Why is the cape of good hope called the graveyard of ships?

Despite its name, the Cape of Good Hope has ironically witnessed many shipwrecks

This week, the Suez Canal - the busiest shipping route-was blocked after a container ship got stuck.

And while the M V Ever Given was refloated after nearly a week-long effort to dislodge it, the blockage of the Canal impacted global trade and most countries and companies considered rerouting the shipping vessels through the 'graveyard of ships' or the Cape of Good Hope.

The Suez Canal was built between 1859 and 1869 linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, making it the shortest route between Atlantic Oceans and land around Indian and Pacific Oceans. The construction of this artificial sea-level waterway negated the usage of the Cape of Good Hope. This cut distances by 14 days, up to 7,000 kilometres.

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It is due to this, that the alternate route of the Cape of Good Hope or the 'graveyard of ships' was considered.

But why is the Cape of Good Hope called the graveyard of ships?

The notorious trade route gets this nickname because various ships over the course of its history have been shipwrecked. So much so that, they have enhanced the area as a tourism destination. South Africa even promotes a “Shipwreck Hiking Trail” along one stretch of coast where at least 120 vessels met doom from 1682 to 1992.

In 1815, a merchant vessel, the Arniston, which made eight voyages from England to Asia, was caught in a violent storm off the Cape’s western coast and struck a reef. Out of 378 people onboard, only six men survived the wreck. This is also how the Cape got its name as the 'Cape of Storms.'

Despite its name, the three most notable victims of the Cape have been The Lusitania, The Nolloth, and the Thomas T. Tucker.

The Lusitana was the Cape's most consequential wreck, which forced the South African government to shut down its lighthouse. The ship which was called the "pride of Portugal" capsized at the Cape on it's return to Lisbon. The Captain of the ship used the lighthouse as a guide to return home and to manoeuvre around it, however, bad weather conditions and low hanging clouds caused visibility issues. By the time, the captain realised that he was too close to land, he alerted the passengers which consisted mostly of rich European travellers and African labourers. The passengers were hoarded onto lifeboats and tried to make their way to shore at the Dias Beach, where no boat had ever landed safely. When the first boat capsized, and killed eight people, others headed back to sea and were rescued by a tug.

The Lusitana slipped off Bellow Rock two days later and now lies 37 metres under sea level.

The Nolloth was a 347 ton Dutch coaster which struck Albatross Rock in 1965. The ship was loaded with whisky which the captain realised, and tried to salvage the goods. A helicopter was sent to save the crew, first time ever that was done while the ship battered high seas. The captain's efforts managed to salvage most of the whisky.

The wreck of the Thomas T. Tucker lies on the rocks of Olifantsbosch Point. The ship was loaded with a cargo of Sherman tanks, spares, lorries and barbed wire and was set sail for Suez, where the Allies were engaged in the North African campaign against the Germans. In an attempt to avoid an Italian patrolling submarine, the captain changed course and, in thick fog, ran directly into Olifantsbosch Point. The captain later discovered that his compass was off by 37 degrees.

The recovery of this ship took 5 months, and was a mammoth exercise. But eventually most of the cargo was salvaged.

The Suez Canal in itself has not had a smooth sailing journey, with it being victim to a lot of political rifts over the course of its history. However, it is now one of the busiest trade routes in the world.