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List of shipwrecks of Africa

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This is a list of shipwrecks located in or around the continent of Africa.

The Wreck of the Birkenhead

The shipwreck of HMS Birkenhead, near Cape Town, South Africa, 1852

East Africa[]

Kenya[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
HMS Gulland 13 April 1951 A 545-ton Isles-class trawler built for World War II. It ran aground three miles (5 km) north of Mombasa. 04°02′50″S 39°43′57″E / 4.04722°S 39.7325°E / -4.04722; 39.7325 (HMS Gulland (T239))

Mozambique[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
Katina P 26 April 1992 A Greek oil tanker that was damaged in a storm, spilling several thousand tonnes of oil. 25°35′S 32°59′E / 25.583°S 32.983°E / -25.583; 32.983 (Katina P)

Somalia[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
U-852 3 May 1944 A Type IXD2 U-boat that was attacked by British aircraft and run aground near Bayla. 9°32′N 50°59′E / 9.533°N 50.983°E / 9.533; 50.983 (German submarine U-852)

Tanzania[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
SMS Königsberg 11 July 1915 A Königsberg-class light cruiser that was sunk in the Rufiji River.[1][2] 7°52′6″S 39°14′24″E / 7.86833°S 39.24°E / -7.86833; 39.24 (SMS Königsberg (1905))
HMS Pegasus 20 September 1914 A Pelorus-class protected cruiser that was sunk at Zanzibar by SMS Königsberg.[1][2] 6°8′54″S 39°11′36″E / 6.14833°S 39.19333°E / -6.14833; 39.19333 (HMS Pegasus (1897))

Madagascar[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
HMS Serapis July 1781 A Roebuck-class fifth-rate that caught fire and sank off Île Sainte-Marie. 17°00′09″S 49°50′31″E / 17.0025°S 49.84194°E / -17.0025; 49.84194 (HMS Serapis (1779))

North Africa[]

Algeria[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
SS City of Venice 4 July 1943 A troopship that was torpedoed by U-375. 36°44′N 1°31′E / 36.733°N 1.517°E / 36.733; 1.517 (SS City of Venice)
HMS Ibis 10 November 1942 A Black Swan-class sloop that was sunk by an Italian aircraft north of Algiers. 37°0′N 3°0′E / 37°N 3°E / 37; 3 (HMS Ibis (U99))
USS Leedstown 9 November 1942 A troopship that was sunk by U-331 off Algiers. 36°49′13″N 3°9′55″E / 36.82028°N 3.16528°E / 36.82028; 3.16528 (USS Leedstown (AP-73))
HMT Rhona 26 November 1943 A British troop carrier sunk north of Béjaïa in an air attack during World War II.[3][4] 37°1′12″N 5°12′6″E / 37.02°N 5.20167°E / 37.02; 5.20167 (HMT Rohna)
HMS Samphire 30 January 1943 A Flower-class corvette that was torpedoed by an Italian submarine off Béjaïa. 36°56′0″N 5°40′0″E / 36.933333°N 5.666667°E / 36.933333; 5.666667 (HMS Samphire (K128))

Egypt[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
HMS Attack 30 December 1917 An Acheron-class destroyer that was sunk northwest of Alexandria. 31°18′N 29°49′E / 31.3°N 29.817°E / 31.3; 29.817 (HMS Attack (1911))
HMS Defender 11 July 1941 A D-class destroyer that was attacked by a German bomber and sank under tow off Sidi Barrani. 31°45′N 25°31′E / 31.75°N 25.517°E / 31.75; 25.517 (HMS Defender (H07))
L'Orient 1 August 1798 An Océan-class ship of the line and Napoleon's flagship, destroyed by fire and explosion in Aboukir Bay during the Battle of the Nile.
HMS Salvia 24 December 1941 A Flower-class corvette that was torpedoed by U-568 about 100 nautical miles west of Alexandria. 31°27′36″N 28°00′00″E / 31.46°N 28.00°E / 31.46; 28.00 (HMS Salvia (K97))

