SA Naval Heritage Day-by-Day.
28 February:
1942 Field Marshal the Right Honourable J.C. Smuts lays the foundation stones of what was initially termed the South African Naval Training Base but was later named HMSAS Unitie in Cape Town Harbour. The building was designed by the Commanding Officer, Cdr W. Copenhagen. He insisted that the main hall was to be at least as large as the parade ground in the Castle where the unit had been based since 1922. However, as the measurements used in building SAS Unitie were in Cape Feet as opposed to English Feet, the main hall turned out to be bigger than the parade ground. In 1948 the base was handed over to the South African Naval Reserve with SAS Unitie being the home of the Cape Town Citizen Force members until the unit was decommissioned on 25 February 2005. (Photo) The history of SAS Unitie is recounted in the Book Copey's Castle by C.J. Harris and R. Williams, Available for Naval Heritage.
1979 SAS Durban (Lt Cdr A. Absolom) on her return to Simon's Town from Durban is decommissioned for refit. The Durban had been based in Durban for the integration of Indian sailors on to naval vessels.
1982 Lt G.P. Basson assumes command of SAS Fleur.
1983 The Simon's Town Municipality celebrated its centenary with the Trooping of the Colour. The Navy Colour Party was S Lt S. Hattingh, WO2 G. Geldenhuys, CPO P. Hutchinson and CPO F. van Rensburg. C Navy, V Adm A.P. Putter, presents a brass lampstand to the Mayor of Simon's Town, Councillor H. Dilley, at a function held in Simon's Town as part of the centenary celebrations. (Photos)
The SA Navy exercises its Freedom of Simon's Town. Mr. Wiley, Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Fisheries, takes the salute. Also, on the podium were the Mayor of Simon's Town, Mr H. Dilley, V Adm A.P. Putter and Capt R.A. Green, and the Deputy Mayor
1994 South Africa formally transferred sovereignty of Walvis Bay to Namibia. Walvis Bay had remained a South African enclave for eighty-four years, even after South West Africa gained independence as Namibia in 1990. The SAS Outeniqua (Capt J.A.J.B. Vorster) was sent to Walvis Bay earlier in February to load a considerable amount of military equipment following the South African withdrawal from the area. (Photo)
2002 The keel of the third Valour class frigate SAS Spioenkop (Capt D.R. Faure) is laid at the Blohm and Voss Yard in Hamburg, Germany.
2005 V Adm J.F. Retief, PG, SD, SM, MMM, C Navy, retires, and hands command of the Navy to V Adm R. Mudimu, DMG, SM, MMM, MMS, MMB. (Photo)
2006 The first black female Coxswain of a commissioned ship, PO N. Kotlolo, is appointed to the Inshore Patrol Vessel SAS Tern.
2007 The sixth Fleet Performance Improvement Programme (FPIP) Quality Award was presented by Flag Officer Fleet (FOF), R Adm H. Bester. The winning entry was from CPO Bruce Carey of SAS Simonsberg, Diving Centre. His submission, entitled "Master Gauge Connections", would save the Navy an astonishing R542,970.60 each year and would reduce the process man-hours from the usual eight days to only six hours per maintenance cycle.
2008 SAS Protea (Capt A. Blake) sails from Simon’s Town on Operation SIPHELELE. During this operation she visits Emden to uplift spares for the three new Type A209 submarines and then on to Kiel to escort the third submarine, SAS Queen Modjadji 1 (Cdr A. Souma), on her delivery voyage.
2016 Capt K. Packer hands command of SA Naval College to Capt J. Ikaneng.
2025 R Adm J Mbotha(JG) hands command of Naval Base Durban, Salisbury Island to R Adm (JG) N. Howell.
PHOTOs.
Field Marshal the Right Honourable J.C. Smuts accompanied by Cdr W. Copenhagen lays the foundation stone.
VAdm A. Putter and the Mayor of Simon`s Town, Mr Harry Dilley.
Simon's Town Municipality centenary March Past.
The very last South African Ratel being loaded into Outeniqua.