LOCH-Class Anti-Submarine Frigate ordered from Harland and Wolff at Belfast on 2nd May 1943 and to be named LOCH ARD. She was laid down on
20th
January 1944. This ship was
launched by Miss D Newman on 2nd August 1944 as the first RN ship to carry this name. Fitting-out
was carried out at Renfrew on the Clyde by Lobnitz, and during this period she was transferred to the
South African Naval Defence Force (SANF) and renamed HMSAS TRANSVAAL. Build was
completed on 21st May 1945 and deployment for service with the Eastern Fleet
based at Trincomalee was intended. Two other LOCH Class Frigates, HMS LOCH
BOISDALE and HMS LOCH CREE were also presented to the South African Naval Force
and renamed HMSAS GOOD HOPE and HMSAS NATAL.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
None
H e r a l d i c D a t a
TRANSVAAL
Badge: On a Field Vert,
an octagon Or embelished and with wheels Sable,
tented
Argent: with a circular border of cable
Or, ensigned with the
crest of
the Arms of the Republic of South Africa Proper, upon a tablet
Or,
bearing the word TRANSVAAL in letters vert.
D e t a i
l s o f S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search
1 9 4 5
May
Contractors
Trials.
Commanding Officer: Lt. Cdr H E
Fougstad SANF
21st - Build
completion.
22nd - Commissioned
for service as HMSAS TRANSVAAL.
23rd - Acceptance
Trials in Clyde area.
June
On completion
of storing, weapon trials and calibrations took passage to Tobermory to work-up with other new RN escorts preparing for convoy
defence duties.
July
Sailed from
Clyde and made independent passage to Simonstown.
August
After VJ Day
intended deployment with Eastern Fleet was cancelled the ship was nominated for transport of South African personnel from
Middle East to return to South Africa.
September
Passage to Suez
to embark personnel for passage to Durban.
October to
December
Repatriation
deployment in continuation.
1 9 4 6
January to
March
Repatriation
duties in continuation.
April
Resumed
operational deployment with reduced complement and took part in training exercises. (Note:
During this period the future of the South African Defence Forces was under active consideration and the problem of manning
was acute.)
May
1st - South
African Naval Force established as a permanent branch of the defence forces of South Africa. New
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Commander J K Mallory appointed.
June
(no information)
July to December
Deployed for
local training.
1 9 4 7
January
Prepared for
duties associated with Royal visit by HM King George VI and HM Queen Elizabeth.
February
Deployed as
Guardship at East London, Port Elizabeth and Durban during Royal visits.
March
Deployed as
Host Ship at Durban during Royal visit.
3rd - Embarked
Princess Elizabeth in Durban to open new dry-dock.
April
Took part in
Operation TOT SIENS, the farewell to the Royal Family when leaving Cape Town in HM Battleship VANGUARD.
May
Deployed for
local duties and training in South African waters.
June to
November
SAN deployment
in continuation.
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant
Commander J Fairbairn appointed in July
December
Prepared for
Operation SNOEKTOWN and embarked stores and special equipment
21st - Sailed
from Cape Town to Marion Island with specialist personnel and stores for SNOEKTOWN landings.
(Note:
This operation was intended to forestall any landings by foreign powers in view of the strategic position of the territories
since they were ideally suited for use as
missile firing positions.)
25th - Sighted Marion
Island
29th - Landed
annexation party after delay by weather conditions.
(Note:
Brass plate secured to cairn of stones to record the event and a Deed of
Sovereignty
left in cylinder adjacent to cairn. Formal Annexation Ceremony carried out prior to
permanent occupation on 4th January 1948.)
1 9 4 8
January
4th - Landing
of personnel completed and sailed for Prince Edward Island. Island formally annexed and brass plate left with
brass plate and Deed of Sovereignty.
Returned to Marion Island before sailing to Capetown.
February
12th - Passage
to Marion Island with mail and stores.
15th - Arrived
at Marion Island to relieve HMSAS GOOD HOPE as support ship.
March
2nd - Took
return passage from Marion Island to resume normal duties.
April to
October
Deployed for
training exercises and visits with SAN frigates.
November
4th - Dispatched
from East London to assist tanker ESSO WHEELING aground on Quoin Point, Cape Province and rescued Master and 41
other from Lifeboats. (Note: This was
carried out difficult conditions.)
16th - Taken in
hand for refit.
