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"Waterloo "

Source - The Cape Archives

The 'Waterloo' was an ageing and unseaworthy vessel and, at the time of the disaster, had been crammed with convicts  who were being transported from England to Tasmania, most of them for petty crimes.  She entered Table Bay on Sunday 28th August 1842 and together with a troop ship the Abercrombie Robinson was wrecked near the mouth of the Salt River during one of the Cape of Storms notorious North Westerly gales. However, unlike the Abercrombie Robinson whose entire complement of soldiers and crew were saved, the Waterloo broke up because of its poor condition and most of those that perished were plunged into the raging sea.

On board were 30 soldiers from the 99th Regiment of Foot under the Command of Lieutenant HEXT of the 4th Foot, acting as guard to the convicts, 219 male convicts and the crew of the vessel.  Some of the soldiers had their wives and children with them.  

In a report from the Colonial Office of the Cape of Good Hope by the acting Secretary to Government, J Moore Craig it is stated that the bodies of those drowned had been recovered and ' interred either in the Military Burial Ground or in that attached to the Somerset Hospital. The Superintending Surgeon, Dr Kelsall was saved; Lieutenant Hext, 4th Foot commanding the Detachment and Mr Ager, Master of the Vessel, were on shore at the time."

Here are a list of the fortunate and the not so fortunate:

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