THE SA NAVY MUSEUM
Project ASSEGAAI - The Submarine Museum
The SA Navy acquired its first submarines in the early seventies - three Daphne Class boats built in France.
These were operated with great success until the late nineties when their maintenance became more difficult
due to age. With the acquisition of the Type 209s, the Daphnes were withdrawn from service and disposed of
by scrapping. The last to decommission was SAS Assegaai on 23 November 2003.
SAS Assegaai was commissioned as SAS Johanna van der Merwe in 1972 under the command of then
Lt Cdr Theo Honiball. She is 57.8m long with a beam of 6.8m and a surface displacement of 870t and 1045t
when dived. She carried a complement of 6 officers and 45 crew members. With 12 x 550mm torpedo tubes,
she could also carry sea mines. She was renamed SAS Assegaai in the late nineties
Through the efforts of a small group of serving and retired members, the SA Navy agreed to keep her as a
museum exhibit on condition that these enthusiasts funded her preservation and display as an exhibit ashore.
In order to achieve this Assegaai has been converted into a floating museum in Simon's Town harbour for a
period not exceeding two years in order to raise the necessary funds from public donations. The ultimate aim
is to promote technology and the sciences amongst the youth through visits and projects aboard.
The boat is well preserved and open to visitors for guided tours. Bookings for tours can be made with HGTS Tours
at the Simon's Town station - telephone number 0217865243 - or at Jubilee Square at the STADCO office.
The museum is open 7 days a week, from 10h30 to 15h00 in summer and 11h30 to 14h30 in winter.
Please note that there are no toilets facilities aboard.
School and group tours are welcomed.
Tours take approximately one hour. As entry into the boat is by a vertical steel ladder, basic fitness is necessary.
The cost of the guided tour through the boat is R40 (R20 for under 12 yrs), which includes transport to and from the boat.
General enquiries can be made at the Naval Museum at 0217874686.
Press enquiries can be addressed to Arne Söderlund at angel45@iafrica.com or 082 807 8073
SAS Assegaai on-board enquiries - 021 787 5267
