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Wreck of HMS Thames

South Africa

Position
About 34.3° S, 18.6° E (within about 10 km)
Sank
—
Cause
—
Depth
—

Protection status

Location generalised to protect a war grave

The position shown is generalised to within about 10 km. The exact position is not published.

A military vessel lost in war, by enemy action. Wrecks lost in war are treated as war graves.

This wreck may be the last resting place of those who died aboard. Please treat it with respect.

How this was decided: Voydar's protection rules, from the sources we hold, confidence 85%. When in doubt, Voydar generalises the position.

HMS Thames was a Mersey-class protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy (RN) in the 1880s. The ship was placed in reserve upon her completion in 1888 and was converted into a submarine depot ship in 1903. She was sold out of the navy in 1920 and was purchased by a South African businessman to serve as a training ship for naval cadets under the name SATS General Botha. The ship arrived in South Africa in 1921 and began training her first class of cadets in Simon's Town the following year. General Botha continued to train cadets for the first several years of World War II, but the RN took over the ship in 1942 for use as an accommodation ship under her original name. She was scuttled by gunfire in 1947 and is now a diveable wreck.

History from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA.

About this wreck

HMS Thames is a recorded shipwreck site. Voydar shows wreck locations alongside live ship traffic, free, from Wikidata and public hydrographic records.

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