SAS Drakensberg (A301)
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SAS Drakensberg
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| History | |
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  South Africa
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| Name: | SAS Drakensberg |
| Namesake: | Drakensberg mountain range |
| Operator: | South African Navy |
| Builder: | Sandock Austral, Durban |
| Laid down: | 30 August 1984 |
| Launched: | 24 April 1986 |
| Commissioned: | 11 November 1987 |
| Status: | in active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Replenishment oiler (AOR) |
| Displacement: | 12,500 tons full load (6,000 tons light) |
| Length: | 147 m (482 ft) |
| Beam: | 19.5 m (64 ft) |
| Draft: | 7.9 m (25.9 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2×6600 kW B&WV12 engines driving a single variable-pitch propeller. Bow thruster |
| Speed: | 21+ knots |
| Range: | 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 14 officers, 101 enlisted |
| Armament: | 4× Oerlikon 20 mm cannon; 6 × 12,7 mm Browning machine guns |
| Aircraft carried: | 2× Atlas Oryx helicopters |
| Aviation facilities: | 2 hangars |
The SAS Drakensberg (A301) is a fleet replenishment ship (AOR) of the South African Navy, with the primary role of assisting and supporting the SAN's combat vessels at sea. Built by the (now defunct) Sandock Austral shipyard in Durban, it is the largest and most sophisticated warship to have been built in South Africa.
The design and shortcomings of the Tafelberg heavily influenced the designers of the Drakensberg. The Drakensberg is able to carry 5 500 tons of diesel fuel, 210 tons of fresh water, 100 tons of dry provisions, over 30 tons of frozen food, 230 tons of containerized cargo or 1 000 tons of palletized and general cargo. The loading and offloading of this cargo is made possible with one 20-ton crane, four 2-ton cranes and a 5-ton hoist, assisted by two lifts of 2.5 and 7.5 tons respectively. Replenishment at sea (RAS) is from two abeam positions or from the RAS deck astern, with the ability to pump 40 tons of fuel per hour and 15 tons of fresh water per hour. In addition, an on-board plant enables the ship to produce 50 000 litres of fresh water from sea water daily.
The ship carries two rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) called 'Stingrays' for small-craft duties, as well as two Delta-80 LCUs for limited amphibious use.
In 1988 the Drakensberg set sail along with the SAS Frans Erasmus for Chile on 15 February, returning to South Africa on 15 April. This was followed two years later in May 1990, when the Drakensberg accompanied the strike craft SAS Jan Smuts and Hendrik Mentz on an epic voyage to Keelung in the Republic of China (Taiwan), without stopping at any ports along the way (a procedure necessitated by South Africa's political isolation at the time). This was the first time since 1945 that a South African naval vessel had "shown the flag" in the Far East; it also provided an opportunity for joint exercises with the Taiwanese Navy.
Under Operation Pullen in 1990, the Drakensberg became the first South African naval vessel to visit the then-Zaire in over 30 years, laying the groundwork for a series of additional visits to African nations, signifying South Africa's gradual return from isolation. The next year, it set sail on a humanitarian relief mission, offloading 630 tons of supplies in Chittagong, Bangladesh and 35 tons of supplies in Mersin, Turkey. In 1992, it became the first SAN vessel to proceed further south than 54 degrees south latitude, in a mission to assist the damaged S. A. Agulhas.
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Wikipedia