Heroic HMS Birkenhead Sinks 164 years ago and remains one of the greatest maritime disasters in South Africa's history.

The sinking of the Birkenhead remains one of the greatest maritime disasters in South Africa's history.

But what it is chiefly remembered for is that every one of the seven women and thirteen children aboard survived the wreck owing to the gallantry and discipline of the men on board. The soldiers of the British Army regiments, and the sailors and marines under Captain Robert Salmond, jeopardised their own chances of survival by putting the 'women and children first' in a gesture immortalised by Rudyard Kipling as 'Birkenhead Drill'. (read the poem)

This disaster started the protocol of "women and children first!", which became a standard evacuation procedure in maritime disasters. Similarly, "Birkenhead Drill" carried out by the soldiers became the epitome of courageous behaviour in hopeless circumstances.

Shipwreck:
The story of the Birkenhead begins at the Port of Cork in Ireland in January 1852. There she embarked 479 soldiers from a variety of regiments who were bound for the Eastern Cape to reinforce the British troops fighting in the 8th Frontier War. A number of military and naval officers, more than fifty women and children and a crew of 125 brought the ship's complement to about 693. All these were crammed into an iron hull less than 64 metres long and a little more than eleven metres wide - about the width of a tennis court....

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Birkenhead Horses
Various sources mention that between 9 and 30 horses boarded the Birkenhead at Simon’s Bay. The conclusion drawn by diligent researchers, however, is that there were no more than nine horses on board – belonging to military officers, Wright, Bond-Shelton, Seton, Dr. Laing and Booth. They concluded that the Birkenhead was too small to safely accommodate and convey more than this number of horses along with the bales of hay needed for the voyage.   read full story

Hermanus Blog, a very special seaside town in South Africa

Why do the whales move away from Walkerbay, Hermanus?

Do the whales move away because of Wi Fi?

I have a theory. Our whales do not return to Walkerbay because of the distress caused by Wi-Fi signals to the whales and new-born babies.

Southern Right Whales annually visit the Hermanus, Walkerbay area to mate and to calve. They will stay for about six months to nurse their young and then return to the krill enriched Antarctic waters.  During this time the baby whales will nurse on their mothers and learn communicating skills through typical whale behaviour; lob tailing, tail slapping, spy hopping and breaching.
However, the whales are now moving away or worse, not returning at all! In 2009 mother and calve pairs were observed from June up to mid-January.  The 2015 whale watching season has ended mid-November with after slow arrivals from July.  read more...

The world's last remaining wooden whaling ship (172 years old) has sailed again to save the whales.

The world's last remaining wooden whaling ship has sailed again.  Built in 1841, retired 80 years later, and kept on display since then, the Charles W. Morgan set sail in July in the waters off Cape Cod.  Once it roamed the seas to harvest whales. After more than five years of restoration, the majestic sailing ship is now used as a tool at Mystic Seaport to educate the public about preserving and protecting whales.

This summer the whale ship is plying New England waters after an extensive five-year restoration at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. The ship is bringing a public exhibit on America's whaling history to ports between New London, Connecticut, and Boston. The Morgan, a National Historic Landmark, is the second oldest ship in America after the U.S.S. Constitution, a warship built in 1797.  Click to read the full blog | article

What do we know about Loggerhead turtles?

To see these magnificent creatures make their way up the beach, dig a hole with their flippers, lay their eggs, carefully cover up their nest, camouflage the site and return to the ocean is a rare and special experience, especially in view of the fact that the loggerhead is listed as vulnerable and the leatherback listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.

The loggerhead sea turtle is the world's largest hard-shelled turtle. Adults have an average weight range of 80 to 200 kg (180 to 440 lb) and a length range of 70 to 95 cm (28 to 37 in). The head of the loggerhead is large and square. The shell is dark to yellow-brown and tapers to the rear with a row of five large plates on either side of the central plates. The shell plates on the loggerhead turtle do not overlap. The most obvious difference being the adult males have thicker tails and shorter plastrons than the females. The loggerhead reaches sexual maturity within 17–33 years and has a lifespan of 47–67 years.  Click to read the full blog