SAS_Amatola_(F145)

SAS <i>Amatola</i>

SAS Amatola

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SAS Amatola (F145) is the first of four Valour-class frigates for the South African Navy by the European South African Corvette Consortium.

Quick Facts History, South Africa ...

Amatola, in keeping with a naming convention depicting acts of valour, was named after the Amatola mountain range in the Eastern Cape area where British forces fought the Xhosa nation in late 1852. Mrs Zanele Mbeki (wife of then President Thabo Mbeki), named the vessel at the Blohm & Voss Thyssen Rheinstahl, Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Thales shipyards in Germany just after noon on 7 June 2002.[2]

Construction

The vessels of the class were manufactured by the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), consisting of the German Frigate Consortium (Blohm+Voss, Thyssen Rheinstahl and Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft), African Defence Systems (part of the French Thales defence group) and a number of South African companies.[3]

The ships were built to the MEKO modular design concept, and are designated by the manufacturer as the MEKO A-200SAN class. Some controversy exists as to the class type of the vessel, with both the manufacturer and the South African Navy referring to her as a "corvette", but other similar vessels in other navies being referred to as frigates. Some have claimed that the use of the word "corvette" was a political decision made by the South African government to ease criticism of the procurement of the vessels.

SAS Amatola was built at the Blohm + Voss shipyards in Hamburg, Germany, and she arrived in South Africa on 4 June 2003.[1] She was next fitted out with her various weapons and electronic systems, and weapons integration trials were begun in October 2004. This was followed by the warship's commissioning on 16 February 2006.

On 7 April 2006 Amatola arrived from Kiel after accompanying the submarine Manthatisi to Simon's Town on her maiden voyage.[4]

Status

According to a presentation made to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence by Rear Admiral B.K. Mhlana, Deputy Chief of the Navy in May 2023, Amatola had been scheduled for a refit since 2018 but no work had been done to date. Her mid-life update, originally scheduled for 2024, had been postponed to 2027. The admiral described the ship as effectively non-operational until a refit could be completed.[5]

Notable Deployments

During 2007, this vessel became the first South African frigate in decades to take part in the Royal Navy's Basic Operational Sea Training (BOST) programme,[6] however without any embarked Super Lynx 300 helicopters, since these had not been delivered by the Westland company at the time.

More information Deployment ...

References

  1. [1]
    Valour-class Frigates
  2. [2]
    South African Navy Ships Archived 25 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. [3]
    MEKO A Class Combat Ship Family – Naval Technology
  4. [4]
    Warrior queen arrives in Simon's Town – South Africa | IOL News | IOL.co.za
  5. [5]
    "SA Navy's repair and maintenance of Frigates and Submarines; Status Update on Projects BIRO and HOTEL; with Deputy Minister". Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  6. [6]
    http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=89864%5B%5D
  7. [7]
    Surprise as Navy Opts for Fifth Corvette [Business Day, 2006-09-12]
  8. [8]
    Ports & Ships Maritime News
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    SA sub causes red faces in Nato exercise
  10. [10]
    German ships here for joint exercise Operation Good Hope III
  11. [11]
    "The South African Air Force".
  12. [12]
    Operação IBSAMAR I Archived 3 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  13. [13]
    30 « July « 2008 « Marine BizTV
  14. [14]
    Exercise ATLASUR VIII: South Africa to South America Archived 28 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  15. [15]
    "Forces gather for Good Hope IV". 16 February 2010.
  16. [16]
    "Good Hope V underway – sort of". 7 March 2012.
  17. [17]
    "South African Navy readies for exercise Atlasur IX". 6 September 2012.
  18. [18]
    "Rough seas delay Ibsamar III naval exercise". 16 October 2012.
  19. [19]
    Martin, Guy (20 March 2014). "Operation Copper now only with SA and Mozambique". defenceweb.co.za. defenceweb. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
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