Nieuw Haerlem, Table Bay, Cape Town, 25 March 1647
The wreck of this ship was to have one far-reaching consequence. The survivors sent such a favourable report of Table Bay to the Dutch authorities that it led them to establish a permanent settlement at the Cape in 1652.

De Jonge Thomas, Table Bay, Cape Town, 1 June 1773
A pensioned soldier, Wolraad Woltemade, won fame by riding his horse between Woodstock Beach and the storm-wrecked ship, saving 14 sailors before he and his horse were dragged under.

SAS President Kruger, Cape Point, Western Cape, 18 February 1982
A night exercise ended in tragedy when the 2800-ton antisubmarine frigate crossed bows with replenishment vessel SAS Tafelberg, specially reinforced for ice breaking, and 16 men lost their lives.

HMS Sybille, Lambert?s Bay, Western Cape, 16 January 1902
This 3 400-ton cruiser fought the only naval battle of the Anglo-Boer war when it exchanged fire with Hertzog's commando near Lambert's Bay. While anchored, the ship struck a rock 300m from the beach and was lost.

HMS Birkenhead, Danger Point, near Gansbaai, Western Cape, 26 February 1852
The sinking of this ship was the first occasion on which women and children were taken to safety first, a procedure which has since become a nautical standard.

HMS Arniston, Arniston, Western Cape, 1815
Sailing from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to England, the Master mistook a bluff for Cape Point and headed north, hitting a reef. Of the 378 mainly military invalids only six survived. The ship's name lives on in the nearby village.

Sao Gonzales, Plettenberg Bay, Western Cape, 1630
Anchored in Plettenberg Bay for repairs, this Portuguese vessel was blown ashore and wrecked. The survivors built a shelter, making Plett the site of South Africa's first European settlement.

Dodington, Bird Island, Eastern Cape, July 1775
When the Dodington sank, only 23 passengers were saved. The treasure, which included the fortune of Robert Clive (of India) and silver bullion, was the first aboard an English East Indiaman to be salvaged and recorded, in the 1970s.

Sao Joao, Mzimvubu River Mouth, Eastern Cape, 25 May 1552
Some 320 Portuguese survivors set out to walk 500km to Delagoa Bay, but only 25 made it, losing their clothes to locals en route. Among the dead was Dona Leonor de Sousa, who preferred death to nudity and buried herself alive.

Oceanos, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape, August 1991
Abandoned by most of the crew, all the passengers (220) and remaining crew were airlifted to safety by 16 airforce helicopters in a dramatic rescue operation. The ship sank 25 minutes later.