Chapter 469: Walvis Bay
March 1877.
On the west coast of Africa, four ships quietly detached from the East African slave fleet heading to North America and made their way toward a bay.
Walvis Bay had a unique formation—a long, narrow inlet extended into the Atlantic Ocean, shaped like an arm stretched outward. The bay's opening faced north, making Walvis Bay easy to identify; ships passing by could spot it easily.
In fact, Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias had discovered Walvis Bay as early as 1487, and before the 18th century, the Dutch had also explored it, though no further action was taken. Its location was prominent but had never been truly valued.
"This is Walvis Bay—the only deep-water port between Angola and South Africa. From our measurements, most waters here are less than fifteen meters deep, and the bay's mouth is nearly ten kilometers wide. It indeed has the potential for a deep-water harbor!"
But these statistics didn't put East African sailors at ease. On the eastern side of the bay lay endless white desert, with only sparse patches of vegetation.
"No wonder His Highness said this place is tough. It's all desert—quite like Mogadishu."
"Mogadishu is far better; it's an oasis, nourished by the Shebelle River. Here, we've got nothing like that."
As a tourist destination, Walvis Bay had its appeal: white beaches merging into blue waters, providing a refreshing view. But its scenic beauty couldn't change the fact that it was a desert.
Kicking at animal bones along the shore, Andre said, "Finding a water source here won't be easy. Who knows when Laetania Province will get a proper supply route running."
Thanks to the Central Railway, transportation in East Africa had improved significantly—but that was only true for interior regions. A western branch of the railway existed, but it reached closer to Angola. The vast deserts of the southwest made building a similar southern railway unappealing. Thus, supplies couldn't be delivered here by rail and had to be rerouted through Laetania Province.
Laetania sat on a plateau. To transport goods from there to Walvis Bay meant crossing hundreds of kilometers of desert—a key challenge in occupying Namibia. Though located in northeastern Namibia, Laetania was still the best land route into the area. The direct eastward path to Walvis Bay spanned over a thousand kilometers of pure desert—since the Namib and Kalahari deserts nearly merged into one.
"Now we'll split into two groups, twenty teams total, to survey within twenty kilometers. Group One searches for possible underground water sources. Group Two looks for oases or rivers. Water is top priority—conserve what's left on the ship," said Captain Chris.
East Africans had considerable experience locating water in arid regions—Africa had many such areas. These were essential survival skills, often learned from local tribes and Arab traders.
Soon, based on vegetation patterns, the crew identified more than ten potential water spots. But after digging several meters, none proved fruitful.
Still, what they failed to find in the east, they discovered in the north. By evening, one exploration team reported good news.
"About twenty kilometers north, we found an oasis—a fairly large river with lush vegetation on both sides."
It was the Swakop River, a significant river in present-day Namibia. It originated in the inland mountains and flowed through the Namib Desert to the sea, though its flow was unstable and sometimes dried up.
In Ernst's previous life, the German colony's key port—Swakopmund—had been built here. Although less famous than Walvis Bay, Swakopmund was known for its German architecture and even served as the administrative center during German occupation. However, its increasing siltation eventually led to its replacement by Walvis Bay.
At this point, Swakopmund clearly offered better natural conditions than Walvis Bay, leaving East Africans unsure which site to prioritize.
"Captain, the northern oasis clearly has better conditions—at least we'd have water. But His Highness specifically ordered us to secure Walvis Bay. What do we do?"
Chris thought for a moment. "Why choose? We have the manpower. Let's build bases in both places. They're close enough. Even if we can't find water here, we can transport it from the north."
But that decision quickly changed—because after digging down several more meters, they struck water.
"Water! We found water!"
Chris rushed to the spring. Watching clear water seep from the ground, he ordered, "Quick—get materials from the ship and secure the wellhead. Don't let sand bury it!"
Because the surface was sandy, loose sand quickly slid into the pit. The crew used wooden planks to make a barrier and built a makeshift well cover.
"With the water problem solved, we can establish a base at Walvis Bay. Do we still need one in the north?"
"Absolutely. It's close enough to control. If we don't secure it, someone else might."
Historically, Walvis Bay was indeed a British colony, and of course it had underground water. The British weren't gods—they needed water too.
In the former German colony of Southwest Africa, Walvis Bay was a British South African exclave until the late 20th century, when South Africa returned it to Namibia under international pressure.
Walvis Bay was uniquely important. Its maritime conditions were far superior to those of Swakopmund, which—despite better freshwater access—faced the Atlantic directly with no natural barriers. Walvis Bay, by contrast, was the only true deep-water harbor along 2,000 kilometers of southwest African coast. Thus, both locations were vital to East Africa.
Two months later, Laetania Province finally established contact with the Walvis Bay expedition, and development officially began. Even before that, the East African government had already learned of the Swakop River through reports brought back by returning slave ships.
With both sites deemed valuable, East Africa decided to develop them in parallel. A fortress soon rose at Walvis Bay, and the port retained the name "Whale Bay"—a name Ernst found fitting.
East Africa's bases at Walvis Bay and the Swakop River mouth were quickly discovered by the Cape Colony. The first clue was East Africa's expanding presence north of the Orange River.
Cape Colony authorities were upset. They had planned to seize Walvis Bay next year—only to find East Africa had beaten them to it (historically, Britain colonized Walvis Bay in 1878).
In fact, one awkward incident occurred when British officials arrived to survey what they thought was unclaimed land—only to find a military fortress already built. With no choice, the British returned to Cape Town and reported to their governor.
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