| SAS Saldanha Navy Military Base | |
|---|---|
| Part of South African Navy | |
| Saldanha, Western Cape | |
  SAS Saldanha Navy Military Base | |
| Coordinates | 33°01′14″S18°00′13″E / 33.0205°S 18.0035°E |
| Type | Training base |
| Site information | |
| Owner | SA NAVY |
| Open to the public | No |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Captain (SAN) Madonsela |
SAS Saldanha is a South African Navy training base in Saldanha Bay.
In 1941, as a result of increased pressure on Table Bay, a new Allied harbour was sought. Saldanha Bay, with its sheltered moorings, was the ideal location.
The South African Seaward Defence Force and a minesweeping flotilla were established in 1942 for seaward and harbour protection. On Baviaanskop, Elands Bay, Malgaskop and Hoedjiespunt, 6-inch and 12-inch guns were installed. Anti-submarine nets were laid in North Bay, and eight lines of moored mines and a control centre on land protected the entrance of Saldanha Bay. Members of the South African Women's Auxiliary Naval Services, previously known as SWANS, manned the controls and detection equipment.
All the British living quarters became the property of the SA Navy on 14 June 1944. In 1948 the training establishment HMSAS Field Marshal Smuts moved from Saldanha to Salisbury island in Durban. However, the base at Saldanha soon reverted to a training base in 1951 when the Naval Gymnasium was set up with 44 trainees reporting for a year's training. [1]
Before the unit was christened SAS Saldanha on 1 March 1956, it was known as the "Naval and Marine Gymnasium" and "SAS Drommedaris." With the implementation of 12 months compulsory National Service, SAS Saldanha started training recruits from both the National Service and the Permanent Force.
In May 1989 SAS Saldanha became a naval base with the added responsibility to still function as a unit. This was maintained until 1990 when, due to rationalisation, it reverted to a pure training unit.
The training that currently takes place at SAS Saldanha are the courses listed below, trainees also do Seamanship training at the JETTY, where they are thought swimming, rafting, and survival tactics. [2]
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The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force.
Saldanha Bay is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality in 2000. The current population of the municipality is estimated at 72,000.
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Wingfield Aerodrome was first the Cape Town Municipal Aerodrome, then Air Force Station Wingfield under the SAAF, before being used as a Fleet Air Arm base by the Royal Navy. After World War II, the aerodrome reverted to being the municipal airport for a while. The history of Wingfield is synonymous with the history of flight in South Africa, including pioneering attempts at commercial aviation.
SAS Somerset was a Bar-class boom defence vessel of the South African Navy, formerly preserved as a museum ship in Cape Town. It was scrapped in April 2024. Formerly HMS Barcross, it operated in Saldanha Bay, was transferred to South Africa Naval Forces during World War II, and was purchased by South Africa in 1947.
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The South African Army Training Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army training units. The Formation was established in April 1999 and mandated to provide, maintain and sustain landward common training to the SA Army.
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Anthony Neville Howell is a retired Rear Admiral of the South African Navy. After completing school at Fish Hoek High School in 1964, he joined the Navy in 1965. He trained at the Naval Gymnasium in Saldanha and Naval College. He completed a B. Mil degree at the South African Military Academy in 1968 and then volunteered for submarines. He was Communications Officer on the SAS Maria van Riebeeck, and served in SAS Emily Hobhouse as Detection and Weapons Officer, First Lieutenant. He commanded the submarine SAS Maria van Riebeeck from 1970-1980. From 1981 to 1983. Director Naval Personnel Plans at Naval HQ during 1986-1989. He was the Officer Commanding South African Naval College from 1989 to 1992. In 1993 he was promoted to Commodore and appointed Chief of Naval Staff Plans. In 1998 he was appointed Director Naval Acquisition before being promoted to rear admiral on 1 April 1999 with appointment as Chief Director Maritime Warfare. He retired from the Navy on 31 July 2001
Operation Nobilis was a special forces and naval operation in 1984 by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War. Its objective was the destruction of three Angolan OSA missile boats in Luanda harbour with alternative targets of other Angolan naval or commercial transport vessels in the military harbour.
SAS Skilpad was a mine-layer vessel of the South African Navy during and after the Second World War. She was launched as the German trawler Polaris and after being captured by the Allies in 1940, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy as a war-prize and named HMS Spindrift. During the course of the war she was transferred to the South African Naval Forces, being based in Saldanha Bay and later in Durban. After being kept in storage for several years after the end of the war, she sank at her moorings in Durban during a gale in 1953, leading to her being decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1957.
http://www.ruraldevelopment.gov.za/about-us/narysec#.XFRO3YoaLIU
| Leadership | |
|---|---|
| Frigates | |
| Submarines | |
| Patrol Vessels | |
| Support vessels | |
| Mine hunters | |
| Bases and units | |
| History | |
| Operations and exercises | |
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