Shaun Benton
5 October 2007
The British and South African Navies continue seeking to strengthen links between themselves, the latest being the visit by nuclear-powered British submarine the HMS Sceptre to South Africa's naval headquarters in Simonstown outside Cape Town.
While British warships have made several visits to SA, including as part of a recent North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) Maritime Group joint exercise, this is the first visit by a Royal Navy submarine in about three years. The HMS Sceptre is on its way back home to England from Australia.
HMS Sceptre commander Jim Perks said on Thursday that the stopover in the country provided an ideal opportunity to build links with the South African Navy, especially with its submarine service.
Though there will not be any training exercises involved in the current visit, discussions between senior officials of the two navies will include the possibility of holding joint exercises some time in the future.
The nuclear-powered submarine, which has been at sea for two weeks since it left Australia, can only stop at a handful of naval bases worldwide, because it requires special berthing facilities.
The HMS Sceptre has been away from the United Kingdom for eight months already and will return to its home base in December.
The stopover by the HMS Sceptre comes at a time when South Africa's submarine capability is being significantly enhanced, with the new German-made S101, the SAS Manthatisi, arriving last year.
During last month's Nato exercise, the SAS Manthatisi reportedly evaded the detection of a joint Nato and South African search parth that consisted of several ships combing the area with radar and sonar equipment.
In what Defence Minister Mosioua Lekota described as an excellent performance, the S101 also managed, in simulation, to "sink" all the ships that were searching for it.
"To be able to frustrate detection by Nato nations is no mean achievement, it speaks of the excellence of the equipment we required for this purpose," Lekota told BuaNews.
He added that this was a sign that the maritime group had a capable partner in Africa.
Although not nuclear-powered, the S101 is a modern submarine and is one of three ordered from Germany as part of the strategic defence package replacing the country's ageing Daphne class submarines.
The HMS Sceptre, on the other hand, is a Swiftsure class vessel that is 32 years old.
Perks said because it is nuclear-powered it could continue a voyage indefinitely, with the acquisition of food being the only reason for the vessel to head to port.
As is protocol on such visits, Perks would be visiting the SA Navy's operational commander, who is based at Simonstown, before introducing himself to the local magistrate and the local councillor, Lieutenant-Commander Prince Tshabalala told BuaNews.
In the meantime, the British submariners serving on the somewhat battered vessel will be enjoying a two-day recreational outing in Cape Town, the HMS Sceptre's second-in-command, Lieutenant-Commander Justin Codd, said.
Source: BuaNews