Libya[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
HMS Dainty 24 February 1941 A D-class destroyer that was sunk by German bombers east of Tobruk. 32°4′24″N 24°4′42″E / 32.07333°N 24.07833°E / 32.07333; 24.07833 (HMS Dainty (H53))
HMS Ladybird 12 May 1941 An Insect-class gunboat that was sunk by German dive bombers at Tobruk. 32°4′33″N 23°58′21″E / 32.07583°N 23.9725°E / 32.07583; 23.9725 (HMS Ladybird (1916))
SS Shuntien 23 December 1941 A passenger and cargo liner that was torpedoed by U-559 east of Tobruk. 32°03′36″N 24°27′36″E / 32.06°N 24.46°E / 32.06; 24.46 (SS Shuntien (1934))
HMS Sikh 14 September 1942 A Tribal-class destroyer that was sunk by shore batteries off Tobruk. 32°5′52″N 24°0′0″E / 32.09778°N 24°E / 32.09778; 24 (HMS Sikh (F82))
HMS Terror 23 February 1941 An Erebus-class monitor that was attacked by German aircraft and sank under tow off Derna. 32°59′N 22°32′E / 32.983°N 22.533°E / 32.983; 22.533 (HMS Terror (I03))
U-652 2 June 1942 A Type VIIC U-boat that was attacked by a British aircraft and scuttled north of Bardia. 31°55′N 25°11′E / 31.917°N 25.183°E / 31.917; 25.183 (German submarine U-652)

Morocco/Western Sahara[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
SS Empire Barracuda 15 December 1942 A cargo ship that was torpedoed by U-77 off Morocco. 35°30′N 06°17′W / 35.5°N 6.283°W / 35.5; -6.283 (SS Empire Barracuda)
USS Hugh L. Scott 12 November 1942 A Hugh L. Scott-class troopship that was torpedoed by U-130 off Casablanca. 33°40′N 7°35′W / 33.667°N 7.583°W / 33.667; -7.583 (USS Hugh L. Scott (AP-43))
HMS Lady Shirley 11 December 1941 A warship that was torpedoed by U-374 in the Straits of Gibraltar. 35°59′N 5°17′W / 35.983°N 5.283°W / 35.983; -5.283 (HMS Lady Shirley)
USS Tasker H. Bliss 13 November 1942 A Tasker H. Bliss-class troopship that was sunk by U-130 off Casablanca. 33°40′N 7°35′W / 33.667°N 7.583°W / 33.667; -7.583 (USS Tasker H. Bliss (AP-42))
U-173 16 November 1942 A Type IXC U-boat that was sunk by American destroyers off Casablanca. 33°40′N 07°35′W / 33.667°N 7.583°W / 33.667; -7.583 (German submarine U-173)
U-204 19 October 1941 A Type VIIC U-boat that was sunk by HMS Mallow and HMS Rochester near Tangier. 35°46′N 06°02′W / 35.767°N 6.033°W / 35.767; -6.033 (German submarine U-204)

Tunisia[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
HMS Havock 6 April 1942 A H-class destroyer that ran aground off Kelibia. 36°52′18″N 11°8′24″E / 36.87167°N 11.14°E / 36.87167; 11.14 (HMS Havock (H43))
HMS Hostile 23 August 1940 A H-class destroyer that struck a mine and was scuttled off Cap Bon. 36°53′00″N 11°19′00″E / 36.8833°N 11.3167°E / 36.8833; 11.3167 (HMS Hostile (H55))
Mahdia An ancient shipwreck discovered near Mahdia in 1907. It is thought to date from around 80 BC.[5] 35°31′55″N 8°47′15″E / 35.53194°N 8.7875°E / 35.53194; 8.7875 (Mahdia shipwreck)
HMS Manchester 13 August 1942 A Town-class light cruiser that was sunk during Operation Pedestal. 36°50′0″N 11°10′0″E / 36.833333°N 11.166667°E / 36.833333; 11.166667 (HMS Manchester (15))
USS PC-496 4 June 1943 A PC-461-class submarine chaser that sank off Bizerte. 37°23′0″N 9°52′0″E / 37.383333°N 9.866667°E / 37.383333; 9.866667 (USS PC-496)
USS Redwing 29 June 1943 A Lapwing-class minesweeper that capsized off Bizerte. 37°19′N 9°56′E / 37.317°N 9.933°E / 37.317; 9.933 (USS Redwing (AM-48))

South Africa[]

