# S A Seafarer



## Robert (Jun 18, 2005)

A recent Feature in this months sea breezes made me search through
my collection of photo,s. i have this post card of the ill fated S A Seafarer on the reef at Mouille point Cape Town


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I was RO on one of their fruit reefers due into Cape Town a couple of days later. I was grateful to Table Bay Radio, the harbour station, who told our Capt all about it. Just 'got it wrong' apparently.

The crew were lifeted off by helicopter. The RO of the Seafarer told me that they were allowed back on board later to collect personal things. His expensive audio equipment had gone !!

David
+


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## 5TT (May 3, 2008)

Just behind that light house now stands a luxury apartment block on the Beach Road but up until a few years ago the building was office space, and the company I work for was based there taking up all of the 1st floor. It certainly was wonderful to be able to peer over my computer screen and see that view every day. At low tide you can still see a few bits and pieces from the wreck.
I spent my entire career as R/O with Safmarine but only once came across anybody who was on board at the time of the accident and his story was pretty much the same .. just "got it wrong" as David says.

= Adrian +


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## DHThomas (Dec 18, 2020)

I was 3rd mate in the Transporter, a few hours astern of her from PE, arrived early the morning after the stranding. I knew one of the cadets (name slipped...) who was on the bridge at the time. Big farewell party went on into small hours after pilot advised could not board until daylight, and master, Ian Branch, instead of going back out to sea to wait took the ship in to see the bright lights of Cape Town. People on the bridge partying and cadet saw outfall end pass down port side, reported to 2/O, who said they knew, and just afterwards the ship went hard aground at full sea speed under Green Point light. I have two slides of the wreck later the same day, already in two pieces. I heard that Ian Branch tried to prove he'd hit an uncharted rock, but it had been on the charts for centuries, labelled 'South Africa' or its earlier names. I gather poor Branch ended up in some sort of institution, though I can't verify that. 
Dave.


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