Page 23 - Bulletin 9 2005

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whose lives are affected by larger events, and who as a group form the driving force behind
many historically significant incidents, must be understood in order to understand the

greater contexts, moods and reasons for changes. The everyday events of Cape life are
reflected in wrecks as diverse as the whalers such the Admiral Cockburn wrecked at

Muizenburg in 1839 and the Waterloo wrecked at Fish Hoek in 1821, coastal steamers like

the Gnu which rounded in Simon’s Town in 1914, and the fishing vessels like the Rex.
Even vessels like the liner Lusitania, wrecked off Cape Point in 1911 with 600 passengers

on board (only eight of whom were lost), are indicative of life in and around the Cape’s
bustling harbours. (Fig. 1.7) These wrecks show the developments of local economies, local

interests and the Cape’s role in the world around it.

The shipwrecks of the Cape Peninsula and False Bay are, in some cases, unique. The ship

Le Napoleon, wrecked in 1805 next to the modern day car park at Olifantsbos in the Cape
of Good Hope Nature Reserve is one of only a few privateers wrecked on the South African

coast. This French ship was driven ashore on Christmas day after being pursued by the

Royal Navy Frigate Narcissus. The men on board scattered into the surrounding landscape
and escaped. The outline of the hull and some cannon are still visible today. Accounts of

piracy at the Cape and along the South African coast as a whole are relatively few and this
vessel therefore represents something of a rarity. The ship is indicative of a more sinister

side of maritime history. The examination of everyday life on board vessels such as this
dispels the romantic myths associated with the sea voyages. Life on board ships, including

privateers, naval and trade vessels, was difficult. Punishments for relatively meagre

transgressions were harsh, living conditions were cramped and nourishment for the
common sailor was often substandard. Illness and death resulting from poor conditions

were commonplace. The loss of two-thirds of a ship’s compliment on the leg from Europe
to the Cape was an unexceptional occurrence. Attack from rival trading nations or

privateers was part of life at sea, and even the smallest trade vessels needed to be armed to
defend themselves.