Ship Wreck

[Michael Alexander]

     

[Scouter Bob]

Hi All:
I've been 'lurking' and following your coverage of the shipwreck. Yours has been the most complete record anywhere. The pictures and expert opinion have been great!
I decided yo sign up in order to tell you that I just received my National Georaphic magazine with the following article...
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/10/shipwreck/smith-text/2
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/10/shipwreck/toensing-photography

Great to see some of your posters quoted.

The National Geographic article is pretty superficial so I'll be watching here for more detailed updates.

Keep up the good work!!!

Regards from Canada,
Bob Edwards

[Bertie Horak]

Hi Bob, welcome to the Oranjemund family!  Thanks to Mike who created this baby (site), and all the info he gathered through the Oranjemund family and friends.
Thanx for the link to the article, will definitely check it out.

[Michael Alexander]

Yes! Bob, got your email this morning, was gonna reply.....thanks for informing us about the link. We hope to have more info at a later stage about the wreck museum that has to be built..... watch this space.....

[Michael Alexander]

From Today;s Republikein"

"Skatskip onthul geheime
DIE eerste Europeërs wat hulle in Namibië gevestig het, was waarskynlik nie Duitse sendelinge nie, maar sowat 300 Portugese matrose wat in 1533 'n ramp op see naby Oranjemund oorleef het.

Die moontlikheid dat die bemanning van die Portugese handelsvaartuig, die São João (Bom Jesus), opgeneem is in die San-gemeenskappe van die Suide nadat hul skip vergaan het, is deel van 'n spesiale verslag oor die Oranjemund skatskip wat in die Oktober 2009 uitgawe van die gesaghebbende National Geographic Magazine verskyn.

In dié berig deur Roff Smith word ook bevestig dat die 500 jaar oue skeepswrak met sy waardevolle vrag van goud, silwer, koper en ivoor wat verlede jaar in die Sperrgebiet ontdek is, wel die São João (Bom Jesus) van kaptein Dom Francisco de Noronha is.

National Geographic haal die Portugese geskiedkundige en mariene argeoloog, dr. Alexandre Monteiro, aan wat sedert sy besoeke verlede jaar aan Namibië met uitgebreide navorsing besig is oor die skeepswrak.

Die skeepswrak is op 1 April verlede jaar in die myngebied ontdek en word as die waardevolste, oudste en rykste vonds uit die era van die Portugese ontdekkingsvaarte aan die kus van Afrika beskou.

'n Internasionale herwinningspan het sowat 2 500 goue, silwer en koper Portugese en Spaanse muntstukke van meer as 23 kilogram op die toneel gevind. Die São João het ook altesaam 2 288 koperballe van 17 ton, 523 tin-blokke van ses ton, 600 kilogram lood en 5,3 ton yster aan boord gehad toe dit gesink het.

Onder die wapentuig wat herwin is, tel 14 swaardlemme, 14 kanonlope, wat saam vyf ton weeg, en 39 kanonkoeëls. Elf stukke navigasietoerusting en 105 olifanttande van meer as twee ton, is ook gevind saam met 'n groot verskeidenheid eetgerei en persoonlike besittings van die bemanning wat mediese toerusting en klerasie insluit.

Die identifisering van die skeepswrak is volgens National Geographic aansienlik bemoeilik nadat 'n aardbewing, tsoenami en brand in November 1755 die Casa da India, die gebou in Lissabon waar alle kaarte en skeepsvaartrekords gehuisves was, verwoes het.

Volgens dr. Monteiro moes hy staatmaak op nuusbrokkies oor die vroeë geskiedenis wat wydverspreid in verskeie biblioteke en argiewe te vinde is. Een daarvan is die Relaçŏes das Armadas oor die Portugese ontdekkingsvaarte.

Tussen 1525 en 1600 het altesaam 21 Portugese skepe onderweg na Indië vergaan. Die berig haal ook 'n brief aan wat 13 Februarie 1533 gedateer is oor koning Joao van Portugal se ooreenkoms met 'n Spaanse konsortium van sakemanne om die 1533-vloot te finansier.

Dié vloot het Lissabon op 7 Maart 1533 verlaat onderweg na Indië, maar is kort ná hul vertrek in 'n storm uitmekaar gedryf en die Bom Jesus het iewers aan die Kaapse kus vergaan.

Indien die skip hom steeds in 'n storm op see bevind het toe dit sowat 100 meter van die Namibiese kuslyn af teen rotse gebots het, sou niemand die ramp oorleef het nie. Indien die storm egter uitgewoed het en die skip koersloos op die see gedobber het tot by sy laaste rusplek, sou die volle bemanning van 300 oorleef het. Argeoloë is dit nou egter eens, luidens die berig, dat die meeste van die bemanning, indien nie almal nie, wel oorleef het.

Met vars water uit die Oranjerivier baie naby en voldoende seekos beskikbaar, glo hierdie mense dat die bemanning die elemente sou kon trotseer.

In daardie jare het groepe boesmans uit die binneland gedurende die wintermaande gereeld die kuslyn besoek op soek na kos en die moontlikheid bestaan selfs dat die oorlewendes hulle by hierdie groepe aangesluit het.

"'n Fris Portugese heer kon ewenwel beskou word as 'n aantreklike toekomstige skoonseun," lui die National Geographic berig. "

I guess a different take on the tale from Christo......

LINK:http://www.republikein.com.na/politiek-en-nasionale/skatskip-onthul-geheime.94258.php

[Clive Symes]

Mike this makes good reading, has anyone thought of tracking down decendants of the sailors in Portugal and say Spain. Because they could check their DNA with that on the local San communities in Namibia and see if there were any match / markers to indicate that the sailers actually survived and were taken up in these tribes.
Just a question but the answers would be interesting & could be very revealing ?

[Michael Alexander]

That would be very interesting to find out..... however when I spoke to a few of the Portuguese marine archaeologists about this part of the story, they all reckoned in all probability they shipwrecked folk would have walked NOrth towards Angola, where they knew they would find other Portuguese folk.... but then if they knew the Orange river was the only water source along the coast............ one never knows....

[Michael Alexander]

In todays Namibian Newspaper, an article relating to the National Geographic article.....

LINK: http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2009/october/article/diamond-coast-shipwreck-gets-spot-in-national-geographic/

You read it here first , about 2 weeks back......

[Scouter Bob]

Hi all:
Anything new happening regarding the wreck?
Regards,
Bob Edwards

[Michael Alexander]

Hi Scouter Bob, nope all is quite on our wreck, what I did hear yesterday from a prominent politician was that the idea of using an old workshop up at Uubvley ( A huge mining workshop complex about 40km north of Oranjemund) .. as a temporary musuem..... I wonder what happened to all the promises that the other prominent politicians told us about....? Germans wanting to build a state of the art palce and all....

[Scouter Bob]

Hi Again:
I'm still trying to follow ship wreck news but everything has gone dark.
Is there anything in scholarly journals.

Alexandre... if you're still interested, surely there is some study of this amazing historical resource.

Regards,
Bob Edwards

[Michael Alexander]

This link is to a pdf document, it is by far the most comprehensive document that I have read so far on the shipwreck and well worth the download.....


LINK: http://www.igespar.pt/media/uploads/dans/TheOranjemundShipwreck.pdf