SAS Spear
| History | |
|---|---|
 South Africa
| |
| Name: | SAS Spear, ex Maria van Riebeeck |
| Namesake: | Maria van Riebeeck |
| Operator: | South African Navy |
| Ordered: | 1967 |
| Builder: | Dubigeon-Normandy shipyard, Nantes |
| Laid down: | 14 March 1968 |
| Launched: | 18 March 1969 by Elize Botha (wife of P.W. Botha) |
| Christened: | Maria van Riebeeck, S97 |
| Completed: | 22 June 1970 |
| Renamed: | SAS Spear (1999) |
| Homeport: | Simon's Town |
| Status: | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Daphné-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 860 tons surface, 700 tons standard, 1034 tons submerged |
| Length: | 57.8 m (190 ft) |
| Beam: | 6.75 m (22.1 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.23 m (17.2 ft) |
| Installed power: | 2 SEMTPielstick 450kW diesel generators, 2 × 80 cell batteries |
| Propulsion: | 2 Jeumont-Schneider elect propulsion motors |
| Speed: | 13.5 knots (25 km/h)surface, 16 knots (30 km/h)submerged |
| Range: | 4,300 nautical miles (8,000 km) at 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h) snorkelling, 2,700 nautical miles (5,000 km) at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) surface |
| Complement: | 6 Officers and 45 Ratings, and 6 to 10 trainees |
| Armament: | 12×550mm torpedoes, 8 Forward and 4 Aft |
The SAS Spear (S97), formerly known as the SAS Maria van Riebeeck, was a Daphné-class submarine of the South African Navy (SAN). It was the SAN's first submarine. It was decommissioned in 2003 and subsequently scrapped.[1]
In 1967,[1] after nearly two years of negotiations, an order was placed with the French Government for three Daphné class submarines. The first of these submarines was the SAS Maria van Riebeek. It was laid down at the Nantes shipyard of Dubigeon-Normandie on 14 March 1968, was launched on 18 March 1969 and completed on 22 June 1970.[2]
On 20 August 1970, Maria van Riebeeck collided with the French submarine Galatée (also a member of the Daphné class) off Toulon. Both submarines were badly damaged, with Galatée being forced to run aground to avoid sinking.[3]
References
- 1 2 "SAS Assegaai to be preserved as museum". defenceWeb. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ↑ Blackman 1971, p. 282.
- ↑ "World's Navy News". Warship International. Vol. VII no. 4. 31 December 1970. pp. 314–315.
- Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1971). Jane's Fighting Ships 1971–72. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd. ISBN 0-354-00096-9.
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