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Over 400 wrecks have occurred in Table Bay alone. Most of the original shoreline has either been reclaimed or is now out of bounds. This Shipwreck Series cache is at Sceptre reef which is now the site of the Royal Cape Yacht Club. For the series methodology and more info visit SS: Shipwreck Series via the related web page link.
Tell the guards at the entrance to the harbour that you are going to Royal Cape and they will let you in. Keep an eye out for the guards in the fibreglass hut near GZ.
The Sceptre (1 398 tons), a British Man of War, was built on the River Thames in 1781. Her gun deck was 159 feet, her keel 131 feet. On Thursday afternoon, November 4th 1799, under the command of Captain Valentine Edwards she was lying in Table Bay with HMS Jupiter (50 guns), the Oldenborg, a Danish 64 gun ship, and about twelve other vessels. It was quite calm in the bay at that time. Later the wind shifted to a north-westerly and freshened considerably during the night.
On Friday morning it was blowing a heavy gale. Captain Edwards ordered the topmasts to be struck and the fore and main yards lowered in order to ease the ship. No great danger was apparent at this time. The ship was dressed to honour the commemoration of the gun powder plot since it was November 5th, and at 12 noon they fired their guns in salute.
By this time, the sea was running mountains high. At 12h30 the Sceptre parted from her small bower cable and immediately let go of the sheet anchor. Soon after 14h00 they parted from their other bower cable and the spare anchor was let go. Unfortunately in veering it away, the spare cable was lost as the end had not been fully secured.
At this time the crew endeavoured to launch a long boat to get a cable from HMS Jupiter, but it capsized in the heavy sea with the loss of the crew. From 14h00 until 18h30 the Sceptre continued to fire her distress guns. By 19h00 she had parted from her final anchor and was driven by an enraged sea until she struck on a reef of rocks, broadside to the shore with her decks heeled towards the sea. The captain ordered the main and mizzen masts to be cut away, hoping that the ship would heel over towards the land. But it was to no avail and the Sceptre continued to lay in a perilous position not more than a hundred yards from the shore.
About 20h00 another disaster engaged the stricken vessel; fire was discovered in the gun room. Burning matches had set light to the ship's powder. Smoke poured out of the hatchways as the crew were faced with death either through drowning or burning. There seemed little hope when the same mountainous seas that had brought about their perilous position crashed over the Sceptre sending water pouring into the hatches extinguishing the fire. Fifteen minutes later the orlop deck suddenly gave way and the side onto which the ship had heeled also collapsed. The officers and crew retreated to the starboard side of the ship. Here they clung desperately while the violent seas washed over them. Several of the crew were washed away and instantly drowned. Others, fearing no rescue would come from those watching on the shore, leapt overboard. Their efforts to reach shore, were futile; caught in the current, they found themselves swept out to sea.
At 21h30 the poop was washed away. About 80 of the crew saw this as a chance of salvation and leapt overboard and reached the poop. Clinging to it they were nearing the shore when a heavy wave turned it end over end. None of the men reached the shore alive. The final blow came shortly after this. The lower deck guns which had been hung over the ship's side in an attempt to keep the vessel steady, began to pull free one by one, sending the guns crashing into the water. Eventually the ship heeled over towards the shore breaking into three sections. It was at this time that Captain Edwards, the officers and a great number of the crew lost their lives.
A young midshipman, John Buddle, with about forty seamen and marines clung desperately to the bow section which still remained held in position by a single cannon, the weight of which served to hold the bow steady. For sometime the bow remained intact, but eventually the weary timbers could no longer withstand the crashing surf and the wreck broke up plunging the men into the sea.
Buddle used his remaining energies to keep above water as he was swept along by the current. In a last effort to save himself he grasped a small piece of timber from which a large nail pierced his chest and he lost consciousness. When he came to his senses some hours later, he was ashore with several dead men lying under him. His left arm and legs were broken, he was naked and badly bruised. Someone found him and carried him to one of the fires where another midshipman, James Spink, generously covered the injured Buddle with his coat, the only item of clothing he had.
The light Dragoons rendered all the assistance possible to the men from the Sceptre, riding many times into the surf in desperate attempts to save the drowning men. The next morning three wagon loads of dead were taken to a place near the hospital and buried. About one hundred more bodies remained, many so badly mutilated that they were buried in one grave on the beach.
Out of the 400 men on board the Sceptre ten officers and 280 men lost their lives. The bodies of the officers were recovered except for that of Captain Valentine Edwards. The body of the captain's son was found with his prayer book still in his pocket.
Of the other boats in the Bay that night, nine were lost including the Danish gun ship Oldenborg. Fortunately, HMS Jupiter rode out the tremendous gale.
Also take a look at the cache of Joshua Penny (GC2NWMA) about a seaman who deserted the ship shortly before she was wrecked.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybj qbja pnpuvat genqrznex