In 1882 a Mr. Adolf Lüderitz (1834-1886) at Bremen, had a plan to create a German colony on the west coast of Africa.
To carry out his plan he put it in the hands of Heinrich Vogelsang, a young Bremer merchant, his suggestions to found a colony at Togo or East Africa, was not accepted by Lüderitz as to unhealthy.
The only other place not claimed or occupied by a foreign country was South West Africa.
A small brig the TILLY 260 tons, was bought by Lüderitz and loaded with stores, rifles, ammunition and provision etc. at Bremen, and send to Cape Town, under command of Capt Karl Timpe were Vogelsangs who sailed already ahead in a steamer, would wait and join her.
He arrived at Cape Town early 1883, and he found out that the British already claimed the two ports on the West coast. In Cape Town he met a mission sons worker who was born in Great Namaqualand, who told him that Angra Pequena was not British but a lovely and free port.
Vogelsang informed Lüderitz that he planed to land in Angra Pequena and on 5 April 1883 he sailed on board of the TILLY from Cape Town, he did not inform the port authorities at Cape Town his real destination and intentions, I believe.
On 8 April the TILLY dropt anchor at Shearwater Bay a bay very near to Angra Pequena. The next day Vogelsang landed at the South West African coast, and with the help of a British guano worker of the Penguin Islands he hired a bush man to carry a letter to the missioner at Bethanien, in which he wrote that his intentions were to found a trading station at Bethanian, and he asked in the letter to send six horses to transport him to Bethanian. In the meantime the cargo was unloaded and de building of houses commenced.
When on 25 April the horses arrived, Vogelsang with some other members set off to visit Bethanien, were negotiations began to buy some land and the port of Angra Pequena from the Hottentot tribe, after a lengthy negotiation the port and adjacent country over a distance of 5 mile were bought for 100 Pound of Sterling in gold and 200 rifles.
The TILLY was lost on a voyage from Bremen, loaded with stores, drilling equipment and windmills. When she entered the port she struck the Angra Reef at the entrance of Angra Pequena on 11th Feb. 1885.
The passengers and crew left the vessel in lifeboats and landed safely.
South West Africa 1987 30c sg484 scott?
South African Philatelist January 1987 as published in Log Book Vol 16 page 156.
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