Seafarers were attracted to Sandwich Harbour because it offered fresh water, meat, fishing, and whaling. Today, it is mostly known for its many birds and the place where the sand meets the sea.
The bay is on the northern side and is surrounded by high dunes. The lagoon, which used to have fresh water, has been mixed with salt water because strong sea waves pushed into it. The mouth of Sandwich Bay has filled with sand again, which is one reason it was never a good harbor. Beyond the bay, the Namib Sand Sea shows wide views of the red dunes that stretch to the horizon.
In 1789, Captain James Shields was hired by Enderby and Son Fishing Company to hunt whales off the coasts of Namibia and Angola. One of the ships, HMS Sandwich, was sent south to collect meat and fresh water. It is believed that these sailors gave Sandwich Harbour its name when they first mapped the bay.
Germany took control of the area between the Orange River and the Kunene in 1884, while Britain kept Walvis Bay. Soon after, German settlers arrived. From 1894, Sandwich, Germany’s only natural harbor became an important trade center. A fish drying station and a corned beef canning factory were built. These did not last long because of the bay’s constant sand problems and the difficult living conditions.
The guano rush started in the 1920s. Guano was collected from a small island in the bay. Because it was valuable, sand was added to the island to make it bigger and higher so that spring tides would not wash the guano away.
However, people soon learned how to reach the island during low tide, which scared the birds away. With the harbor filling with sand and trucks getting stuck in the soft sand, loading guano onto ships became very difficult.
Sandwich Harbour was turned into a nature park in 1954. It was later added to the Namib-Naukluft National Park because there were no signs it would be used for business.
