Mervyn Emms

Dr Bruno Werz from the African Institute for Marine and Underwater Research, Exploration and Education (AIMURE) is leading a team to try and find the wreck of the Haerlam (or Haarlam) - click here for details. The wrecking of the Haerlam is recognised by many as the catalyst that led to the establishment of a refreshment station which later developed into the City of Cape Town. In 1975 Mervyn Emms used various archival sources to estimate the location of the wreck. His findings were published in the first edition of Restorica (1975) and are republished below with the kind permission of the University of Pretoria.

On the 25 March 1647 the Dutch ship Haerlem ran aground in the surf at Table Bay. There is considerable vagueness about the exact position of this wreck and writers generally refer to it as being at or near the mouth of the Salt River. In attempting to assess its position let us look at the evidence of its position as stated by various sources. Here we must however bear in mind that the distances given are rough estimates and that a Dutch mile is actually about three English miles and may be as much as four on land.

Tracing of hydrographical chart by Admiralty 1933 shows wreck of Haerlam

In the diary of Leendert Janssens for March 26 1647...

While paging through an old copy of Bulletin, the journal of the Simon van der Stel Foundation (today the Heritage Association of South Africa), we came across this short but fascinating article on the origins the Chavonnes Battery. It was written by Mervyn Emms and was published in June 1975.

In 1714 Maurits Pasque de Chavonnes arrived as governor to succeed the Van der Stels. In 1715 he laid the foundation stone of Maurits Battery also known as Water Battery due to its closeness to the water’s edge. Later this became known as the Chavonnes Battery. It had 16 cannon and could enfilade the flanks of ships at anchorage.

Portrait of Maurits Pasque de Chavonnes

It was completed in 1726 and was officially renamed Chavonnes in 1744. Commanded for several years by Sgt Ettienne Barbier who later in 1739 was drawn, quartered and hanged at Roodesand pass where he had commanded a band of outlaws (he had deserted).

In 1781 the battery fired on a Danish ship which was trying to slip out of anchorage with the Port Captain Staaring tied to the mass as security. The ship was suspected of spying and was duly captured.

Painting...