Page 29 - Bulletin 22 2019

26

Muizenberg

The Admiral Cockburn was an American barque of 350 tons and 105 ft. 8 inches (32.2 m) in
length. She was constructed of oak, cedar and pitch pine and launched in New York in 1808.

She was captured by the British in 1814 and served as a London-based transport ship until
1829 when she was converted into to a whaler to be used in the South Seas. She spent the

next 10 years running up a string of successful whaling expeditions and had encountered

many narrow escapes. The most testing was the tsunami off the Bonin Islands, 1000 km south
of Japan, on 7 November 1837. It was in this event that she gained fame after rescuing 12

people who had been washed out to sea.

On 26 July 1839 during her return voyage to London she was blown ashore onto Muizenberg

beach. One member of the crew was drowned while trying to get ashore but the rest were

saved. A total of 1100 barrels of oil were recovered from the wreck.

A French frigate La Penelope with 48 guns was wrecked on Muizenberg beach with a cargo
of military supplies of 16 October 1788. (Fig. 1.29.) Most of her crew were saved, but there

was no mention of the recovery of her supplies.

Padang was a Dutch ship of 430 tons, built in 1821 and commanded by Capt Ogg. She was

wrecked on Muizenberg beach at 22h00 on 29 June 1828, while of a voyage from Padang

(capital of west Sumatra in Indonesia) to Antwerp. She was carrying a cargo of coffee and
spices.

Strandfontein

La Camille, a French brig, was wrecked near Farmer Peck’s farm at Strandfontein on 18
October 1836 while she was on a voyage from Reunion with a cargo of sugar, coffee,

nutmeg, cloves and tortoise shells. (Fig. 1.30.) No lives were lost.

Le Protie, a French whaling brig of 187 tons, commanded by Capt. Lory, was also wrecked
near Farmer Peck’s farm at Strandfontein. This was on 10 January 1839 when she was trying

to enter Simon’s Bay at night. She was on a voyage from Nantes to the whaling grounds with
whale oil onboard. No lives were lost.