Flotsam

The "SS Lusitania" was a Portuguese twin-screw liner of 5557 tons, built in 1906 by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co, and owned by Empreza Nacional De Navegacao, of Lisbon. The ship was wrecked on Bellows Rock off Cape Point at 24h00 on 18 April 1911 in fog while on a voyage from Lourenco Marques (now Maputo) with 25 first-class, 57 second-class,121 third-class passengers, and 475 African labourers. Out of the 800 people on board, eight died when a life boat capsized.

That is, 102 years ago today


This rope-handled bucket, probably a Fire Bucket was found on the rocks at Muizenberg, not far from Cape Point by my wife's grandparents.

The SS Lusitania should not be confused with its more famous counterpart, the RMS Lusitania torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat in 1915, with heavy loss of life and very serious consequences.