MYSTERY SHIP: The shipwreck on East Beach in 1884, that was long believed to have been The Osbourne, is now a mystery
We have an orphan
Serendipity with Bev Young
ALERTED to an entry in a database on shipwrecks, had me scurrying to check up the information listed about our very own wreck, The Osbourne, on the East Beach.
We ALL know about the cast-iron boiler that appears after a good, fierce wash, and after storms. We all know, as per the museum, it was wrecked in 1884. This information that we have is legend. The ongoing work on the pier as can be seen in the photo, attests to our information – it was completed in 1870.
However, current information, as per this entry, tells that the Osbourne was wrecked “seven miles west of Port Alfred in 1904”.
A flurry of e-mails, between the maritime authorities and myself, in addition to a copy of a court case about the ship – overseen by no less than three magistrates, in East London – is conclusive. OUR ship is an orphan, and their ship is missing.
- The court case is hysterical – dereliction of duty, falling asleep, with a hint of spirits thrown in. Now what?
