Simonstown (A 17)

Name: Simonstown

Simonstown became a Royal Naval Base and the home of the South Atlantic Squadron under the second British occupation of the Cape in 1806. This became possible, largely because of to the construction of a huge man-made sandstone breakwater.

One of the tasks of this squadron was the care of a certain Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile at St. Helena Island some 1200 miles away in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Admiral Lord Nelson himself is also said to have come ashore from his ship to be nursed through an illness in the late 1770s, on the first of his two visits, long before the British occupation.

the completion of the modern Simon's Town harbour and the Selborne dry-dock took place by 1910. This allowed that over 300 ships could be repaired at Simon’s Town during the Second World War.It is said that at least 125 Allied ships had been sunk by the Germans, Japanese and Italians, in relatively close proximity to Simon’s Town.
during the war.

In 1957 the Naval Base was finally handed over to the South African Government.
Situated on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula on the shores of False Bay, Simon’s Town remains an important naval base to this day, and the town which rises steeply above the harbour up the mountainsides is rich in both architectural and natural beauty, as well as Cape history and strange legends and tales....read more

http://www.simonstown.com/

Google count: 185,000 for Simonstown
Date: 5 April 2010

Historic origin:

The town officially called Simon’s Town, but often referred to as Simonstown, was originally named Simon’s Vlek after Simon van der Stel, the Dutch governor of the Cape Colony between 1677 and 1699, who surveyed the bay east of Cape Town in 1687 and earmarked it as a safe winter harbour during the months of May to September for which it was finally proclaimed in 1741. The False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula, sheltered from the violent northwest gales, was the obvious winter alternative, and Simon's Bay was selected by Simon van der Stel himself as the safest anchorage. For many years to come there were no facilities however for visiting ships and communications with Cape Town were exceedingly difficult. In spite of the greater safety in winter, captains of ships tended to avoid calling there whenever possible, preferring to risk the greater danger of Table Bay in order to enjoy the superior amenities of Cape Town.


Some other historic facts:

Other interesting info:

Boer War:

The Anglo-Boer War

Throughout the Anglo-Boer War, Simon's Town and Cape Town were the principal ports through which passed the reinforcements of men, supplies and equipment for the British Army. Without these the few British troops would have been overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the Boer forces in the first few months of the war. As it was the British were able to maintain an uninterrupted flow of men and ammunition from the United Kingdom and other parts of the British Empire, while the Royal Navy's command of the oceans virtually prohibited all similar supplies reaching the Transvaal and Free State Republic - There can be little doubt also that it was only the healthy respect for the Royal Navy which prevented Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany from intervening on behalf of the Republics.

The railway line reached Simon's Town in 1890 and furthered the development of the town and harbour. The Royal Navy was responsible for the care of the Boer prisoners-of-war in Bellevue Camp - now a golf course - . during the Anglo-Boer War (1899 - 1902).

Railway History:

The Southernmost station in Africa.


Where to stay:

Where to shop:

Golfing in the area:

Estate Agents:

Coordinates:

Weather:

Links: http://sites.google.com/site/saplacenames/south-africa/s/simonstown

http://www.simonstown.com/archives/story-of-simonstown.htm


Unique number: 1