The wreck of the Lusitania lies in 37m of water and the visibility is 2-15m. Water temperature is a cold 7-14o


built in Middlesbrough, England some five years earlier. According to Malcolm Turner in his book Shipwrecks & Salvage, the Lusitania had leſt Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) with 25 first-class, 57 second-class and 121 third-class passengers as well as 475 black labourers, but only eight people died when the boat capsized. Michael Walker, however, in


F


his book Shipwrecks of the Far South, writes that only three people died – the 3rd officer drowned during the lowering of the first lifeboat and two others drowned when their boat overturned near the shore. How is it possible that this


Lusitania ended up on Bellows Rock of Cape Point? Te Cape Point light was seen by Captain Favia and he set a course which would take the Lusitania well past the Point. Ten Cape Point’s notorious mist came up, obscuring the light. When the light was eventually seen again the Lusitania was much closer to land then the Captain wanted to be and he realised that a very strong current was running. Te wheel was put over to port, but it was to late – the Lusitania parked herself on Bellow’s Rock.


Tere was some panic on


board, but order was restored very soon. Te lighthouse keeper at Cape Point alerted Simon’s Town and a rescue operation got underway. By mid-morning the following day all the passengers and crew had been transfered to the tug Scotsman and H.M.S. Forte. She also took all the mail and saved the Lusitania’s cat, which they kept.


35


our years earlier, on April 11, 1911, another Lusitania met a violent end. She was a Portugese liner of 5 557 tons


C Two days aſter grounding on


Bellow’s Rock the Lusitania slid off the rock and sank in deep water. Did any good come out of the wrecking of the Lusitania? Yes, the old lighthouse was 251m above sea level and this was the reason why the light was very oſten concealed by clouds and mist. Tree years aſter the Lusitania disaster the cornerstone for a new lighthouse was laid – this one was only 88m above sea level. It cannot be seen as far as the old light, but it is not very oſten concealed. In 1991 it was the most powerful light on the South African coast. Te wreck of the Lusitania lies


in 37m of water and the visibility is 2-15m. Water temperature is a cold 7-14ºC. Te best way of geting to the wreck is by boat from Hout Bay or inflatable from Kommetjie or Miller’s Point. For more information on the shipwrecks of South Africa, visit www.sashipwrecks.com


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