West Coast R27
Route 27
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West Coast History
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From Crayfish to Iron
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Weskus Stories |
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- Darling Airfield in World War II: What could the town of Darling and a grim struggle for survival several hundred kilometres off the South African coast have in common?
- Saldanha Bay Coasters and the wreck of the Nagel: The story of the Nagel and the other coasters is very much part of the broad and dramatic sweep of South African maritime history
- Early Activity on the Langebaan Lagoon: On the West Coast Historical Route!!
- The Lisboa wrecked on Soldiers Reef – Paternoster: On 23 October 1910, the Lisboa ran aground on Soldiers Reef near Paternoster. The wreck of the Lisboa is particularly interesting because it was the first occasion on the South African coast on which radio telegraphy was used to summon help by a ship in distress.
- West Coast Chronology: from 1601 - 1985
- The Grave in the Dunes: A gruesome discovery leads to a fascinating detective story about a forgotten West Coast ship wreck.
- Anglo Boer War (1899-1092) - The Hildebrand Monument: Darling, November 1901. This was the furthest that Boer forces penetrated South, and the closest military action to Cape Town of the War.
- The Saldanha Skull: The fragmented 'Saldanha' skull cap of an archaic Homo sapiens person was found in 1953 on an exposed surface between shifting sand dunes at Elandsfontein.
- The Guriqua - Forgotten People of the West Coast: Khoikhoi and San history and culture
- Verlorenvlei - The Forgotten Marsh of the Sandveld: Between K'Taaibos and Lamberts Bay the traveller experiences the beauty of the estuarine channel of the lost marsh of the Sandveld.
- West Coast Fossil Park: Start your West Coast adventure with a visit to the Fossil Park.
- Past Life at Langebaan: The West Coast has a charm and down to earth beauty of its own. However, five million years ago things were a lot different....
- A Walk With Eve - Langebaan Footprints: The heart-stopping instant of discovery...
- Old Whaling Photographs - West Coast
- "THAR SHE BLOWS!" From the moment that a half-way station at the Cape was mooted, The Council of Seventeen of the Dutch East India Company was aware of the presence of whales from the report of the survivors of the Nieuw Haerlem, wrecked 1647, who witnessed their presence.
- Simeon Cummings: Southern Naval Officer returns to Tennessee after 131 years
- The Wreck of the HMS Sybille - 1901: A Royal Navy loss during the South African War
- The Girl Who Fired in Anger - The Sue Labuschagne Story: Leading Seaman Sue Labuschagne pulled the lever and fired 16 tons of TNT at a German submarine...
- Cape Columbine: The last manned lighthouse built on the South African coast: Prior to the installation of the Cape Columbine lighthouse, the coastline was the burial ground of several ships.
- The Battle of Saldanha and the Loss of the Middelburg: In 1781, Holland became involved in the American War of Independence by joining France and Spain in declaring war on England. All Dutch shipping at the Cape - mainly richly laden East Indiamen en route to Holland - was ordered to remain together until a well protected convoy could be assembled to escort them home. But not everything went according to plan...
- Between a Rock and a Hard Place: January 1986 - Safely anchored after a Red Sea dismasting, the author thought his troubles were over - until he was confronted by a boatload of armed Ethiopians.
- Merestein Treasure Buys Saldanha Property: In 1702 the Merestein (or Meresteijn), was on an outward-bound journey from Holland with a large cargo of Spanish and Dutch coins...
Credits:
A special word of thanks to everyone who contributed information, articles and photographs -
Gabriel Athiros, Editor, "The Cape Odyssey"
L.R. Schoonraad, "The Cape Oddyssey"
Simon Baillie-Cooper, Lighthouses
John Gribble, Maritime Archaeologist, South African Heritage Resources Agency
Emile S Bezuidenhout, SAS Saldanha
Rob & Di Schaafsma, Slipway Restaurant, Saldanha Bay
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