Page 137 - Bulletin 15 2011

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As the cargo consisted of war material a great effort was made to recover as much as possible. A

ferricrete road was bulldozed through the sand-dunes to the wreck and a camp was set up for the
recovery of the heavy war cargo. This entire operation lasted four to five months during which

time a cable was rigged between shore and ship. With the aid of the Thesen’s coaster Swazi,
which unstepped her mast and double-banked the wreck, vital lightweight war material was taken

off and ferried to Cape Town.

By the end of March 1943 most of the cargo had been removed and an effort was now made to

refloat her. At spring tide during the last week of March tugs attempted to pull her stern to sea
although by now her double-bottom had been flooded. But the weather suddenly turned vile and

the hawsers broke and she was swept portside onto the rocks. Within hours she was a total wreck
but all her crew were saved.

Reference

Walker, M. (2006) Shipwrecks of the Far South, published privately.