Bato Redux
The cache, a small camo-taped tablet pot, is hidden along Long Beach, Simon’s Town opposite the spot where this ship was sunk on fine sand and scattered rocks some 50m offshore at a maximum depth of 5m. It can be seen from the shore in calm conditions as a dark patch of sea-weed (@ S 34 10.998 E 018 25.560).
The hide became possible with the archiving of the cache GC2K12D SS: Bato which was part of Paddawan’s legendary ~93-cache Shipwreck Series. This caused huge excitement and a flurry of activity when launched on 1/12/20 and has provided hours of geocaching entertainment for many geocachers ever since. Sadly, the series is becoming gradually depleted over the years as more caches are archived, having gone missing and not able to be replaced.
This one was hidden on 1/12/10 and archived on 15/2/23 after some 14 finds with lengthy spells missing.
To Reach the Cache Location: park at the Long Beach car park @ or near S 34 11.225 E 18 25.550 or in a parking bay on Main Road @ or near S 34 11.277 E 18 25.525 and make your way (down to, and) along the beach to the cache location.
***Take care when retrieving and replacing the cache to watch out for fishermuggles who often hang out at the small hut down the beach***
HNMS* Bato (sometimes misspelt as Bata) was an 800 ton, 74-gun Dutch ship built in the Rotterdam shipyards in 1784 as part of the reconstruction of Dutch naval forces, Its original name was Staaten Generaal. *His Netherlands Majesty’s Ship.
After losing the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1781-1784), the Dutch needed to
rebuild their navy to its former strength and Staaten Generaal was one of the largest ships constructed during this time with a strength of 74 guns. Only two other ships, Brutus and Vrijheid, constructed at the same time were of equal strength.
Initially, the ship served in European waters as part of Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter’s squadron in the North Sea. He was tasked with clearing the North Sea of British Royal Navy vessels under Admiral Vince Duncan. With the North Sea free of enemies, a clear passage to Ireland for an invading French army was opened. After the battle, Staten Generaal was renamed Bato and assigned to the defence of Amsterdam. At this time, Bato carried only 34 guns out of a possible 74 - referred to as sailing en flute or without any
guns on the lowest gundeck.
In August 1802, Bato was readied to sail to the Cape Colony. Jan Willem Janssens, future Governor-General of the Cape colony, was on board with his family. Janssens sailed to the Cape to reclaim the colony for the Dutch after its return under the Treaty of Amiens.
The vessel departed the Dutch port of Texel on 5 August 1802. At the time of sailing, she carried 36 guns out of a possible 74 and had on board 311 people. Most of these were naval crewmen and officers, but some women and children also boarded who were relatives of either Janssens or other officers.
After an uneventful journey, Bato anchored in Table Bay on 25 December 1802. Janssens soon departed the ship to take his place as the new Governor-General of the Cape Colony.
Now part of the Dutch East India Squadron, in February 1803 Bato was ordered to sail to Batavia (modern Jakarta, Indonesia). Along the
way, Bato was to protect trading vessels from hostile ships and pirates. Bad weather and general disrepair, however, put a stop to these plans and Bato was forced to dock at St. Louis, Mauritius for repairs to her rudder mechanism, departing from the French colony in January 1804.
With the renewal of hostilities, Bato was ordered to capture any enemy trading ships she could. There is no record of her engaging with enemy naval forces. On 27 February 1804, Bato returned to Table Bay and the ship did not leave South African waters again.
Deemed unseaworthy, the vessel was used as a floating (gun) battery to defend Simons Town. When the Dutch lost the Battle of Blaauwberg to the
British and a new occupation became inevitable, to prevent the ship falling into enemy hands. the crew was ordered to burn it. Bato burned and sank on 8 January 1806.
The Bato shipwreck is an iconic symbol of the end of Dutch rule at the Cape, and represents a critical era of change in shipbuilding technology. Archaeological and historical investigations into the wreck have yielded fascinating info on social, economic and technological trends in European maritime history.
Furthermore, the presence nearby (@ S 34 10.880 E 018 25.607) of the British warship Brunswick wrecked while at anchor on 2 September 1805, presented a unique opportunity for the comparison and analysis of the maritime shipbuilding technologies available to these two powerful seafaring nations during the Napoleonic Era (1792-1815) which enabled investigation of ship construction choices, industrial limitations and environmental trends associated with Dutch and British shipbuilding during this period.
The remains of Bato cover an area about 50m long x 8m wide giving a total site area of around 400 m2. The debris field is orientated parallel to shore. A large quantity of corroded iron is located in the southern part of the site and copper sheathing can be seen in the northern part wreck.
Bato’s cannons, salvaged from Bato some time after the wrecking event were treated and are preserved for display outside the old Post Office.
Long Beach is a popular dive site. Although initially appearing bland, careful investigation reveals interesting and varied life. A surprising variety of fish not commonly found in the region has been sighted here on odd occasions. Apart from Bato and Brunswick, there are also several other small wrecks and old mooring tackle to add interest and provide artificial reef. It is a good dive location when conditions are bad elsewhere, a popular training site, and good for sorting out new equipment configurations. There is an underwater trail for compass navigation training. The site is sometimes closed when foreign warships visit.
