Corvette named 'Isandlwana'

2002-12-05 21:37

Pretoria - Deputy Defence Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge on Thursday named the second of South Africa's four new Meko A200AN corvettes the SAS Isandlwana after the site of a famous Zulu victory over the British in 1879.

Madlala-Routledge christened the corvette at a ceremony at the German Frigate Consortium's Kiel shipyard in Germany, her spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said in Pretoria.

Also present at the ceremony was Defence Secretary January Masilela.

Her sistership was earlier this year named the SAS Amatola by first lady Zanele Mbeki. She was named after the Eastern Cape mountain range used as a natural fortress by the Xhosa during the frontier wars against the British.

Mkhwanazi said the Amatola was expected in South African waters in February or March next year.

It would then be fitted out with its command and control gear, electronics and armament. The process, including acceptance trials, would take about two years, he said. The Amatola was expected to enter service in the second half of 2004, he added.

The Isandlwana and her two, as yet unnamed, sisters, would follow in six-monthly intervals. The R6 917m (priced in 1999) project would be completed by 2005.

Legendary battle

The battle of Isandlwana is the stuff of legends.

On January 1979, Zulu King Cetshwayo sent a 20 000 strong army to attack a British force that had invaded his kingdom. They attacked a British logistics post garrisoned by 822 British and colonial troops and 431 African levies in the shadow of Isandlwana koppie shortly after being discovered by a patrol on January 22.

The post had been placed there by British commander Lord Chelmsford, who was looking for Cetshwayo's army with his own main force.

The attack was short and ferocious. Only a handful of the defenders escaped with their lives.

The defeat of the mainly Welsh troops at Isandlwana is still regarded by military historians as the worst a force armed with rifles has ever suffered from an opponent armed only with spears.

The British Army's Welsh Regiment to this day rather celebrate another feat-of-arms the same day at the nearby Rorke's Drift.

"The Valour Class corvettes are named after some of the most famous battles in South African history. The symbolism, however, is not in the battle itself, and who the victors were, but the extreme valour shown by the forces involved - both the victors and the defeated," Navy spokesperson Commander Brian Stockton said.

Symbolises valour

"The name SAS Isandlwana therefore symbolises the valour of those who participated in this historic battle. It also symbolises the preparedness, on one hand to protect our native soil while, on the other hand, the willingness to protect our country's interests far from home if need be."

The patrol corvettes, in reality light frigates, are multi-purpose and multi-capable vessels for executing various naval missions.

The length of the ships are approximately 121m, their beam 15.8m and their approximate displacement 3 800 ton.

Their combined diesel and gas turbine propulsion will give the ships a speed of up to 27 knots (about 50km/h).

Their range will be around 4 000 nautical miles and their crew-size 100 - with additional space for 20 passengers.

The corvettes are to be the workhorses of the navy. They will be capable of conducting sustained operations and are designed to negotiate the sea conditions found off the South African coast.

Each will carry a single helicopter, which will significantly improve and extend its surveillance, operational and sea rescue capabilities.

Routine tasks

The SA Navy currently has no ships in this class, having lost the last of three Type 12 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigates, the SAS President Pretorius, to obsolescence in 1986.

Routine tasks will include:

Regular patrols for the protection of marine resources against poaching and pollution in the country's Economic Exclusion Zone,

Law enforcement at sea with respect to piracy and the smuggling of drugs, weapons and other contraband,

Search and rescue missions as far south as the Prince Edward island group,

Evacuating of civilians from coastal areas in times of emergency or crisis, and

Providing gunfire and other support for land forces, as well as the transport of limited equipment and personnel in support of land action, especially during peacekeeping missions.

South Africa is the first purchaser of the Meko A200 stealth series, which its builders say has the radar cross section of a vessel half its size, 75% less infrared signature than previous designs as well as a 20% lower life cycle cost, 25% less displacement and 30% fewer crew.

In SAN service, the ships will be armed with a single 76mm rapid-fire gun, several automatic cannon or machine guns, Exocet surface-to-surface missiles and the Denel Kentron vertical launch system Umkhonto point air defence missile.

Radars, optronics and electronics will all be of local manufacture.

The ship's helicopter will give the corvettes an anti-submarine warfare capacity.

In terms of tonnage, more than 95% of South Africa's imports and exports and over 80% in terms of monetary value pass through the country's ports.

The SA Navy's primary function is to ensure that sea-borne trade is not threatened.

- SAPA