The South African Naval Museum is a

maritime museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the militar ...

Simon's Town Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern sid ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It contains collections and artefacts related to the maritime history of South Africa and the

South African Navy The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force. The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...

History

The South African Naval Museum at the South African Navy's base in Simon's Town dates back to 1966 when a naval historical collection was displayed at the

Castle of Good Hope The Castle of Good Hope ( nl, Kasteel de Goede Hoop; af, Kasteel die Goeie Hoop) known locally as the Castle or Cape Town Castle is a bastion fort built in the 17th century in Cape Town, South Africa. Originally located on the coastline of ...

Military Museum in Cape Town. In the mid 1970s this collection was transferred to the

Martello Tower Martello towers, sometimes known simply as Martellos, are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up ...

in Simon's Town and, thereafter, to Fort Wynyard where it was enlarged to include a much wider display of naval associated artifacts. With the decentralisation of Museums from the former South African Defence Forces Director Military Museums to the various Arms of Service in June 1987, the South African Navy Museum (Martello Tower) was transferred to the functional control of the South African Navy, while Fort Wynyard was transferred to

Western Province Command Western Province Command was a command (military formation), command of the South African Army. History Origin Union Defence Force Under the Union Defence Force, South Africa was originally divided into 9 military districts. By the 1930s this ...

(Army). Investigations into the establishment of a museum for the South African Navy in Simon's Town were launched during 1988 and it was eventually decided that the most appropriate location for the new museum would be the former Royal Navy Mast House that dates back to 1815 and the adjacent Dutch Store House that dates back to 1743. Both buildings are located in the historic West Yard of Naval Base Simon's Town. The new South African Naval Museum was opened by Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral

Robert Simpson-Anderson Vice-Admiral Robert Claude Simpson-Anderson (born July 1942 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a former Chief of the South African Navy (1 September 199231 October 2000) He joined the Navy in 1964 and completed a BMil. In 1977 he commanded the Navy ...

, on 1 April 1993. The first phase of the new display comprised exhibitions of the historic clock tower and part of the sail loft. The second phase of the development included the utilisation of two display areas on ground level with the history and functioning of the Submarine, Divers and Weapons branch suitably displayed. The South African Navy (SAN) themselves were involved in the conversion of the building to that of a museum.

Displays

Chiefs of the Navy display

The museum's collections include portraits of all nine of the previous Chiefs of the South African Navy, ranging from Admiral

Hugo Biermann Hugo Hendrik Biermann, (6 August 1916 – 27 March 2012) was a senior officer in the South African Navy. He served as Chief of the Navy from 1952 to 1972 and Chief of the South African Defence Force from 1972 until 1976, the only naval offi ...

to Vice Admiral Johan Retief.

Gunnery display

A Mk 6M Gun Director is on display, originally fitted to the President-class Type 12 frigates that were in service with the South African Navy between 1959 and 1985. The two oval shaped radomes contained the Type 275 radar; one for transmitting and the other for receiving. The returned signal provided the range and distance of the target. The analogue computers in the transmitting station would calculate the aim-off and pass on to the selected guns (normally the 4.5 inch gun) for the correct bearing and elevation.

Torpedo and Anti-Submarine display

This exhibit includes a

Westland Wasp The Westland Wasp is a small 1960s British turbine powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland Helicopters, it came from the same P.531 programme as the British Army Westland Scout, and is based on the earlier piston-e ...

helicopter. In October 1963, the first of sixteen Wasp helicopters were delivered to the

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

. Wasp 85 on display was taken on charge on 25 May 1964 and was issued to 22 Flight (later re-designated

22 Squadron SAAF 22 Squadron is a squadron of the South African Air Force. It is currently a maritime helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to ...

) at AFS Ysterplaat. Two South African Navy destroyers, the and were converted to carry helicopter in 1964 and 1966 respectively and fitted with a flight-deck and hangar. Similarly the President (Modified Type 12) class frigates , and were also converted to carry a single Wasp helicopter to be used in an anti-submarine or survey role. The hydrographic survey vessel and fleet replenishment vessel carried the Wasp helicopter in similar fashion. Of the sixteen helicopters delivered, six were lost in service. One particular Wasp that ditched at sea off

Milnerton Milnerton is a seaside suburb on Table Bay and is located north of central Cape Town in South Africa. It is located 11 kilometres to the north of the city's centre. Suburbs Suburbs/ neighbourhoods of the greater Milnerton area include: * Bot ...

was salvaged and rebuilt to fly again. The Wasps were eventually withdrawn from SAAF service in 1990. Wasp 85 on display, was donated to the South African Naval Museum in Simon's Town in 2003 from the

South African Air Force Museum The South African Air Force Museum houses exhibits and restores material related to the history of the South African Air Force. The museum is divided into three locations, AFB Swartkop outside Pretoria, AFB Ysterplaat in Cape Town and at the Por ...

at Ysterplaat.

