WEB SPECIAL - SANS MAN AT THE HELM

SAN'S MAN AT THE HELM

Guy Toremans talks to Vice Admiral Johan Retief, Chief of Navy South African Navy.

Above: Vice Admiral Johan Retief, Chief of Navy South African Navy. Below: SAS Amatola, the first of the SAN's four Valour Class frigates, in False Bay, off Simon's Town. Photos: Guy Toremans.

What do the Valour Class frigates bring to your fleet?

"They revive capabilities that we lost a long time ago.The new frigates bring an increased operational flexibility, effective blue water capability and increased capabilities for protection of our Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ). People often forget that the maritime area of South Africa is bigger than the nation's land area. The frigates, which can embark either a maritime or a transport helicopter and have excellent self defence capabilities, provide real deterrence should anyone wish to attack our Nation. The frigates can also take more than 500 refugees on board without, in any way, deteriorating the ship's weapon systems.Consequently, we can deploy them for humanitarian and emergency relief operations within our own borders or even throughout Africa due to their long range. I foresee that our President will employ them as such throughout, and even beyond, the African continent. We are already in that game, having deployed SAS Drakensberg to Haiti earlier this year."

And what will the new Type 209 submarines offer?

"They will give us a covert deterrence capability, both in the offensive and defensive roles.

We are the only navy in Africa to effectively operate and maintain submarines and we intend to employ them as force multipliers. As such our submarines can serve as a strategic deterrence to larger, more powerful navies operating in the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope. We can also employ the boats to assist law enforcement and patrol our EEZ, through surveillance and intelligence collection. The first Type 209 will join the fleet in October 2005. By that time she should be fully operational, depending on how she is brought home. Either we will sail her out or transport her onboard a ship. We have not made that decision yet. Next year we will decide what will be the cheapest and easiest way to bring the boat home."

Currently the SAN no longer has submarines in its inventory because, despite their modernisation in 1999 and 2001, all your subs have been decommissioned. Are you not concerned that the navy will have lost essential skills and experience prior to the new submarines joining the fleet?

"We are aware of running that risk. We are concluding an arrangement with the Indian Navy to train our submariners on their Type 209 class submarines. Why the Indian Navy? Well...because they speak English and they have operated Type 209 boats since 1986."

What are your priorities in terms of upgrading your navy, i.e. procurement programmes pursued or formulated for both the medium and long term ?

"In the next decade we are planning to acquire up to 10 multi-purpose vessels. These will be in the 60 - 75m range, with a displacement of approximately 1,200 tons and a maximum speed of 25 knots. The MPVs will be used for many tasks, provided we can fit them with a considerable range of equipment.

All 10 units will have common hulls with removable modules. Mission-specific equipment may include: modules for a medium-calibre gun; MCM modules housing equipment to operate ROVs and AUVs; mine-hunting modules with side scan sonar and towed array; mine-laying modules for the deployment of mines; electronic support measure modules; hydrographic research and diving support modules; basic storage modules; anti-pollution modules.

Although MPVs will primarily be used in the patrol role, two of them will be fitted for a hydrographic role, as a replacement for our survey ship SAS Protea, which will be decommissioned within the next decade. We have no intention to use the MPVs as mine clearance vessels, because our MCM concept is going towards using AUVs. Most of South Africa's waters are deep, with only very small areas to clear near ports. We are looking for a landing platform with an alongside refuelling capability. We are thinking in the lines of the Dutch Rotterdam design, but our ship will be fitted to store fuel on board as she will also be used as a replenishment vessel."

There is rumour that two further Valour Class frigates may be ordered. Can you comment on this?

"Two additional ships are going to be very expensive. The four we have now came at a very special price. If we can have both additional ships at 225 million Euro each we'll be very lucky. The Government may say that the SAN has already received a big enough share of the defence budget."

With anti-terrorism becoming one of the major defence topics, how can your navy gear up to meet it?

"So far we have no real problems in our area. We foresee that anti-piracy tasks may come our way from a regional point of view though, for instance in the Mozambique Channel. If these incidents increase we can send ships, in order to assist nations that request our help. The Valour Class frigates or the MPVs will be used in this role."

How is the current level of collaboration and co-operation with other navies ?

"We already co-operate with several other navies. In 2005 we plan a deployment to the west coast of Africa, called 'Interop West', which will take in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. SAS Drakensberg and a few patrol boats will conduct riverine operations with the Angolan marines and Congolese patrol craft on the Congo River. Another major exercise is the bi-annual ALTASUR, with the navies of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. This year's edition was cancelled but in 2006 we plan to send one of our Valour Class ships to South America, and perhaps our first submarine."

Any prospects for wider co-operation once the Valour Class FFGs are fully operational ?

"You have to bear in mind that the Valour Class is a brand new type of ship. No other navy in the world has such a unique ship.

As a consequence there are a lot of drills and procedures that need to be developed and evaluated before we can participate in major exercises. We cannot learn from other navies and other peoples' mistakes.

We have to make our own to learn. I keep telling my people not to be hurried and to take their time.

We are also thinking of sending our Valour Class frigates to FOST in the UK, but only when the ships have received their Lynx helicopters. The frigates will be Lynx-operational by the end of 2007, so we aim to go to FOST by 2008. We have already talked with the FOST organisation and the seariders have indicated their willingness to come to South Africa."

In the second part of Guy Toremans' interview, in the Jan 2005 edition of WARSHIPS IFR, Vice Admiral Retief will discuss recruitment challenges and other major hurdles the SAN is facing during its modernisation process.