Ocean Images Cape Town has a variety of maritime and shipping photographs available, some were taken by Andrew Ingpen, others from the archives of well-known Cape Times photographer, George Young. Below you will find some examples of the work available - some historical, other recent images (1975 onwards), specialised ship photography and more. Andrew specialises in photographing ships in Cape Town Port and also approaching the port. Click here to find out more about Andrew.
Please note that all the above images are protected by copyright. The photographs are all available as hi-resolution images of varying sizes. Some of the images have been cropped and hence the shape and content may vary.
OCEAN IMAGES CAPE TOWN CC
For all shipping photography
Aerial or wharfside photography
High resolution digital images or
conventional photographs
George Young was a renowned shipping journalist who visited Cape Town harbour virtually every day from 1929 to 1983, apart from his wartime service in the South African Air Force.
He accumulated a collection of about 7000 ship photographs that cover - inter alia - the Suez closures from 1956 to 1957 and again from 1967 to 1975. Although most of the photographs were taken in Cape Town, several photographs in this collection show ships in French ports from about 1950 to 1965.
For inquiries regarding photographs of specific ships, please email us at andrew@capeports.co.za.
Prints or digital images (sent by email) can be ordered. For current prices, email us at andrew@capeports.co.za
Reardon-Smith's Memphis City, sailing from Cape Town's Victoria Basin.
Photograph from the George Young Collection.
We specialise in ship photography in the port of Cape Town and in the approaches to the port. Photo shoots can be undertaken from the wharf, from launches* or from helicopters* - and we have numerous clients who use our services.
Owing to the changing angle of the sun, it is possible to obtain a view of Table Mountain in the background only at certain times of the day. In the case of aerial views of ships, morning arrivals or departures (around 09:00 local time) present ideal conditions to capture the Table Mountain backdrop.
Afternoon arrivals or departures - for which the best time for photography is about 15:00 local time - will entail a longer helicopter flight and photography is done off the Atlantic coastline with Lion's Head and the Twelve Apostle mountain range as the backdrop.
Please bear in mind that the times of sunrise and sunset vary considerably during the year.
Special photographic assignments relating to shipping in South Africa can be undertaken.
We also do assignments aboard ships in port or while they are at sea.
Digital or conventional photography is available.
* Please note that the costs of launch or helicopter hire must be paid in advance directly to the launch or helicopter company.
Two types of helicopter are available:
* the inshore aircraft that is used up to 3 nautical miles from the coast (used to photograph vessels calling at Cape Town)
* the longer range aircraft that can operate up to 50 nautical miles from the coast. (used for vessels not entering Cape Town, and, because it is a larger aircraft, it is generally more expensive to hire
HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
Athelqueen in Cape Town c. 1954. She was built in 1945 by Harland & Wolff as Empire Benefit
Shaw Savill's Dominion Monarch came from the Wallsend yard of Swan Hunter in 1939 for the UK-South African-Australasia trade. Her quadruple screws made her unique among passenger motorships.
CURRENT PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
(from about 1975 to present)
Ivan Pananin, sailing from Cape Town en route to Antartica. She is a sistership of Paardeberg, the former South African Naval auxiliary SAS Outeniqua (ex Juvent). Paardeberg is undergoing conversion for use as a prospecting vessel for the oil industry.
SHIP PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES
A wide range of recent photographs is available in digital or conventional format. Contact the photographer to discuss your requirements.
City of Johannesburg arriving in Cape Town's Victoria Basin, circa 1960.
Athlone Castle sailing from Cape Town on 12 February 1941.
Built in 1941 and with the typical profile of a Blue Funnel vessel, Priam - seen arriving in Cape Town c. 1946 - was transferred to Glen Line in 1948 and renamed Glenorchy.
Built as the Victory ship La Grande Victory in February 1945, Waterman had been used by the Dutch for post-war trooping until her conversion in 1951 for the emigrant service to South Africa and Australia. She also made a few trips across the North Atlantic carrying emigrants bound for North America. As fewer Dutch emigrants were travelling by sea in the early 1960s, she and her sistership Groote Beer were sold to the Latsis Group in 1963 and after several changes in ownership, both were scrapped in 1970. The third sistership Zuiderkruis was used by the Dutch navy as an accommodation ship until she went to Spanish shipbreakers in 1969.
One of the post-war SARSHIP fleet, Aloe was built in 1944 as Fort Dearborn, one of the many Fort-class ships that came from Canadian yards during World War 2. The railways administration bought her in 1949 - she was then Manx Navigator - to carry coal from the then Lourenco Marques to Cape Ports.
Southern Steamships, a Greek-owned but South African registered company, bought her in 1955, renamed her President Steyn, and sent her tramping until her sale in 1960. (Southern Steamships' first President Steyn was a Liberty ship that the company operated from 1947 to 1951.)
Harrison Line's Administrator, one of a class of eight similar ships built between 1952 and 1959. (The last four to be delivered had a shorter fo'c'sle.) Like the other ships, Administrator came from William Doxford yard in Sunderland and came on her maiden voyage to South Africa in 1958. Her deadweight (11455) gave her significantly more capacity than the earlier vessels. As Oriental Sea - owned by Oriental Maritime of Singapore, she went to the breakers at Chittagong in 1979.
Baron Caltoun, operated by Hogarths, arriving in Cape Town's Victoria Basin circa 1938.
Imperial Star, one of the typical Blue Star Line vessels on the UK-South Africa-Australasian trade, in Cape Town circa 1953. Note the old gangway that the port used to supply for ships. All ships use their own accommodation ladders now.