RMS Athens Shipwreck

About RMS Athens Shipwreck

The RMS Athens was an iron steam-screw barque built in 1856 and operated by the Union Steamship Company as a Royal Mail Ship. On 17 May 1865, while attempting to navigate out of Table Bay during the catastrophic "Great Gale" storm, her anchor cables parted. Captain David Smith ordered full steam to head out to the open sea, but heavy waves flooded the vessel and extinguished the boiler fires, leaving the ship powerless. The storm drove the ship broadside onto the rocks off Mouille Point, Cape Town, causing it to break up rapidly. All 28 crew members on board perished in the disaster, with the sole survivor being a single pig that managed to swim ashore.

Today, the wreck lies in shallow water roughly 75 to 100 metres offshore at a depth of 5 to 7 metres. Its rusting iron engine block remains visible above the water's surface, serving as a permanent historical landmark along the Mouille Point Promenade. The site has transformed into an artificial reef covered in kelp and local marine life, making it a popular destination for shore-entry scuba diving, snorkelling, and ocean kayaking during calm sea conditions.