If you are willing to take a more or less 6km round trip eastwards along the beach at Glentana you will reach the mossed skeleton of the floating Port Natal dry dock resting on the beach since 1902.

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HISTORY OF THE WRECK:

It was stranded after the tow rope from the steamer Baralong parted during a tow operation from Durban to Cape Town. The dock was a Clark Standsfield self-docking design and built at CS Swan & Hunter’s yard at Wallsend (Yard No. 279). It was oredered by the Natal Government for the Harbour Commissioners of the Port of Durban.

It was to be the first floating dock introduced into South Africa. The dock was launched on the 6th of October 1902, and it was originally intended that the Dutch Smit Tugs, used to tow out the Bermuda dock, would be engaged to tow the dock to Durban, but they were not available (busy in Bermuda), so the towing contract was awarded to Bucknell Brothers to use one of their Cape trading steamers. The tow cost £8000, and the dock was insured for £72,000 for the tow. The steamer Baralong left the Tyne, with the dock in tow, under the command of Captain Mamillen with 66 officers and men, 16 of whom were on the dock under Captain Gow. After a passage of 50 days, the dock arrived at Cape Point, South Africa.

On October 30th 1902, the steamer and dock set off for Durban, but in the evening of November the 1st a strong North-Westerly gale and heavy seas were encountered. Baralong and the dock headed for Mossel Bay, near Cape St. Blaize, but the port towing line parted (an 18 inch manilla hawser), leaving the dock to the mercy of the wind and waves. An attempt was made to re-secure the dock, and this the crew succeeded in doing with a flexible wire hawser, but this also gave way. The Mossel Bay harbour master, Captain Dryden, put out in the small tug Morning Star, but the seas were running high and the tug had to return to shelter. Dryden tried again with a larger vessel, the steam trawler Undine, but the dock was close inshore now. HMS Monarch, based at the Cape Naval Station also tried to give assistance, but without success. It was therefore decided to give up further rescue attempts and leave the dock to its fate.

The dock beached itself in a creek at Glentana, Mossel Bay, and was lifted so far up on the beach that the men on board were able to walk on shore. Attempts to retrieve the dock were made later, but it was firmly embedded in the sand and surrounded by rocks, and so it was abandoned.

George Parkes, a local entrepeneur, bought the salvage rights to the dock, and dismantled it as far as possible, removing all of the machinery, pipes etc. What was left of the dock was left in its resting place, and remnants are still there to this day. Interestingly, the medicine chest from the dock is in the Millwood House Museum. Knysna, South Africa, and some iron railings outside the Anglican Cathedral, and a flight of iron steps in York Street, both in the local town of George.

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The above is an extract of a paper available on the internet.  You can read the full story at:

http://wrra.co.za/images/stories/PDF/Hikes/Glentana%20-%20Beach%20Shipwreck%20Walk%2018%20July%202016.pdf

IMPORTANT:

Have a look at a tides table when you plan your walk, because as you can see from the link above some sections of the walk can become treacherous during high tide.

GPS coordinates:   S34º03.09017  E022º20.06083

The post A CENTURY OLD WRECK appeared first on TRAVELBUCKET.

Take the easy walk to the point along the beach and marvel at all the patterns that the wind has carved over years in to the sand dunes.  If you have an artistic eye there are really a couple of spots along the walk where you can spend a while taking really great pictures!  Every time I go there  I see some new patterns in mother nature that I have not noticed before – even a dragon if you use your imagination …….…

Also keep an eye open for the endangered Black Oyster Catchers at the waters edge with their startling red beaks.  Years ago when our children were small this was a favourite spot to have a picnic after the short beach drive, but after beach driving has been banned altogether in South Africa (due to irresponsible people not adhering to the basic rules) the numbers of Black Oyster Catchers has also increased dramatically.  Another species saved from vanishing off the face of the earth.

And if there are no birds be on the look out for colourful starfish and shells that litter the beach at certain times of the year.  You will certainly make some interesting finds, but please do not take them home.  Starfish are strictly saltwater creatures and will not survive in fresh water.

I am happy to share and show MY world, post by post with you!

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INTERESTING FACTS ON STARFISH:

Sea stars (starfish) can change sex back and forth from male to female as needed. There are several species of animal that can change sex if needed, such as when there is an abundance of females but no males during breeding season. Sea stars are one such creature, but what makes them even more amazing is they can switch sex back and forth if necessary. If a sea star starts life as a female but needs to switch to being male, it can still switch back to female again if the need arises.

Sea stars do not have blood in their bodies. Instead, they have a water vascular system where they pump sea water through its sift plate or majoporite into their tube feet. Their tube feet are full of sea water and give strength to them. They then use their tube feet to move and to hold their prey.

They have an eye (anae spot) and the end of each of their arms which is a very simple eye that looks like a red spot. The eye can sense dark and light but not a lot of detail.

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