Western Cape[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
Arniston 30 May 1815 A British East Indiaman, requisitioned for troop transport, wrecked near Waenhuiskrans.[6] 34°39′36″S 20°15′7″E / 34.66°S 20.25194°E / -34.66; 20.25194 (Arniston (ship))
HMS Birkenhead 26 February 1852 A British iron-hulled troopship that struck a submerged rock near Gansbaai. The chivalry of the soldiers in abandoning ship gave rise to the "women and children first" protocol.[7] 34°38′42″S 19°17′9″E / 34.645°S 19.28583°E / -34.645; 19.28583 (HMS Birkenhead (1852))
BOS 400 26 June 1994 A Derrick/Lay Barge that ran aground on Duiker point after breaking loose while being towed around the Cape Peninsula by the tug Tigr in a storm.[8] 34°2′13.28″S 18°18′31.18″E / 34.0370222°S 18.3086611°E / -34.0370222; 18.3086611 (BOS 400 (ship))
British Peer 8 December 1896 A three-masted iron sailing ship that ran aground near the Cape of Good Hope.[9] 33°30.4′S 18°18.70′E / 33.5067°S 18.3117°E / -33.5067; 18.3117 (British Peer (ship))
Cospatrick 17 November 1874 A wooden 3-masted full-rigged sailing ship that caught fire and sank south of the Cape of Good Hope, with a loss of 369 lives.[10] 37°00′00″S 12°00′00″E / 37°S 12°E / -37; 12 (Cospatrick (ship))
HMS Guardian 24 December 1789 A 44-gun Roebuck-class ship laid down in 1780. Severely damaged by an iceberg, the ship was sailed 400 leagues to the Cape of Good Hope, where it was intentionally grounded.[11]
Ikan Tanda 2001 A cargo ship that ran aground near Cape Town, and was re-floated and scuttled 200 miles (320 km) from shore.[12]
Joanna 8 June 1682 An East Indiaman (the first to be wrecked off the South African coast) that sank near Cape Agulhas. A considerable amount of gold was on the ship.[13] 34°46′58″S 19°40′46″E / 34.78278°S 19.67944°E / -34.78278; 19.67944 (Joanna (ship))
Johanna Wagner 15 July 1862 A Prussian barque that ran ashore due to navigational error near Muizenberg.[14]
SS Maori 5 August 1909 A Shaw Savill Line steamship that was wrecked near Llandudno, Cape Town.[15]
Meisho Maru No. 38 1997 A fishing trawler that sank near Cape Aghulas. 34°49′S 19°59′E / 34.817°S 19.983°E / -34.817; 19.983 (Meisho Maru No. 38)
Nolloth A coastal trading vessel that sunk near Olifantsbos Bay. 34°16′S 18°23′E / 34.267°S 18.383°E / -34.267; 18.383 (Nolloth)
Pantalis A Lemos 1978 A bulk carrier that sank near Saldanha Bay. 33°9′S 18°1′E / 33.15°S 18.017°E / -33.15; 18.017 (Pantalis A Lemos)
HMS Pelorus 12 November 1994 A British Algerine-class minesweeper built in 1943. It was renamed SAS Pietermarizburg in 1947, and at the end of its career was scuttled to make an artificial reef at Miller's Point near Simon's Town.[16]
SAS President Kruger 18 February 1982 A South African frigate that sank after a collision with its refueling ship, SAS Tafelberg.[17] 35°15′S 17°21′E / 35.25°S 17.35°E / -35.25; 17.35 (SAS President Kruger (F150))
TMP Sagittarius July 2002 Stranded southwest of East London.[18] 33°4′S 27°51′E / 33.067°S 27.85°E / -33.067; 27.85 (TMP Saggittarius)
HMS Sceptre 5 November 1799 A 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy that ran aground near the Cape of Good Hope.[19] 33°55′12″S 18°27′0″E / 33.92°S 18.45°E / -33.92; 18.45 (HMS Sceptre (1781))
MV Seli 1 18 September 2009 A Turkish bulk carrier that ran aground on Bloubergstrand near Table Bay. 33°49′15.75″S 18°28′24.58″E / 33.8210417°S 18.4734944°E / -33.8210417; 18.4734944 (Seli 1)
A.H. Stevens 7 February 1962 Stranded in Shell Bay on Robben Island.
HMS Thames 13 May 1947 A former Mersey-class protected cruiser that became famous as the SATS General Botha, a merchant naval training ship. After retiring as a training ship, it reverted to its original name and was sunk in False Bay near Simon's Town as a target.[20] 34°13′48″S 18°37′48″E / 34.23°S 18.63°E / -34.23; 18.63 (HMS Thames (1885))
SS Thomas T. Tucker 27 November 1942 A Houston built munitions carrier that ran ashore on Oliphantsbos Point, near Cape Point.[21] 34°16′23.66″S 18°22′48.33″E / 34.2732389°S 18.3800917°E / -34.2732389; 18.3800917 (SS Thomas T. Tucker)
SS Wafra 28 February 1971 An oil tanker that grounded near Cape Agulhas, causing an oil spill. The ship was later refloated, towed out to sea, and re-sunk to avoid further contamination of the coastline. 36°57′S 20°42′E / 36.95°S 20.7°E / -36.95; 20.7 (SS Wafra)
Waterloo 28 August 1842 A British convict ship that was driven ashore in Table Bay by a storm, together with the Abercrombie Robinson, a troop transport.