December
Under refit
14th - Refit
completion.
Resumed SAN duties on completion of
post refit trials.
New Commanding Officer: Lt. Cdr J J
Rice VRD.
1 9 4 9
January
15th - Visited
Tristan da Cunha
February
2nd - Delayed
departure for return passage due to radio equipment defect
3rd - When
spare arrived from Simons Town and equipment repaired, despatched to assist mv PEQUENA, Support Ship for Tristan da Cuhna
which was disabled
without rudder .
5th - Met
PEQUENA and established tow, which later parted.
6th - Tow
re-established.
9th - Arrived
at Capetown with PEQUENA.
12th - Resumed
local duties.
March to June
SAN local
duties and exercises in continuation
July
Visited Durban.
August
SAN duties in
continuation.
September to
October
Deployed at
Saldadana Bay.
November
4th - Taken in
hand for refit.
December
12th - Refit
completion and commenced post refit trials.
1 9 5 0
January to June
Resumed SAN
local duties on completion of trials. Nominated
for reduction to Reserve status.
July
Paid-off and
reduced to Reserve. Laid-up at Durban.
August
Laid-up at Durban
September to
October
Brought forward
for service and deployed for exercises in Cape area.
Commanding
Officer: Lt. Cdr J Johnson.
November
Routine
docking.
December
Prepared for
passage to Australia for official visit to Royal Australian Navy during Jubilee celebrations.
26th - Sailed
from Durban for Amsterdam Island.
1 9 5 1
January
10th - Arrived
at Fremantle from Amsterdam Island. Official
calls exchanged and social entertainment arranged.
29th - Arrived
at Sydney
30th - Took
part in exercises based at Jervis Bay with RAN, Pakistan and Indian warships. (Note:
HM Submarine TACITURN provided anti-submarine training.)
February
Took part in
further exercises before visits to Melbourne and Adelaide. Ship's company attended parades at Adelaide and
Melbourne where shore visits were arranged.
Ship open to visitors .
15th - Arrived
at Fremantle on return passage. (Note: Seven of
the 150 members of the ship's company succumbed to the
temptations
of a longer stay.)
March
Resumed SAN
duties on return.
April
SAN deployment
in local areas in continuation.
May
Took part in
SAN exercises in Cape area.
June to July
Resumed local
duties.
August to
September
Took part in
SAN exercises in Cape area.
October
Visited Marion
Island.
November to
December
Under refit.
1 9 5 2
January to
February
SAN routine
deployments and exercises. Commanding Officer:
Lieutenant Commander R C Cousens.
March to July
Visited Marion
Island and South Africa ports during patrol.
August to
September
Visited Diego
Suarez, Madagascar, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam during
cruise
programme in Indian Ocean.
October
Deployed for
exercises with SAN ships. Routine docking
at Simonstown.
November to
December
Docking and
refit in continuation.
1 9 5 3
January to
March
Resumed local
duties
April
Visited East
London and Port Elizabeth
May
Took part in
SAN exercises at Saldahana Bay and visited East London.
June to October
Deployed
locally in Cape area.
November to
December
Carried out SAN
exercises in Saldahana Bay and visited Cape Town.
New
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Commander B V Hegarty DSC SAN
1 9 5 4
January to
March
Local duties
including exercises in continuation.
April
Visited Marion
Island.
May
Took part in
exercises in Saldahana Bay and visited Capetown.
June
SAN exercises
and visits.
July to August
Under interim
refit and periodic docking.
September to December
Deployed for SAN exercises at Saldahana Bay, patrol and visits to Marion Island, Capetown and Port Elizabeth.
1 9 5 5
January
Nominated for
special radar surveying duties. Commanding
Officer: Lieutenant Commander DH Farr.
30th - Deployed
for radar survey at Bouvet Island
February
8th - Completed
survey work and on return resumed SAN local duties.
March
Visited Mossel
Bay and Cape area communities.
April
18th - Took
part in exercises with SAN ships at Saldahana Bay.
May
3rd - Resumed
local duties on completion of exercises.
8th - New
Commanding Officer: Commander C J F Nettleburgh DSC
June to July
Local
deployment in continuation.
August
Visited
Capetown.
25th - Took
passage for east coast cruise with visits to Port Elizabeth and East London.
September
9th - Returned
from visits programme.
19th - Taken in
hand for refit.
