The wreck of the La Fortune
The wreck of the La Fortune
On 11 September 1763, A French man-of-war named the La Fortune on its return journey from Reunion, was not so fortunate and was wrecked On 11 September 1763 opposite a freshwater spring near Mosselbay The ship had anchored just offshore to get fresh water from the spring which still runs today. Unfortunately, an easterly gale drove her onto the rocks.
Fortunately, all 441 of the soldiers and sailors survived. All of them made it safely to Cape Town. They walked all the way!
The Cape Archives record shows that all the valuables on board were removed, but this is not quite accurate. The ship went down with 56 cannons onboard.
Only four of the cannons have been located: two in the 1930s, one in the 1960s, and one in 2011. Three of them remain preserved in the nearby village of Kanon, which forms part of the Fransmanshoek Conservancy.
Image: example of a “man of war” ship
