Page 21 - KBHA BULLETIN 1

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with 0.75 acres of reclamation behind it for a working area. The work on these elements

together with the slipway was completed in 1918.

The Main Breakwater was built of precast concrete blocks, each weighing about 10 tons.

These blocks were cast in the block-yard at Table Bay and transported through to Kalk Bay
harbour works direct by rail, where they were unloaded on site by a 12 ton steam crane. The

blocks were produced totally by hand with a crew of 5 men. This gang stripped and cleaned

the moulds, hand mixed and placed the concrete in 3 units for one day’s piece work. This
amounted to over 30 tons of sand, stone, and cement and they were paid 8 shillings total! A

total of more than 3000 blocks or 30,000 tons of concrete were used in the project.

The first part of the breakwater at the shore end was built in straight bonded blockwork on

level concrete foundations. During excavations in this initial phase of the work, they

uncovered a substantial old building which had been completely buried in sand. This was one
of the original lime works buildings from which Kalk Bay derived its name.

As deeper water was reached, construction was changed to sliced blockwork (Fig. 2.5) which
is more suitable to accommodate continuing changes in level of the sea bed. A team of three

divers together with their attendants were the main work force employed on the cleaning and

preparation of the foundations, and the setting out and laying of the blockwork. The blocks
were loaded onto a light rail laid on top of the completed wall and pushed out to the second

15 ton crane on the contract which was used by the divers on foundation and block-laying

operations (Fig. 2.6.)

The two cranes mentioned above also proved useful during the 1914-18 War when they were

used to tranship guns, gun mountings, torpedo nets etc. directly from railtrucks brought to the
new harbour works into lighters, which then carried the equipment directly into Simon’s

Town Dockyard.