October
Under refit
November
25th - Refit
work completed.
December
Resumed SAN
local duties on completion of post refit trials.
1 9 5 6
Deployed with 6th Escort Squadron,
SAN and took part in Flotilla and SAN exercise
and visits programme.
New Commanding Officer: Lieutenant
Commander G N Green. (January)
Took part in
Hydrographic survey of Gough Island with other SAN ships for the South African Hydrographic Office for the
preparation of a Chart for the area. (Note: Gough Island is 200 miles SW of Tristan da
Cunha.)
1 9 5 7
January
Flotilla duties
in continuation.
February
Routine Docking
and essential repairs in Simonstown.
March
Deployed with
Flotilla for exercises and visits.
April
2nd - Attended
formal hand-over of Simonstown Dockyard to SAN from RN.
May
Visited Tristan
da Cunha, Marion Island and Gough Island.
June
Nominated for
modernisation to RN LOCH-Class standards.
July to August
Flotilla
deployment in continuation.
September
Paid-off and
prepared for modernisation and long refit at Simonstown.
11th - Transferred
to Dockyard Control and commenced refit.
October to
December
Modernisation
in continuation.
1 9 5 8 t o 1 9 5 9
Modernisation in continuation.
1 9 6 0
January to July
Modernisation
in continuation.
August
Post refit
harbour trials.
23rd - Dockyard
work completed.
24th - Commanding
Officer: Commander B V Hegarty DSC
September to
December
Post refit sea
trials.
Reduced to Reserve status and
laid-up on completion of trials.
1 9 6 1
January to July
Laid-up in Reserve.
Nominated for service (Note: On 31 May the Union of South Africa became a
Republic and withdrew from the British Commonwealth.
South Africa warships were no longer designated HMSAS and identified by the prefix SAN.)
August
Recommissioned
for service with 6th Escort Squadron.
September
Flotilla duties
on completion of work-up and shakedown.
October to December
Deployed with SAN ships to assist in the aftermath of a volcanic explosion at Tristan da Cunha. This involved evacuation of the
population who were
later taken to UK for temporary stay
until they could return.
1 9 6 2
January to
March
SAN local
duties in continuation.
April to August
Deployed to take members of a British Royal Society Scientific Party to Tristan da Cunha to carry out an inspection prior
to the restoration of facilities so
that the inhabitants could return. Resumed
Flotilla duties for exercises and visits on release from the operations at Tristan da Cunha.
September
Taken in hand
for refit and docking.
October to December
Under refit
(Note: One source suggests the
forward single 4in mounting was replaced by a
twin 4in mounting as in RN LOCH Class during
this
refit. In addition the ship was prepared for use as a
Training
Ship for which additional accommodation was
provided
and some changes made to Close Range AA
armament
to standardise fit as in more modern ships.)
1 9 6 3
January
Under refit
February
Resumed service
and deployed in the Training Role. (Note:
SAN had received more modern ships and there was a need
to
provide sea training on a ship not required for normal Fleet duties. Exercises were carried out with RN and
Portuguese
ships.)
March to August
Training
deployment in continuation. New Commanding
Officer: Commander W D Hogg (March).
September
Deployed for
Air Sea Rescue duties during first US reconnaissance
flight
over the region of the South Pole. Took up Station in position 50 degrees South and 18 Degrees East.
October to
November
Deployed for
local training on return from SAR duties.
December
Took part with
other SAN ships in Bathymetric Survey in Indian
Ocean
as part of International Geophysical Year Project.
During
return passage one propeller shaft broke and repairs to hull were made by divers so that ingress of water could be
prevented.
Remainder of passage was made on one
shaft.
1 9 6 4
January to July
Training duties
in continuation after repair to shaft completed.
Nominated
to Pay-Off and transfer to Reserve.
August
18th - Paid-off
and reduced to Reserve status
P o s t S e r v i c e N o t e s
SANS TRANSVAAL was laid-up in
Reserve until 1978 when she was placed on the Disposal List. She was de-equipped and
prepared for sinking. On 8th August 1978 the ship was towed to a position
outside False Bay and sunk by gunfire. During service the ship steamed 170,000 miles and
is recorded as having been a true ambassadress of her country.
A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t
The details recorded were
provided by the South African Naval Museum and by the Commanding Officer of the ship for its last
commission. This information is gratefully acknowledged.
