The South African Naval Museum is a maritime museum in Simon's Town , South Africa . It contains collections and artefacts related to the maritime history of South Africa and the South African Navy .
31-685: 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 Military Museum in Cape Town. In the mid 1970s this collection was transferred to the Martello Tower in Simon's Town and, thereafter, to Fort Wynyard where it was enlarged to include a much wider display of naval associated artifacts. With
62-491: A church, bakery, various workshops, living quarters, shops, and cells, among other facilities. The yellow paint on the walls was originally chosen because it lessened the effect of heat and the sun. A wall, built to protect citizens in case of an attack, divides the inner courtyard, which also houses the De Kat Balcony, which was designed by Louis Michel Thibault with reliefs and sculptures by Anton Anreith . The original
93-518: A single Wasp helicopter to be used in an anti-submarine or survey role. The hydrographic survey vessel SAS Protea and fleet replenishment vessel SAS Tafelberg 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 was salvaged and rebuilt to fly again. The Wasps were eventually withdrawn from SAAF service in 1990. Wasp 85 on display,
124-512: Is a bastion fort built in the 17th century in Cape Town , South Africa. Originally located on the coastline of Table Bay , following land reclamation the fort is now located inland. In 1936 the Castle was declared a historical monument (now a provincial heritage site ) and following restorations in the 1980s it is considered the best preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort. Built by
155-527: Is a garden which the Company has laid out; I would love it to be in a corner at Versailles . As far as the eye can see there are walks of orange and lemon trees, vegetable gardens, espaliers , and dwarf trees, the whole interspersed with fresh-water springs...". During his stay, de Choisy met with the Dutch Commissioner-General and a French chevalier named de Saint-Martin , whilst other members of
186-515: Is named. During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), part of the castle was used as a prison, and the former cells remain to this day. Fritz Joubert Duquesne , later known as the man who killed Kitchener and the leader of the Duquesne Spy Ring , was one of its more well-known residents. The walls of the castle were extremely thick, but night after night, Duquesne dug away the cement around
217-619: The Dutch East India Company between 1666 and 1679, the Castle is the oldest existing building in South Africa. It replaced an older fort called the Fort de Goede Hoop which was constructed from clay and timber and built by Jan van Riebeeck upon his arrival at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652. Two redoubts , Redoubt Kyckuit (Lookout) and Redoubt Duijnhoop (Duneheap) were built at the mouth of
248-689: The Salt River in 1654. The purpose of the Dutch settlement in the Cape was to act as a replenishment station for ships passing the treacherous coast around the Cape on long voyages between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). During 1664, tensions between Great Britain and the Netherlands rose amid rumours of war. That same year, Commander Zacharias Wagenaer , successor to Jan van Riebeeck,
279-825: The South African Naval College and spent 9 months attending the International Principal Warfare Officer (A) course with the British Royal Navy. He commanded the Valour Class Frigate SAS ; Isandlwana (F146) in 2007 In 2009 he attended the United States Naval War College He then commanded SAS Mendi (F148) as well as serving as Commander of the Frigate Squadron He
310-685: The 1980s making the Castle the best preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort. The Castle acted as local headquarters for the South African Army in the Western Cape , and today houses the Castle Military Museum and ceremonial facilities for the traditional Cape Regiments . The Castle is also the home of the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment , a mechanised infantry unit. The Cape Heritage Museum, located within
341-590: The British Navy too. GENERAL BOTHA was unquestionably the “cradle” of both the South African Navy and the South African Merchant Service. The Transformation Display at the SA Naval Museum was officially opened by Flag Officer Fleet, Rear Admiral Bubele Mhlana on Wednesday 11 March 2015. The project was initiated by Vice Admiral Refiloe Johannes Mudimu shortly after his appointment as Chief of
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#1733093313833372-543: 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
403-579: 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 (Army). Investigations into the establishment of a museum for the South African Navy in Simon's Town were launched during 1988 and it
434-459: The distinctive shape of the pentagonal castle was used on South African Defence Force flags, formed the basis of some rank insignia of major and above, and was used on South African Air Force aircraft. Bubele Mhlana Rear Admiral Bubele Kitie Mhlana is the current serving Deputy Chief of the South African Navy, he was also the longest serving Flag Officer Fleet . He has had numerous Commands of South African warships including being
465-623: The first black South African naval Officer to Command a Valour-class Frigate , the SAS ISANDLWANA F146, then later SAS MENDI F148. He was born in the Ngangelizwe township in Mthatha . He is a former Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) operative and joined the South African Navy in 1994. He assumed command of the minesweeper SAS Kapa in 2003 In 1999 he attended the Officers Course at
