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All Cape Verde Boa Vista Wreckage of M/S Cabo Santa Maria

Wreckage of M/S Cabo Santa Maria

This ship carrying cargo and four church bells for the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida ran aground in 1968.

Boa Vista, Cape Verde

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Jaszmina Szendrey
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Battering by the waves   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
The wreckage of Cabo Santa Maria in July, 2011   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
The ship wreck of Cabo de Santa Maria in Boa Vista, Cape Verde in 2010 December   Ximonic (Simo Räsänen)
Boa Vista: Cabo Santa Maria_02   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
Boa Vista: Cabo Santa Maria_03   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
Boa Vista: Cabo Santa Maria_01   claus donau / Atlas Obscura User
Closeup of the wreckage   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
The beach full of debris from the wreckage   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On the northern part of the island of Boa Vista you'll find the wreckage of a Spanish cargo ship that ran ashore in the fall of 1968. The M/S Cabo Santa Maria was on its way to Brazil and Argentina loaded with a variety of cargo and a number of gifts. The most important gift: four church bells determined for the new cathedral in Brasilia. But they disappeared in deep water so the cathedral had to be opened without its bells (it was only in October 1977 when they finally were consecrated at the clock tower). 

Unfortunately, in the early morning hours of September 1, the ship ran aground on the coast of Boa Esperança. A tugboat was sent from the island of São Vicente to try to dislodge the ship, but to no avail. Fortunately, the crew was able to escape the scene unhurt. That left just one thing to deal with, and it was no small feat.

A good part of the population of Boa Vista, children as well as public employees and machine operators from the other islands, were mobilized in order to remove the cargo of the ship. They used mules and donkeys to carry the cargo to the nearby capital of Boa Vista, Sal Rei. The unloading of the ship was carried out for nearly a year.

Today, the ship is slowly crumbling. After almost 50 years of battering by the wind and constant waves, much of the deck and hold have disappeared, and only a rusty shell remains for the time being… but visibly not for long. Over the decades the shipwreck has become a symbol of the island and a source of inspiration for artists.

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Shipwrecks

Know Before You Go

The site can be reached with a 4WD vehicle via a scenic rout of untouched nature. More adventurous visitors can get there on foot from Sal Rei (around 7 km).

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Added By

Jaszmina Szendrey

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Blindcolour, erjeffery, aribrown, Bart Severein...

  • Blindcolour
  • erjeffery
  • aribrown
  • Bart Severein
  • Meg
  • claus donau

Published

October 14, 2016

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Wreckage of M/S Cabo Santa Maria
Unnamed Road
Boa Vista
Cape Verde
16.202657, -22.8651
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