A couple of hundred meters down the Sacramento Trail from the Schoenmakerskop side you will find a monument marking the site where the Portuguese gallion Sacramento ran aground on 30 June 1647. 72 survivors set out to walk the 1350 km to the closest port which was in Mozambique. Of the original 72, only nine arrived in Delagoa Bay on 5 January 1648 and of the nine only four made it back to Portugal alive. The wreck site is also pointed out by one of the ships original brass canons which was salvaged from the site and points towards it from Schoenmakerskop.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Sacramento wreck monument
A couple of hundred meters down the Sacramento Trail from the Schoenmakerskop side you will find a monument marking the site where the Portuguese gallion Sacramento ran aground on 30 June 1647. 72 survivors set out to walk the 1350 km to the closest port which was in Mozambique. Of the original 72, only nine arrived in Delagoa Bay on 5 January 1648 and of the nine only four made it back to Portugal alive. The wreck site is also pointed out by one of the ships original brass canons which was salvaged from the site and points towards it from Schoenmakerskop.
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Wow. What a devastating disaster. That would make an incredible film actually. This is a beautiful photo - I guess that is what passes for winter down there?
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jonker. Now I know about the Sacramento. Seems the ZA coast is peppered with wrecks. Wonder if the California state capital comes from a Portuguese origin. The story would make a great film.
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