It is early morning, and the blinding fog creates an eerie feeling. The outlines of what used to be a ship is just visible. In my mind’s eye, I imagine sailors walking through the desert in search of food and water. Trapped between the Atlantic Ocean and central plains, lies the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.
North of Henties Bay, lies the entrance gate to the Skeleton Coast. Visitors are welcomed by the skeleton of a whale and as one passes the gate; a chill runs down your spine. The flat beaches of Swakopmund give way to rugged formations and rocky shorelines. This desolate landscape is astonishing. The name in itself is loaded with danger and mystery, summarizing this area very well. Early Portuguese sailors referred to it as the “The Gates of Hell”. The Skeleton Coast as taken many ships and their sailors hostage due to the thick fog, strong currents and submerged sandbanks.
Photo credits: Janke Murray
Not only did over a thousand ships meet their end here, but the bones of whalers and seals are found here. The weather conditions in this area contribute to the name, the Skeleton Coast. The dense fog rolls in from the cold Benguela Current that meets the hot desert air and dooms many ships to their fate. If it is not the cold mist that wraps it arms around you, the scorching sun is merciless, evaporating every drop of moisture. The strong winds bring sand from the inland, sandblasting everything and even flattening tents of those who dare to visit.
Despite, the harsh conditions the Skeleton Coast is a popular destination in December, when the weather is at its best, for campers and fishermen. Some of the well-known shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast include, Gertrud Woermann II, a cargo ship of the Woermann Line, the Eduard Bohlen also one of the Woermann Line, which lost its way in the thick fog and is one of the most photographed shipwrecks in Namibia. The Suiderkus, owned by Angra Pequena Fish Corporation, was a modern factory ship that ran aground near Möwe Bay in January 1977. A large portion of the hull is still visible today.
Photo credits: Janke Murray
One of the most famous shipwrecks is that of the Dunedin Star. This ship was a British refrigerated cargo passenger liner that shipped frozen meat from Australia and New Zealand. She stranded in November 1942 with 106 passengers and crew on board. Various rescue attempts were undertaken, but the Skeleton Coast offers no mercy and each attempt was not without its consequences. With the help of the 197 GRT minesweeper HMSAS Nerine and the Norwegian cargo ship, Temeraire they managed to rescue a few of the survivors. With the tug Sir Charles Elliott Lockheed and the Ventura from the Cape of Good Hope they tried delivering supplies. However, the tug’s two crew members were killed as it ran aground.
Later on, a land rescue convoy led by Captain Smith of the South African Police set out to rescue the survivors. The rescue operation for the Dunedin Star was definitely not easy, but fortunately with little fatalities. The Skeleton Coast is not for the faint hearted, but for those who seek something beyond the ordinary this is the ideal destination to visit. The power of nature is untamed here and the wind carries the stories of the rusted wrecks as the sun sets over the Atlantic Ocean.
Author: Janke Murray