"The Great Gale' - Effects of the late Storm in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope (1865)

                   

On Tuesday,16 May 1865, 28 ships were anchored in Table Bay, Cape Town: of these, seventeen were to be lost in the storm which was about to strike with shattering force. Contemporary news reports bring home to us the dramatic and tragic series of events, as well as the frustration and disbelief of those on shore who watched helplessly as vessels were driven ashore and crews and passengers drowned in the surf.