An entry fee to the grounds applies, where you can take a self-guided audio tour (well worth doing), to learn about the interesting history of the area including early settlement life and tragic shipwrecks. There are also reports in the local papers of ships passing floating wreckage 500 miles SW of Cape Leeuwin in the weeks leading up to it washing ashore at Sugarloaf. Copyright 2023 Government of Western Australia. The ship and its crew somehow managed to reach home safely, but the vessel was no longer seaworthy and had to be scuttled. U.S. Navy Gunboat sunk on June 21, 1918, when it collided with SS Florida, U.S. Navy Virginia-class battleship sunk on September 5, 1923, during aerial bombing tests. The old lighthouse, still in use, is open daily for tours. Heritage Victoria - Shipwreck List as of 03/03/2023 - 777 shipwrecks in total Name Location SS VICKY . The ship ran aground with such force that it skidded a few meters up the beach. The harbour was crowded with all types of Allied shipping which were subjected to a heavy bombing attack. Copyright 2023. more sailors in this way; assuming each horse only swam once to the shore. Milnerton lagoon, where its become a familiar fixture for the locals. 1921 tanker sunk by U-124 on March 19, 1942. United States Life Saving Service men dragged a whaleboat from the bay across the Cape to the outer beach and rescued all aboard. A second attempt to work on the light brought about a repetition of the strafing and not until the Allied Forces were contacted and convinced that the shore party was quite friendly was the work able to be completed. Whilst in harbour in the Leyte area the Leeuwin had perhaps her narrowest escape. On the night of November 20, 1872, Captain Cotton in Whittaker, with a cargo of coal, was headed from Hoboken, NJ, to Boston, MA, and went ashore on Hedgefence. Survivors later testified that they had never seen embarkations let alone evacuations carried out with such composure. Around a year later, supply ships bound for the Portuguese base at East Africa (now Mozambique) stopped off at the wreck site to look for survivors. The wreck has been gradually sinking into the ocean since 1994; but the crane and a rusted portion of the ship still loom above the rocky coastline. The story The Antipolis was one of two ships (the other being the Romelia) bound for the scrap heap in Taiwan. Date of the wreck 1815 A shore base and a ship of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMASLeeuwin after the cape. Life on the Line Podcasts We recognise and acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional owners of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. cape leeuwin shipwrecks Call us today! was scuttled, but the remains are still visible above the surface. and on arrival no definite advice was to hand indicating that the island was actually in Allied hands. Ten years later, Matthew Flinders began his survey of the South coast of New Holland from Cape Leeuwin in 1801 when he named it. Augusta is the home of the famous Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, a tall lighthouse built from . The National Park Service preserves some of the large timbers from the wreck. It was seen from the masthead at five; and the highest part, the same which had been set in the evening, bore N. 12 W. This is the largest of the before-mentioned Isles of St Alouarn; but at half past seven we saw hills extending from behind, and, to all appearance, joining it to the mainland. was en route to Algoa Bay, carrying British troops and some civilians, when it struck a submerged rock off Danger Point. The lighthouse remains the tallest in mainland Australia, leaving no doubt to the significant navigational risk that the area posed and continues to pose to passing vessels. They called it "Doogalup".[5]. The Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association honours the traditional owners of this land, the Wadandi (Saltwater) people, and their elders past, present and emerging. U- 701 Merchant Marine in World War II. and getting the cable stuck under the tug boats hull. 1921 oil tanker sunk by U-124 on March 18, 1942. Entry to Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park is free. lighthousesCape Leeuwin Lighthouse Primary Student Pack, Years 5-6 Out of the classroom and into the wild with stories of settlers, shipwrecks, whaling and wood, along one of the most dangerous stretches of coastline in the Southern Hemisphere. Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias named it Cabo das Tormentas, the Cape of Storms, having experienced its ferocity first-hand. Check out this footage of Chris Rogers (from GoPro Adventurers) and his crew swinging from the BOS 400 shipwreck. The ribs of the ship are stored in Plymouth at Pilgrim Hall. The Leeuwin was very lightly armed, mainly antiaircraft, but with her crew at action stations and after what seemed to be an eternity, the vessel was identified as an American. The captain got off the next day, having ordered the vessel lightened in which the crew disposed of 20 tons of cargo along with some coal. This photograph is likely from 1891, as two pieces of information are written on the picture. [3], Cape Leeuwin is considered one of the three "great capes" of the world.