Page 5 - Bulletin 11 2007

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Although war arrived unexpectedly the Cape was not entirely defenceless. Since 1806
Britain had had a presence at the Cape in the form of a warship squadron, an army garrison,

associated strong points, and linking lines of communication. The Castle, Wynberg
Military Camp, and Simon’s Town were the key elements of what was known in military

circles as “The Cape Fortress”.

Since 1890, in particular, five important developments, many with overt military purposes

and others with military utility in times of conflict, had been underway in the southern part
of the Fortress:

 The railway extension from Kalk Bay reached Simon’s Town on 1 December 1890.
It is clear from the speeches made at the sod-turning ceremony in Kalk Bay on 7

November 1889, and at the completion ceremony in Simon’s Town a year later, that
its raison d’etre was military. Troops and material could now be moved freely

between Cape Town, Wynberg and Simon’s Town and the naval base was no longer

isolated and vulnerable to attack.

 The Cape Government passed the “Simon’s Town Naval Defence Act” in 1898.

Amongst other things, it authorized the Admiralty to construct a dockyard there.
(Coincidentally, in 1898 Admiral Tirpitz, the German Secretary of State, introduced

the Navy Estimates which launched the accelerated modernization and expansion of
the German Navy and set Germany and Britain on a naval arms race.) Sir John

Jackson’s tender was accepted on 27 July 1900, excavations began in January 1901,
the foundation stone was laid by the Earl of Selborne on 15 November 1906, and

the completion stone by the Duke of Connaught on 3 November 1910. (Read,

1995). The dry-dock was made large enough to accommodate the Dreadnought
battleships, the first of which had been launched in 1906, which had rendered