A largely unknown fact about Paternoster is that it is home to at least 5 shipwrecks: Paternoster has been the scene of a number of shipwrecks over the years. In 1876 the iron steam troopship SS Saint Lawrence was wrecked on Great Paternoster Point. She was bound for Cape Town and was carrying the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Buffs. Luckily no lives were lost when she ran agound. Other ships to founder in this region were: the Portuguese twin-screw mail-steamer SS Lisboa (1910), SS Haddon Hall (1913), SS Malmesbury (1930) and the SS Haleric which sank off Cape St Martin (1932). According to local folklore the SS Lisboa was carrying barrels of red wine which washed up on the shore after the ship sank. The locals apparently buried some of them and dug them up after the customs men left the town. Cape Columbine a majestic headland near to Paternoster got its name after the British wooden snow ‘Columbine’ was wrecked there in 1829. Because of the many shipwrecks that occurred along the coastline it was agreed that a lighthouse should be built in the area.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 14:01:45 +0000