General Botha display

This exhibit focuses on the South African Training Ship ''General Botha'' (ex ) and its successors, the South African Nautical College GENERAL BOTHA and the South African Merchant Navy Academy GENERAL BOTHA. As a training establishment, GENERAL BOTHA functioned for 67 years to educate and prepare young men as officers for South Africa's Merchant Service and Navy and until 1961, for the British Navy too. GENERAL BOTHA was unquestionably the “cradle” of both the South African Navy and the South African Merchant Service.

Transformation display

The Transformation Display at the SA Naval Museum was officially opened by Flag Officer Fleet, Rear Admiral

Bubele Mhlana Bubele Kitie Mhlana is a South African naval officer. He was born in the Ngangelizwe township in Mthatha. Military career He is a former Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) operative and joined the South African Navy in 1994. He assumed command of the m ...

on Wednesday 11 March 2015. The project was initiated by Vice Admiral

Refiloe Johannes Mudimu Vice Admiral Refiloe Mudimu is a former South African military commander, who served as the Chief of the Navy before his retirement in 2014. Early life Johannes Mudimu was born on 6 March 1954, in Sophiatown. He became a member of the African N ...

shortly after his appointment as Chief of the Navy in 2005. The task was given to the Naval Museum to provide a new display that will tell the story of the transformation of race and gender in the South African Navy through the years. Its purpose was to provide a much needed balance of our history that would make the SA Naval Museum more representative of the entire Navy and its people, as we see it today. The Transformation Display focuses on important landmark events that saw the transformation of the South African Navy, through the years: *The first non-Europeans serving in the naval forces during the Second World War *The involvement of African dockyard workers in Simon's Town through the years *The first appointment of Coloured people into the South African Navy during the 1960s *The inclusion of women in uniform during the early 1970s *The formation of the Indian Training Battalion and SAS ''Jalsena'' during the 1970s *The integration of Non Statutory Forces, Umkhonto we Sizwe and the

Azanian People's Liberation Army The Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), formerly known as Poqo, was the military wing of the Pan Africanist Congress, an African nationalist movement in South Africa. In the Xhosa language, the word 'Poqo' means 'pure'. After attacks on ...

into the South African Navy after 1994 Interwoven with these historic events are the stories of many individuals that lived and died ... *The tragic story of *The valour of

Job Maseko Job Maseko was a South African soldier during World War II, serving in the Native Military Corps as part of the South African 2nd Infantry Division. He was one of many Allied troops captured by the Axis in the surrender of the port of Tobr ...

during the Second World War *The sad loss of

Cape Corps The Cape Corps and its predecessor units were the main military organisations in which the Coloured members of South Africa's population served. History As one of the military units of South Africa with one of the longest histories, the Cape ...

members off Kalkbay in 1965 *The achievements of women in the South African Navy * Umkhonto we Sizwe training in Russia *The South African Navy's integration success story at and the

South African Naval College The South African Naval College provides naval officer training to the South African Navy and is one of three officer training institutions within the South African National Defence Force, the equivalent of the Air Force Gymnasium and the Army G ...

Museum of Submarine Technology

A major exhibit of the museum's is the SAS ''Assegaai'', a ''Daphné'' class

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

. It is the first and thus far only South African Navy submarine to have been converted into a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

. The submarine is currently closed to the public, pending plans for her placement ashore.

Opening Hours

The museum is open seven days a week, daily opening times 09:30-15:30 except Good Friday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Entry is free of charge, but a voluntary donation towards the SA Naval Museum Fund can be made at the reception.

Gallery

SA Naval Museum 01.JPG, Outdoor exhibits SA Naval Museum 5.JPG, Model Frigate SA Naval Museum 63.JPG, Submarine simulator SAS Pietermaritzburg display Naval Museum Simonstown.jpg, display Samn HMS Victory Ship model 01.jpg, model Wasp helicopter in the Naval Museum, Simon's Town.jpg, Carrier-based

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

display Terry-Lloyd uniform SA Naval Museum.jpg, A rear admiral's uniform in South African Navy

References

External links

SA Naval Museum official website
{{Cape Town Maritime museums in South Africa Military and war museums in South Africa Naval museums South African Navy South African heritage sites Museums in Cape Town