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For other naval ship classes of the same name, see River class (disambiguation).
SAS Umzimkulu
Class overview
NameRiver class
BuildersAbeking & Rasmussen and Sandock-Austral
Operators South African Navy
Preceded by Ton-class minesweeper
Built4
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics [1]
TypeMinehunter
Displacement390  t (380 long tons)
Length48.0 m (157.5 ft)
Beam8.5 m (27.9 ft)
Draught2.5 m (8.2 ft)
Propulsion
  • 2 × MTU 12V TB81 diesels, 2 shaft
  • 3,367 kW (4,515 hp)
Speed16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement40
Armament

The River class is a class of four minehunters built for the South African Navy. They have a secondary role as Inshore Patrol Vessels.

Development

In order to circumvent United Nations military sanctions during the apartheid-era, the minehunters were originally ordered and operated by the Department of Transport and designated as research vessels. [2] The initial names of the vessels were Navors (Afrikaans for 'research'), and numbered 1 to 4.

Ordered in 1978, the first vessel, Navors I, was shipped to Durban from Germany in June 1980 for fitting out, shortly followed by the Navors II. [3] The second pair were constructed in Durban. The vessels were painted blue with white upper works and formed the First Research Squadron.

In 1982, the four vessels were renamed after South African rivers but continued to fly the national flag rather than the naval ensign.

Only in February 1988 was the prefix RV changed to SAS when they were formally accepted as naval ships. [2]

Current status

As of 2022, two River-class vessels are still in service with the South African Navy, however, they are believed to have lost their mine-hunting capabilities due to the retirement of the antiquated PAP104 autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).

Whilst still maintaining a decompression chamber for operational diving, the River class are now deployed on general coastal defence duties, and are equipped with a single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, two 12.7 mm machine guns, and a RHIB for boarding operations.

Name Previous Names Pennant Commissioned [1] Notes
SAS Umkomaas RV Navors I M1499 13 January 1981 Named after the Umkomaas River
SAS Umgeni RV Navors II M1213 1 March 1981 Named after Umgeni River
SAS Umzimkulu RV Navors III M1142 30 October 1981 Named after Umzimkulu River
SAS Umhloti RV Navors IV M1212 15 December 1981 Named after Umhloti River close to Durban, South Africa

See also

Citations

  1. ^ a b Saunders 2002, p. 639.
  2. ^ a b Wessels, Andre. "The South African Navy during the years of conflict in Southern Africa 1966-1989" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  3. ^ "Mine Warfare Forces". Archived from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2014.

References

  • Saunders, Stephen (2002). Jane's Fighting Ships 2002–2003. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN  0-7106-24328.
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