A battered hull rests on Mackerel Beach. This is the Clan Stewart a tragic tale etched in rust.
The Clan Stewart was not a grand galleon or a mighty warship. She was a humble cargo ship. Built in 1900 in Sunderland England she plied the seas carrying coal. Her design however was flawed. She lacked the stability to weather severe storms. Most of her hull was below the waterline a design intended to navigate the Suez Canal more easily.
Three versions exist of her final voyage. Some say she sailed from St Helena carrying coal to Wales. Others claim she was returning after a successful delivery. A third suggests she was bound for St Helena. In any case her journey ended near Cape Town.
In November 1914 a south-easter gale caught the Clan Stewart. Her anchor snagged on rocks. The ship was dragged towards Glencairn beach. The crew was rescued by lifeline. They also managed to save the cargo.
The damaged Clan Stewart was towed to Simon’s Town. She needed repairs. But fears she would sink in the harbor channel delayed her entry. So the captain chose Mackerel Beach a safer location. The Clan Stewart was chained to the beach stabilized by anchors.
Repairs proved useless. When refloated the engine room flooded. The Clan Stewart remained wrecked. Today a protected site she lies in the shallows. A silent testament to the sea’s unpredictable power and a ship’s fatal flaw.