The Nieuw Haarlem wreck would be proof to the Dutch East India Company that it was indeed possible to start a colony on mainland Africa. It is often credited with being the shipwreck that created South Africa, unfortunately it can also be tied to centuries of colonialism, with the attitude taken by the Dutch East India Company in those early days towards the locals setting the tone for far too long.
Ship Name: Nieuw Haarlem
Ship Origin: Dutch Republic
Ship Tonnage: 500
Wrecked: Table Bay, South Africa
When Wrecked: 1647
Ship Type: Dutch East Indiaman
Sources:
https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/63567/Werz_Wreck_2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200113-the-shipwreck-that-forever-changed-south-africa
https://www.atlanticsun.co.za/news/search-continues-for-the-nieuw-haarlem
https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/dutch-indiaman-nieuwe-haerlem-wrecked-storm-table-bay
https://www.sabcnews.com/maritime-archeologist-discovers-sas-shipwreck-believed-to-be-from-1647/
http://en.hausatv.com/news/content/9179
