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during Royal Tour of South Africa by Royal Family in 1947. She was also involved in rescuing

survivors from the disabled tanker Esso Wheeling while sailing from Durban to Cape Town.

In February 1949 she towed the disabled steamer SS Pequena from the South Atlantic to Cape

Town. In 1955 she surveyed Gough Island to determine its suitability as a weather station. In
September 1957 she underwent a lengthy refit in Simon’s Town and was recommissioned on

24 August 1960. In 1962 she ferried scientists to Tristan da Cunha. She spent most of her

remaining time doing fishery protection duties and basic maritime training.

In December 1963 she limped home on one engine after breaking a propeller shaft. On 14

August 1964 she was taken out of service and was laid up in Simon’s Town. In 1977 she was
sold as scrap and after being stripped of her non-ferrous metals and valuable fittings. She was

also donated to the False Bay Conservation Society to be sunk as an artificial reef. She was

scuttled in Smitswinkel Bay on 3 August 1978 and lies on an even keel in 34 meters of water.
(Figs. 1.25 & 1.26).

Boom Defence Vessels

SAS Somerset and SAS Fleur

In 1942 the Royal Navy transferred two Bar Class boom defence vessels to South Africa for
boom defence off Saldanha Bay. (Fig. 1.27). These vessels had a 750 ton standard displacement

and 960 ton maximum. They were 150 feet in length (45.72 meters) with a beam of 32 feet

(9.76 meters) and a draught of 11.1 feet (3.37 meters). They were fitted with a single vertical
triple expansion reciprocating steam engine which gave them a speed of 11.75 knots (21.75

kmph). They had a range of 3,000 miles and carried a compliment of 32.

SAS Somerset was laid down on 15 April 1941 and launched on 21 October 1941 as HMS

Barcross. In 1942 she was sent to South Africa for boom defence operations off Saldanha Bay.
In 1943 she was transferred to the South African Naval Forces for the remainder of WW 2. In

1946 South Africa purchased HMS Barcross and used her for the dumping of ammunition off

Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

In 1951 her name was changed to SAS Somerset. For most of her remaining career she was

used in numerous salvage operations and for the raising of sunken vessels. In March 1986 she
was paid off. In 1988 she was donated for use as a museum ship and is moored at the Cape

Town Waterfront. She is the last remaining Bar Class boom defence vessel in the world. (Figs.

1.28 - 1.30).