[4]. The owners figured they could save some money by building a vessel that had the majority of its hull hidden below the waterline (ships passing through the Suez Canal were taxed according to the breadth of their beam). The officers and crew, numbering over 400, were escorted to Boston. This image (Figure 9) is a photograph of the beached Whittaker and its three-windowed white building, which dominates the abandoned brigs deck. Cape Leeuwin /luwn/ is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia. The townspeople would turn out on the beach, but usually the surf was too high for them to attempt a rescue. Before long the sparse coastal vegetation makes way to bare rock. U- 352 German U-boat sunk by USS Icarus on May 9, 1942. You can call for information at +61 8 9757 7411. After sailing in later military campaigns, an intense storm drove the Somerset onto the shallow Peaked Hill Bars on November 2, 1778. To speak to a park ranger, call 508-255-3421 for visitor information. Where Cape Point Nature Reserve Luckily for Soares, he was not aboard the particular ship that sank, but it was one of 13 under his command, and one of two that he sent ahead to scout as his fleet sailed past Cape St Blaize on a return voyage from India. Located on headland of the cape is the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and the buildings that were used by the lighthouse keepers. , and some are on loan to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in Washington DC. Site plans are archaeological drawings created from data collected during an expedition to a shipwreck site. Location of the wreck Around 100 metres from the shore at Clifton, in a particularly turbulent spot that divers compared to swimming in a washing machine. Around a year later, supply ships bound for the Portuguese base at East Africa (now Mozambique) stopped off at the wreck site to look for survivors. A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. Continuing on, only 4 kms of rain-lashed bitumen separates me from the Leeuwin lighthouse that stands sentinel at the tip of the cape. The result is an amazing collection of 78 merchant tankers and freighters, eight Allied warships, and four German U-boats resting on the seabed as a memorial to this history and to the sacrifice of Allied servicemen and the U.S. It was constructed in 1895 by John Wishart and Maurice Davies and was the 11th . Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 31 h 38 min to complete. For these measures to be fully effective it was necessary for the Cape Leeuwin to operate close to the scene of activities, mostly unescorted. A handful of survivors managed to make their way to the shore, where they sought shelter in a nearby cave, living off whatever supplies happened to wash up on the beach. Floaters were what locals called the homes people from Long Point shipped across the harbor on scows and fit into town. Despite the vast distance between them, the three great capes are all connected by a conveyor belt of relentless westerly wind that circumnavigates the Roaring Forties latitudes beneath them. Consider travelling with a personal location beacon (PLB). Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse: Striking scenery with stories of keeper's lives and shipwrecks - See 1,625 traveller reviews, 1,412 candid photos, and great deals for Augusta, Australia, at Tripadvisor. In 1882, Whittaker is depicted in the Birds Eye View of the Town of Provincetown with a white structure with an angled roof built on the deck. 541-301-8460 cape leeuwin shipwrecks Licensed and Insured cape leeuwin shipwrecks Serving Medford, Jacksonville and beyond! You can review our. JMC675c-Commodore II:Iziko Museums of South Africa. 1921 tanker sunk by U-701 on June 28, 1942. ex-USS Cythera sunk by U-402 on May 2, 1942. Cape Leeuwin was named by Flinders in 1801 after the Dutch exploration ship the Leeuwin (meaning lioness), that visited the area in 1622. 1897 cargo ship sunk by U-552 on April 7, 1942. Where Arniston The hillside to the west of the lighthouse, and the land nearby is now part of Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park. At Manila, after having done considerable work in a bomb-damaged building erecting a navigation aid, the work party was stopped on leaving by a surprised Allied Military Policeman. The officers and crew, numbering over 400, were escorted to Boston. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. The wreck was found by Tom Snider in 1957 at 3425.33S 11508.24E. Contents After some delay a party proceeded ashore and the job of restoring the light began. The first recorded wreck was the Sparrow-Hawk which ran aground at Orleans in 1626. Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias named it, , the Cape of Storms, having experienced its ferocity first-hand. The Union's first Civil War ironclad lost in a gale on December 31, 1862. The story Seventeen years after Bartolomeu Dias became the first European explorer to round the Cape, fleet commander Lopo Soares de Albergaria became the first to lose a ship in the Cape. Within five years, on December 9, 1876, Whittaker coal laden, for Boston, struck and became a total loss. It is a 45 minute drive south, along State Route 10, from Margaret River. During a 1945 voyage to South America and back, the ship was almost destroyed several times, even catching fire at one point. The Wreck of the Birkenhead by Charles Dixon. Built in 1895, Cape Leeuwin is the tallest. Address: Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Leeuwin Rd, Augusta WA 6290, Australia, Margaret River Map Timings: 09:00 am - 04:30 pm Details Phone: +61-897805911 Ticket Price: 8 AUD Time Required: 01:30 Hrs Tags: Light House, View Point, Family And Kids, Tower Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Margaret River Contribute/Review Ask a Question