Admirers of maritime marvels and lovers of dark adventure wreathed in an aura of terrifying tragedy ought to visit Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. Stretching from the Kunene River in the north to the Ugab River in the south, the coast is a melancholic epitaph to wrecked ships and lost lives.
Rocky waters, heavy surf, and thick fog caused by the upwelling of the cold Benguela current, are the culprits behind the countless shipwrecks on the formidable coast. This imposing landscape – referred to as “The Land God Made Angry” and “The Gates of Hell” – consists of sand dunes, canyons and mountain ranges, which doomed many a life in the past, but today draws visitors all year round.
The entire Namibian coastline was once referred to as the Skeleton Coast, but today it is just the northern section and is known as the Skeleton Coast National Park. The northern section of the park can only be reached via a fly-in safari, while the southern end is open to day visitors and traversable in 4×4 vehicles.
Despite the inhospitable landscape, it is home to a wide variety of fauna such as elephants, black rhinos, lions, giraffes, springboks and hyenas, along with Benguela dolphins, orcas and humpback whales the in the water; while Cape fur seals and various birds find an abode within the rusting remains of the vessels.
More than a thousand shipwrecks linger on the coast, ghosts of their former selves. Many have been destroyed by sun, sea and wind; but several are still visible to this day. Little is known of these shipwrecks, their modest tales an eerie echo of the lives claimed by the Skeleton Coast.
Eduard Bohlen
Running aground in 1909 was the Eduard Bohlen, victim to a heavy fog. The wreck occurred at Conception Bay during its voyage from Swakopmund to Table Bay. The 2,272 gross ton cargo ship, measuring 95 metres in length, continues to erode in the rays of the beating sun, partially buried in sand.
Dunedin Star
In 1942 the Dunedin Star left Liverpool. The ship carried munitions and supplies for the Allied Forces, as well as 21 passengers seeking to escape war-torn London. But it was an ill-fated journey, with the ship hitting an underwater obstacle and running aground on the desolate coast. Attempts were made to rescue the stranded crew and passengers, but were dogged by ill fortune.
A tug boat, named Sir Charles Elliot, was sent to the rescue, but also ran aground. A Ventura bomber armed with supplies crashed into the sea, although not before the goods had been delivered. In 1951 some of the cargo was salvaged, but much remains visible to this day, along with the tugboat, the warplane and even a crouching skeleton.
Suiderkus
In 1976 the Suiderkus, a South African trawler, set out on its maiden voyage. The ship’s modern navigation equipment was no match for the treacherous waters and ran aground on the rocks at Möwe Bay.
During one of the coast’s infamous squalls, the hull of the wreck was flung high onto the beach, turning it into a home for cormorants.
There is a tiny museum at Möwe Bay filled with bones, human skulls, life vests from Japanese whalers, the figurehead of a galleon, brass cannons, rigging and numerous other remnants of wreckage.
Skeletons of the Coast
Notable wrecks include the fishing schooner Atlantic Pride, which lies between the Huab and Koichab Rivers. The Gethen was wrecked in 1954. It is located on Henties Bay at the North Dune area, and is visible during low tide. Remains were used by anglers for many months after the wreck took place.
Weighing in at 180 tonnes, the Winston was stranded in a thick fog in 1970. At times, one can still see the ship’s engine block. The Montrose saw its end in 1973 close to Terrace Bay.
The wreck of the South West Sea, a small vessel which ran aground in 1976, is signposted north of the Ugab River, and is one of the easier wrecks to reach.
The Luanda was shipwrecked north of Toscanini in 1969. A German fishing boat, The Islander, ran aground close to the Angolan border in 1973.
The Gertrud Woermann is no longer visible, bit its legend lives on. It was a German ship sailing on its second voyage to Swakopmund from Germany in 1904, when it was stranded. The ship could be seen until 1912, but violent storms extinguished the ruins. Today it is remembered only by a marker noting its former location.
Visiting the Skeleton Coast It is an ethereal yet exhilarating experience. The great power of nature to both sustain and destroy life, epitomised so vividly on the Skeleton Coast, will leave you humbled and enthralled, marking this as a journey you will always remember.
Feature image by Tscherno
