South African Navy
The South African Navy is the navy of the South African National Defence Force. The role of the South African Navy is to conduct naval operations in defence of the Republic of South Africa.
| South African Navy | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1851[Note 1] |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 7,702[1] (active) 1,000 (reserve) |
| Part of |  South African NDF |
| Garrison/HQ | Saldanha Bay, Simon's Town, Durban, South Africa |
| Green and white | |
| Commanders | |
| Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs | Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula |
| Chief of the Navy | Vice Admiral Mosuwa Samuel Hlongwane |
| Master at Arms of the Navy | Senior Chief Warrant Officer Matee Molefe[2] |
| Notable commanders | ADM Hugo Biermann |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
| Jack |  |
The current organisation of the South African Navy dates back to 1 April 1922, when the South African Naval Service (SANS) was created. (However, colonial naval volunteer units date back as far as 1861.) The South African Naval Service was later expanded and renamed to the South African Naval Forces (SANF). In 1951, the South African Naval Forces was renamed to the South African Navy and the ship title HMSAS (His Majesty's South African Ship) was changed to SAS (South African Ship) one year later.
Strength
The South African Navy has a strength of 6,104 active military personnel. The navy is divided into a Combat Fleet and a Support Fleet. The Combat Fleet is made up of five Valour-class frigates, three Heroine-class submarines, three Warrior-class patrol vessels, three T-class patrol vessels, three River-class mine countermeasures vessels, and twenty-one Namacurra-class harbour patrol boats. The Support Fleet is made up of one replenishment vessel, one Hecla-class survey vessel, and three tugboats. The navy also includes an infantry-trained special forces unit called the Maritime Reaction Squadron (MRS).
SAS Immortelle, circa 1935
Members of the South African Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve serving on board HMS Nelson during the Second World War
Template:SAS in British service as HMS Wessex
Template:SAS docked at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
South African submarines Template:SAS and Template:SAS, accompanies the United States Navy Los Angeles-class submarine USS San Juan (center), into False Bay in Simon's Town, South Africa on 4 November 2009
The Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 in formation with South African navy warships Template:SAS, Template:SAS and the submarine Template:SAS while participating in Exercise Amazolo
South African Navy command organogram
A view of Simon's Town and the naval base
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References
- ↑ Port Elizabeth Naval Volunteer Brigade that was raised in 1861
- ↑ Helfrich, Kim. "SANDF not meeting staffing targets". defenceweb.co.za. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
- ↑ Wingrin, Dean (2 February 2018). "New Master-At-Arms for the Navy". Defenceweb. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.