The South African
The move of a former South African Navy Daphne-class submarine from the Dockyard to its permanent display site at the new annex of the Naval Museum in Simon's Town must rank as one of the most significant achievements in local ship preservation and can only be described as truly monumental. This mega move was carried out by the heavy lift contractor Vanguard during July and involved a complex overland move of the 58 metre submarine with its estimated weight of almost 700 tons.
Front cover photographs
Magazine cover
SAS Assegaai out of the water on her way to the plinths
where she will become the first Submarine Museum in Africa.
Inside front cover
The sheer size of the submarine overwhelms the bogeys.
For comparison, an 18 wheeler truck is the largest non-abnormal vehicle
we usually see on our roads. The front bogey alone consisted of 18 AXLES,
each of which was carrying 8 wheels.
That means 144 tyred wheels on the front bogey alone!
Preparations for the move had already commenced in November 2022 with the laying of foundations on the new site for the mounting of the submarine, followed by the fabrication and fitting of lifting frames on the hull which was sponsored and carried out by Damen Shipyard and facilitated by Armscor Dockyard. On 25 June this year all preparations on the submarine were complete and SAS Assegaai was finally moved to a position from which it could be lifted by the Vanguard hydraulic lifting platforms.
Nine stages in moving SAS Assegaai from
the syncro-lift A to her display plinths J
Assegaai ready to start the move
Stage point A
The move itself was not without its challenges and tested the resolve of both the project team, dockyard workers and Vanguard, but all were reminded that "calm seas do not make skilled sailors!" At the first attempt, on the 8th of July, the submarine came off the blocks in the afternoon and the trek towards the museum site commenced.
Assegaai bogey removal
Stage point A-B
But at the first 90-degree turn, it became apparent that the loading frames were not sufficiently compatible with the load points of the moving gear.
Assegaai unplanned stop
Stage point D
The move was halted, and the submarine made safe. The frames had to be strengthened in the required areas which required more time, steel and welders. A new schedule had to be drawn up with the inclement weather of July adding to the challenge.
Assegaai frame strengthening
Stage point D
But the NHT project team persisted with great resolve and thanks to great cooperation from the Navy, Dockyard and Vanguard the mega-move was successfully completed over two days on 19 and 20 July.
Assegaai starboard aft frame
Stage point B
This move brought an end to the first phase in the preservation of the submarine as a museum - a joint venture between the SA Navy and the Naval Heritage Trust (NHT). Two years earlier, in May 2022, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Navy and the NHT, which was entrusted with the ambitious project. The NHT project team comprised an experienced group of former naval flag and senior officers, many of whom had served in the Daphne class submarines. Although the Navy fully supports the project all the required funding must be raised through the NHT. The move was made possible thanks to generous support from more than 150 public sponsors and donors, which culminated in a substantial grant from the City of Cape Town.
Now with the vessel secured on site, electrical power will be connected, access doors and stairs will be installed and the interior prepared for visitors. Once the museum facilities have been completed and the submarine declared safe the submarine will be opened for visitors before the end of the year. The final phase, the restoration of the exterior of the hull, will be carried out once further funding has been raised.
SAS Assegaai will be the only preserved naval museum vessel in South Africa and the only submarine museum in Africa.
About the Author
Commander Leon Steyn is a military historian and Curator of the South African Naval Museum in Simon's Town. He has contributed to the Military History Journal and other journals on the themes of South African aviation and naval history.
Short History
SAS Johanna van der Merwe (pennant number S99) and referred to as "Johanna" was one of three Daphne-class submarines in service with the South African Navy. She was laid down in Nantes, France on 24 April 1969, launched on 21 July 1970 and commissioned on 27 August 1971. The submarine arrived in Simon's Town on 19 June 1972.
It was renamed SAS Assegaai in 1997. The submarine was decommissioned in 2003 and was retained by the Navy for preservation as part of its Naval Museum.
The arrival of the submarine in the nineteen-seventies
Lowering the submarine on its plinths
(stage point J) left the minimum of clearance.
In fact, the team had to devise a quick plan to
accommodate the submarine’s protruding tracker dome.
(photo: Navy News).
All other photographs courtesy of SA Navy Museum / Naval Heritage Trust.
Photographs inside the hard copy Journal are only in black and white.
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