Ship Wreck

[Michael Alexander]

I just heard that Dr.Nolie will be doing a presentation, in the school audiotorium on wednesday the 14th May at 19h00. All about the wreck. Unfortunately, I already have other plans and will not be able to attend.... can somebody take a camera with and take photo's pplease.... contact me if you can.,... thanks

Mike

[Michael Alexander]

ATT: SMITTIE of the Observer, that arial photo that was published on this weekend 's Observer, is not the wreck...

[Adriaan Van Rooyen]

Does he really think that a wreck of about 500 years old will look that good... :bling1Man: someone got their facts mixed op pretty good ....

[Alexandre]

Way to GO Alexandre' ..... a name out of the mists....... This is getting interesting, do the Archives give the names of the crew? How many etc.....?

Thye might, although this would need a major investment (in time) digging through all that paper trail.. let's wait for a more closely defined date for the loss (we will need to go thorugh each coin and find the latest one) before I loose 6 months in a musty and dusty room... :)

[Alexandre]

Survivors from such an early wreck did not have much chance of survival. They probably knew that they did not have much of a chance to get a lift back to Portugal if they walked south - and that their only chance would be going north hoping to make contact with Portuguese west african traders. But this was so early and I do not think the Portuguese were active in Angola in the mid 1500's - Alexandre? . Thus, if they did not know about the river and went south they would have walked north, right into disaster.

Well, Paul, the first travels to the N'gola kingdom were done by Baltasar de Castro and Manuel Pacheco, in 1520, on orders by King Manuel I - it appears he thought that there were silver mines in the hinterland, after he received two silver bracelets as a gift from the King of Congo... anyhow, it wasn't until the 1570's that the place was populated by Portuguese.

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

All this waiting........  I know why I will never fit in a job where months or even years may go by before I have an answer :  I am a bloody impatient WOMAN!

Why did I ever start reading this topic?  I have the same problem when I read an interesting book -  can't put the book down till the final . on the last page!  Sometimes read straight through the night - never sleep, eyes sore, head fuzzy, ....

Another question  -  why are they flooding the site where the wreck is?  Is the sea water not bad for the conservation of the wreck?  Throughout all Paul's & Alexandre's posts I have read - and have also seen on Discovery Channel - that artifacts has to be put in fresh water.....

[Alexandre]

Another question  -  why are they flooding the site where the wreck is?  Is the sea water not bad for the conservation of the wreck?  Throughout all Paul's & Alexandre's posts I have read - and have also seen on Discovery Channel - that artifacts has to be put in fresh water.....

As a matter of fact, its is the water and the SALT contents that do matter in this issue. Adding fresh water might prevent dessication, crinkling and the overall turn-the artfect-into-dust processes but can have a darker side to it - the sudden and abnormal salt transfer from inside the artefact matriz: this can also ruin the artfact. So, generally, one say that the best place to leave an artefact from a wreck is in the exact place and condition that it was - after all, if after 400 years an equilibrium was reached, then excavating it and removing it will expedite it's degradation process.

[Alexandre]

People, I need your help in locating the following places in the coast line of Namibia (between Luderitz and maybe SA?):

Elizabeth Bay (golfo de Santo Estêvão)

Prince of Wales Bay/Jammer Butch Bay (Terra de São Silvestre)

[Jeremy Dixon]

Elizabeth Bay is South of Luderitz here are the co-ordinates  26°54'40.29"S     15°12'28.46"E   , Namdeb do minig there now here is a photo.

Prince of wales bay could be Walvis Baain here are the co-ordinates 22°56'46.45"S      14°30'8.08"E  and a photo.

[Michael Alexander]

Just been informed that the proposed presentation, tonight in the School Audiotorium has been cancelled. I have yet to hear why.

[Alexandre]

Elizabeth Bay is South of Luderitz here are the co-ordinates  26°54'40.29"S     15°12'28.46"E   , Namdeb do minig there now here is a photo.

Prince of wales bay could be Walvis Baain here are the co-ordinates 22°56'46.45"S      14°30'8.08"E  and a photo.

Is Walvis Baain near the mouth of a river...? It has to have a river.

[Jeremy Dixon]

The Swakop river is +- 30km North of walvisbaai but I dont think it is perennial

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

Just my 10cents worth, I'm no boffin on this stuff but I do know that Walvs Bay was known as The Prince of Wales Bay.

[Alexandre]

Prince of Wales Bay/Jammer Butch Bay was the name given by the British/Dutch to Terra de São Silvestre - a place, near the mouth of a river, first surveyed in the 15th century by the Portuguese. It was located somewhere between Elizabeth bay and the Olyphant river (in South Africa). I am suspecting it could be Oranjemund... or not?

[Alfred Boehme]

Clanwilliam dam is on the Oliphants river or am I wrong