West Africa[]

Ship Sunk date Notes Coordinates
HNoMS Nordkapp 27 November 1972 A Norwegian patrol boat that served in WWII before being sold off to civilian ownership as a fishing vessel.
Primauguet 8 November 1942 A French Duguay-Trouin-class light cruiser, laid down in 1923, that was sunk by gunfire from the USS Massachusetts.

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Patience
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Patience, Kevin (1997). Königsberg: a German East African raider. Kevin Patience. 
  3. ↑ Jackson, Carlton (1997). Forgotten Tragedy: The Sinking of HMT Rohna. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-402-9. 
  4. ↑ Wise, James E.; Baron, Scott (2004). Soldiers Lost at Sea: A Chronicle of Troopship Disasters. Naval Institute Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-59114-966-8. http://books.google.com/?id=KmtozaIf5QAC&pg=PA147. 
  5. ↑ Merlin, Alfred (1908). Bulletin de la société nationale des antiquaires de France. pp. 128–131. Cited in: Bates, William N. (January – March 1909). "Archaeological News". American Journal of Archaeology 13 (1): 102f.
  6. ↑ Hall, Basil (1862). The Lieutenant and Commander. Bell and Daldy. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17032. 
  7. ↑ Turner, Malcolm (1988). Shipwrecks and Salvage in South Africa. Struik. ISBN 0-86977-387-9. 
  8. ↑ "The Cape of Storms – Ships in trouble in Cape waters". University of Cape Town. http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/shiplaw/capstorm.htm. Retrieved 22 March 2013. 
  9. ↑ Macgregor, David Roy (1984). Merchant Sailing Ships, 1850–1875: Heyday of Sail. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-951-0. 
  10. ↑ "Burning of the Emigrant-Ship Cospatrick at Sea". Illustrated London News. 2 January 1875. http://www.theshipslist.com/accounts/cospatrick.html. 
  11. ↑ Winfield, Rif (2010). British Warships of the Age of Sail (1603–1714). Seaforth. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-848-32040-6. 
  12. ↑ "'Ikan Tanda' Washes Up on Cape Beach". Marcon International, Inc.. November 2001. http://www.marcon.com/marcon2c.cfm?SectionListsID=86&PageID=261. 
  13. ↑ "The Johanna 1682 (Joanna)". Shipwreck.co.za. http://www.shipwreck.co.za/johanna.html. Retrieved 22 March 2013. 
  14. ↑ "The Johanna Wagner 1862". Shipwreck.co.za. http://www.shipwreck.co.za/jwagner.html. Retrieved 22 March 2013. 
  15. ↑ Gribble, John (2006). "The Sad Case of the ss Maori". Heritage at Risk Special Edition. International Council on Monuments and Sites. pp. 41–43. http://www.international.icomos.org/risk/2006/fulldocan.pdf#page=67. 
  16. ↑ Baakens, Hugh. "Highs and lows of a once proud vessel". The Herald Online. Archived from the original on 2 December 2002. http://web.archive.org/web/20021202113624/http://www.theherald.co.za/colarc/hughb/hb240602.htm. 
  17. ↑ Wessels, André. "Flag-Showing Cruises By South African Warships, 1922–2002". South African Navy. http://www.navy.mil.za/aboutus/history/ambassadors.htm. Retrieved 22 March 2013. 
  18. ↑ "Wild Coast seas break stricken ship's back". IOL News. 24 July 2002. http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/wild-coast-seas-break-stricken-ship-s-back-1.90329. 
  19. ↑ The United Service Magazine (Part 2). H. Colburn. 1847. p. 337. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C6sktnjjNBIC&pg=PA587. 
  20. ↑ Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. 
  21. ↑ Mitchell, Peter (4 July 2007). "Thomas T. Tucker". Submerged. http://www.submerged.co.uk/tucker.php. 

External links[]

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