Skeleton Coast

For the novel, seeSkeleton Coast (novel).For the film, seeSkeleton Coast (film).For the album, seeThe Lawrence Arms.

Skeleton Coast
Coast
Otavi,shipwrecked 1945
Coordinates:21°36′44″S14°32′24″E
Location	Namibia
Part of	Namib Desertcoast
Offshore water bodies	Atlantic Ocean,Kunene River,Swakop River
Etymology	Named for whale and seal bones that used to litter the coast, partly due towhaling,and for the thousands ofshipwrecks
Dimensions
• Length	310 miles (500 km)

TheSkeleton Coastis the northern part of theAtlanticcoast ofNamibia.Immediately south ofAngola,it stretches from theKunene Riverto theSwakop River,although the name is sometimes used to describe the entireNamib Desertcoast. The indigenousSan people(formerly known as Bushmen), of the Namibian interior called the region "The Land God Made in Anger", whilePortuguesesailors once referred to it as "The Gates of Hell".

On the coast, theupwellingof the coldBenguela currentgives rise to dense oceanfogs(calledcassimboby the Angolans) for much of the year. The winds blow from land to sea, rainfall rarely exceeds 10 millimetres (0.39 in) annually, and theclimateis highly inhospitable. There is a constant, heavysurfon the beaches. In the days before engine-powered ships and boats, it was possible to get ashore through the surf, but impossible to launch from the shore. The only way out was by going through a marsh hundreds of kilometres long and only accessible via a hot and arid desert.

The coast is largely made up of soft sand occasionally interrupted by rocky outcrops. The southern section consists ofgravelplains, while north of Terrace Bay the landscape is dominated by highsand dunes.

Skeleton Bay is known as a great location forsurfing.

Etymology

Zelia Indiashipwreck, south ofHenties Bay,November 2014

The area's name derives from the whale and seal bones that once littered the shore, partly due to thewhalingindustry, although in modern times the coast also harbours the skeletal remains of theshipwreckscaused by offshore rocks and fog.More than a thousand such vessels of various sizes litter the coast, notably theEduard Bohlen,Benguela Eagle,Otavi,Dunedin StarandTong Taw.

The name "Skeleton Coast" was coined by John Henry Marsh as the title for the book he wrote chronicling the shipwreck of theDunedin Star.Since the book was first published in 1944, it has become so well known that the coast is now generally referred to as "Skeleton Coast" and is named so on most maps today. See§ In popular culture,below.

History

Further information:List of shipwrecks of Africa § Namibia

One of many rusting ship hulls along the Skeleton Coast (Dunedin Star)

One of the oldest shipwrecks in the Skeleton Coast region is that of theBom Jesus,near the town ofOranjemund.It ran aground during the 1530s and is known to be one of the oldest discovered shipwrecks of the Iberian Atlantic tradition in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Past human occupation byStrandlopersis shown byshell middensof whitemusselsfound along parts of the Skeleton Coast.

In 1942 the Britishrefrigeratedcargo linerDunedin Starran aground. All her 106 passengers and crew were eventually rescued, but at the cost of atug,anSAAFaircraft and the lives of two rescuers. The account is recorded in a bookSkeleton Coastby John Henry Marsh.

On Thursday, 22 March 2018, a Japanese registered fishing vessel, MVFFukuseki Maru,got into trouble and ran aground near Durissa Bay, south of the Ugab River mouth, lying 2 km from the Skeleton Coast beach in the ocean. All 24 foreign crew members were rescued by Namibian authorities.

Wildlife

Brown fur seal colony on Skeleton Coast.

Namibia has declared the 16,000 square kilometres (6,200 sq mi) area of coastline and adjacent deserts, scrub and marshlands asSkeleton Coast National Park,from theUgab Riverto theKunene.The northern half of the park is a designatedwilderness area.Notable features are the clay castles of theHoarusib River,the Agate Mountainsalt pans,and the largebrown fur sealcolonies atCape Fria.The remainder of the coast is the National West Coast Recreation Area. The national park is part of theIona – Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area.

The coast has been the subject of a number of wildlifedocumentaries,particularly concerning adaptations to extreme aridity, such as the 1965National GeographicdocumentarySurvivors of the Skeleton Coast.Many of the native species ofsucculent plantsdepend on the thick seafogs,which roll-in from the coast, for their moisture; in addition to water droplets for their hydration, windblown detritus from the arid interior serves as a food source for numerousinvertebrates,which, in turn, feed theherpetofaunaand form the base of the desert food chain. The desert bird assemblages have been studied in terms of theirthermoregulation,coloration, breeding strategies andnomadism.

The riverbeds and flatlands further away from the beaches are home tobush elephants,Chacma baboons,southern giraffe,lions,leopard,black rhinoceros,spottedandbrown hyenas,gemsbokandspringbok,among many other species.The animals get most of their water from wells dug by one another, in addition to consuming various water-laden succulent plants. The black rhinoceros population was the main reason why the CBBC showSerious Desertwas filmed in the region.

In popular culture

• Skeleton Coastis a novel byClive Cusslerthat uses the shifting sands of the coastline as a prominent plot device in the fourth entry in theOregon Files.
• The plot of the 1968 fiction filmA Twist of Sandinvolves diamonds hidden in a shipwreck buried in the sand dunes of the Skeleton Coast.
• Much of season 1, episode 7 of Amazon'sThe Grand Tourwas filmed on the Skeleton Coast.
• The first episode ofWonders of the Universefeatured the Skeleton Coast, and the shipwrecks there were utilized as part of an analogy byBrian Coxto demonstrate the effects of time.
• For the American TV seriesFallout,scenes depicting the post-apocalyptic Wasteland were filmed on the Skeleton Coast.
• DrummerBilly Cobhamhas written an album inspired by his visit to the area, calledTales from the Skeleton Coast.
• Punk rock bandThe Lawrence Armsreleased their seventh LP,Skeleton Coast,named in reference to the region.

Gallery

• 
  An aerial view of Skeleton Coast
• 
  A map from 1964 to 1965 showing theNamibian"homelands" orBantustanswhen Namibia was under the rule of apartheid South Africa.
• 
  Shipwreck ofEduard Bohlen
• 
  Ugabmund Gate (Ugab River Gate) of theSkeleton Coast National Park;note the skulls-and-crossbones in the gate
• 
  Aduneformation on the coastline

External links

• Skeleton Coast
• Animals of the Skeleton Coast
• PBS Golden Seals of the Skeleton Coast
• Animals of the Skeleton Coast Adapted to a Desert Habitat
• The true story of the wrecking of the big British passenger liner Dunedin Star and the eventual rescue of her more than 100 passengers and crew