Simon’s Town Dockyard 1
Simon’s Town Dockyard was built in 1743. The Dutch East India Company established a small dockyard facility in Simon’s Town where ships were safer in the winter months. In the 1790s, the British Royal Navy took over and development continued over the next 150 years. Simon’s Town got its name after the second British occupation in 1806.
By the mid-19th century, steam engineering and coaling facilities were added. In 1885, the Cape Colony government transferred the assets of the Simon’s Bay Dock and Patent Slip Company to the British Admiralty. However, by the end of the century, it became clear that more space was needed for the modern navy’s growing demands.
1957 under the Simon’s Town Agreement, the naval base was handed over to the South African Navy. The dockyard was expanded again in 1975, with land reclamation and extensions to form a new tidal basin.
Construction of the new dockyard
In 1898, an extension of the dockyard began. Sir John Jackson and Co. Ltd. were appointed for the project. Construction started in 1900, resulting in a new 11-hectare harbour with a 914-meter breakwater. The development included a 240-meter long, 29-meter wide drydock and a steam factory. This drydock was named ‘Selborne Graving Dock’ after the Earl of Selborne and was completed in 1910.
The drydock aimed to accommodate the larger steamships of the time, and it required a massive workforce. Over 3,000 labourers were brought in to work on the dock, including 75 Indian craftsmen. These labourers were tasked with quarrying the stone for the dock, which involved transporting heavy granite and sandstone blocks from the mountains above the town down to the construction site using an inclined railway system. These workers, many of whom were skilled masons and stonecutters, were integral to the success of the dock’s construction. They worked under harsh conditions, and 33 workers tragically died during construction.
Dockyard hauntings
Simons Town is considered to be one of the most haunted towns in South Africa and it is said that spectral hands sometimes emerge from the sandstone walls of Selbourne Dock. These hands are believed to be those of the spirits of the workers who died during the construction, reaching out to passersby before sinking back into the stone.
Other Buildings at the Simon’s Town Dockyard.
- In the 1740s, the Dutch East India Company built a pair of stone storehouses at the original shipyard site.
- The oldest Royal Naval building is a Mast-House, Boathouse, and Sail Loft, built in 1815, and now serving as the SA Naval Museum.
- A lighthouse at the Simon’s Town dockyard was commissioned on November 3, 1910, though it is not open to the public.
- Additionally, the circular Martello Tower, constructed in 1796 by the order of James Craig, was built to enhance Simon’s Town’s defence system.
- A combined Mast house, boathouse, and sail loft, dating to 1815, now serve as the SA Naval Museum.
