-powered tug wrecked in the Table Bay Harbour in Table Bay in the Western Cape.
1942: Llandaff Castle, this steel steam-powered passenger liner was torpedoed and sunk by U-177 off Saint Lucia off the East Coast in KwaZulu-Natal. Two torpedoes struck at 17:29, a third at 17:47, and the coup de grâce at 18:09, which broke the ship in two and it sank. Three crew members were lost, with the remaining 310 people on board surviving the attack. On board were 150 passengers, which included six soviet diplomats and their families as well as 70 military officers and their families. The HMS Catterick picked up the survivors two days later and landed them at Durban.
1987: SAS Haerlem – The SAS Haerlem is a popular old navy frigate wreck site re-purposed as an artificial reef perfect for divers. The Haerlem was built in 1958 and disarmed in 1963. The ship was scuttled in Algoa Bay on 30 November 1987, close to the Bell Buoy.
She settled 21 meters below the surface, with her bow to the south and has created holes, nooks and crannies for the curious diver keen to encounter some shy sharks, a variety of fish and soft coral.
The deck has broken in two. Big cob can be seen inside the hull. On top of the deck the depth is about 18m average and 21m at the stern. Due to the protection of the bay, it makes for a very safe wreck dive.
The SAS Haerlem, completed on the 28th November 1958, commissioned on the 2nd of June 1959, served first as anti-submarine and then survey ship, was decommissioned and disarmed in 1963. On the 30th of November 1987 she was scuttled by the SA Navy with the purpose of creating an artificial reef. A wreck for all divers to enjoy, to explore and to discover. She delivered! Since she came to rest on the white sands of Algoa Bay she has entertained thousands of recreational divers both local and international. She has become a haven to sharks, rays, octopus, nudibranchs, and large schools of fish. She has dressed herself in all the colours of the sea. She has bejewelled herself with anemones, sea squirts, soft corals, sponges and bryozoans.
1995: Excelsior, this South African fishing vessel wrecked after its anchor cable broke near Thyspunt between Oyster Bay and Cape St Francis in the Eastern Cape.