496-542: The gated entry replaced the old entrance, which had faced the sea. A bell tower, situated over the main entrance, was built in 1684—the original bell, the oldest in South Africa, was cast in Amsterdam in 1697 by the East-Frisian bellmaker Claude Fremy , and weighs just over 300 kilograms (660 lb). It was used to announce the time, as well as warning citizens in case of danger, since it could be heard 10 kilometres away. It
527-482: The historic Castle of Good Hope in South Africa, is curated by Mr. Igshaan Higgins. This museum provides an inclusive narrative of South Africa's history, highlighting the interactions among different communities such as the Khoi, San, and Dutch, through various epochs including colonialism and apartheid. It aims to offer a balanced reflection on the nation's diverse heritage and complex past. Prior to being replaced in 2003,
558-510: 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. The museum's collections include portraits of all nine of
589-542: The party hunted locally for " partridges , roe deer and turtledoves ". The Commissioner-General added small suckling pigs and wine from the Canary Islands to their rations, indicative of the stock they kept. de Choisy noted that at the time, more than 25 of the Dutch East India Company ships were stopping annually at the Cape to take on provisions of sheep, wine, fruit and vegetables. The fortress housed
620-533: The previous Chiefs of the South African Navy, ranging from Admiral Hugo Biermann to Vice Admiral Johan Retief . 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
651-496: The public, pending plans for her placement ashore. 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. Castle of Good Hope The Castle of Good Hope ( Dutch : Kasteel de Goede Hoop ; Afrikaans : Kasteel die Goeie Hoop )
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#1733093313833682-499: 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. This exhibit includes a Westland Wasp helicopter. In October 1963, the first of sixteen Wasp helicopters were delivered to the South African Air Force . Wasp 85 on display was taken on charge on 25 May 1964 and
713-426: The stones with an iron spoon. He nearly escaped one night, but a large stone slipped and pinned him in his tunnel. The next morning, a guard found him unconscious but alive. In 1936, the Castle was declared an historical monument (from 1969 known as a national monument and since 1 April 2000 a provincial heritage site ), the first site in South Africa to be so protected. Extensive restorations were completed during
744-454: The transformation of the South African Navy, through the years: Interwoven with these historic events are the stories of many individuals that lived and died ... A major exhibit of the museum's is the SAS Assegaai , a Daphné class submarine . It is the first and thus far only South African Navy submarine to have been converted into a museum ship . The submarine is currently closed to
775-419: Was also rung to summon residents and soldiers when important announcements needed to be made. The French author François-Timoléon de Choisy was part of a party who resupplied at the fort in June 1685 on their way to Siam , and described the building thus: "The fortress is very attractive. The dwellings consist of houses mostly covered in thatch, but so clean and so white that you know they are Dutch. There
806-479: Was built in 1695, but rebuilt in its current form between 1786 and 1790. From the balcony, announcements were made to soldiers, slaves and burghers of the Cape. The balcony leads to the William Fehr Collection of paintings and antique furniture. The collection is administered by Iziko Museums of South Africa . It was briefly home to Lady Anne Barnard , after whom one of the Castle function rooms
837-935: Was donated to the South African Naval Museum in Simon's Town in 2003 from the South African Air Force Museum at Ysterplaat. This exhibit focuses on the South African Training Ship General Botha (ex HMS Thames ) 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
868-431: 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 , on 1 April 1993. The first phase of
899-472: Was instructed by Commissioner Isbrand Goske to build a pentagonal fortress out of stone. The first stone was laid on 2 January 1666. The fortress was partially built by slave labour. The VOC was unsure about the size of the local population groups and thus feared a revolt if they enslaved them; instead they brought in up to 60,000 enslaved people from Madagascar, Mozambique, the Dutch-Indies, and India. Work
930-476: Was interrupted frequently because the Dutch East India Company was reluctant to spend money on the project. On 26 April 1679, the five bastions were named after the main titles of William III of Orange-Nassau : Leerdam to the west, with Buuren , Katzenellenbogen , Nassau, and Oranje clockwise from it. The names of these bastions have been used as street names in suburbs in various provinces, but primarily of Cape Town, such as Stellenberg, Bellville . In 1682
961-584: Was issued to 22 Flight (later re-designated 22 Squadron SAAF ) at AFS Ysterplaat . Two South African Navy destroyers, the SAS ; Simon van der Stel and SAS Jan van Riebeeck 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 SAS President Kruger , SAS President Steyn and SAS President Pretorius were also converted to carry