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a compliment of 33. A total of 119 of these mine-sweepers were built, of which 10 were

purchased by the SA Navy. All were named after South African towns. SAS Kaapstad, SAS
Windhoek, SAS Port Elizabeth, SAS Johannesburg, SAS Kimberley, and SAS Mosselbaai

were scrapped in the late 1980s.

The SAS Pretoria was used as a museum ship for some years, after which she began to

deteriorate and in 2010 she was cut up. The SAS East London was sold to an Italian film

company. The SAS Walvis Bay was sold to Walt Disney Company to portray the r/v Belafonte
in The life of Aquatic. She was later converted into a motor yacht in Dubai. The SAS Durban

was undergoing restoration at Port Natal Maritime Museum when, on 29 June 2020, she sank
alongside her berth in shallow water. (Fig. 1.52).

Type 12 Whitby Class Frigates

Three Type 12 President Class frigates were built in the UK for the SAN. The President Class

had a displacement of 2,200 tons at standard load and 2,647 tons at deep load. They were

powered by a pair of English electric-geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft
using steam from two boilers. The turbines developed 30,000 shaft horsepower, giving a

maximum speed of 30 knots (56kmph or 35 mph). They had a range of 4,500 nautical miles
(8,300 km) at 12 knots (22 kmph or 14 mph). Each ship carried a crew of 14 officers and 200

ratings. (Fig. 1.53).

SAS President Kruger

She was purchased in October 1962 and was the first of three frigates in this class. (Fig. 1.54).

She spent most of her career in training and making visits to foreign ports in Africa, western
Europe and the United States. She played a minor role in the South African Border War,

conducting patrol operations off the Angolan coast.

On 18 February 1982 she was conducting submarine exercises for the submarine officer-

commanding course with SAS President Pretorius, SAS Emily Hobhouse and SAS Tafelberg.

During an early morning manoeuvre, and about two-thirds of a way through her turn, the
operations room lost radar contact with SAS Tafelberg in the clutter. The high definition radar

was broken and the ship was using the less precise search radar. The officer of the watch was

unable to recover the situation and SAS Tafelberg’s bow struck SAS President Kruger’s port
side at 03h55.