The South African Navy’s submarine force is unable to operate all of its new Manthatisi-class submarines because of funding and people problems. The Navy has taken delivery of two submarines of this class with a third scheduled for delivery in May 2008.
The Navy is, reportedly, able to keep only one of the Manthatisis-class boats in service at this time. Because of this, some government officials have called for cancellation of the third submarine. However, at this stage of the program the refusal to accept the third unit could lead to very high cancellation costs.
The Navy has launched a recruitment drive to replenish its ranks, according to senior naval officers.
The South African problem is similar to that being faced by the Australian Navy, which in 2007 reportedly had only two of its six Collins-class submarines ready for sea. The lack of available crews for the other submarines is part of a hemorrhage of trained personnel from the Australian Navy, which has a nominal strength of just under 13,000 men and women. The loss of highly trained submariners has been especially difficult for the Navy, which is losing trained personnel to high-paying civilian jobs.
(The Australian Navy procured six diesel-electric submarines of the Collins class between 1996 and 2003, although their entry into service was delayed several years because of software integration and systems problems. Those submarines are armed with U.S. Mark 48 torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.)
The Manthatisis-class submarines are German designed and built Type 209/1400 undersea craft with a submerged displacement of about 1,600 tons. Each submarine is armed with 8 21-inch bow torpedo tubes and can carry 14 torpedoes. At this time there are no provisions for the submarines to launch anti-ship missiles, which are being provided to numerous Third World submarines.
Last fall the Manthatisis participated in a NATO exercise. Reportedly, she escaped a task group of six ships hunting the submarine while (theoretically) sinking all of the “hunters.”
The new South African submarines are intended to replace the Navy’s French-built Daphne-class submarines. Three of these 1,040-ton submarines — the first South African undersea craft — were delivered in 1970–1971. One of the trio has been laid up in reserve to compensate for the first deliveries of the Manthatisis-class submarines.
South Africa, with some 4,700 active naval personnel, also has four modern, German-built missile/anti-submarine frigates, seven Israeli-built missile craft, and a large number of mine, patrol, and auxiliary units.
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Australia’s problems manning submarines will be solved when the White South Africans successfully emigrate(with ALL of their wealth) from South Africa & immigrate to Australia.As far as South Africa’s problems manning submarines,well they’re just screwed & S.O.L. You can thank both Thabo Mbeki & Jacob Zuma for that.
I think in these two cases, the American “professional service member” approach is simply the best! Simply put, these two governments need to offer bonuses, incentives, and whatever else it takes to get qualified folks on-board! If you can afford to buy a submarine, you can afford to pay a bit more, to your sailors, to keep retention figures from
With Australia,the reason why they can’t man all of their submarines must be money & the fact that they don’t feel threatened by anybody right now.If they felt like China was more of a threat,they’d raise the forces that they need.Maybe keeping the unused subs in reserve to be manned by a reserve force with a skeleton crew to keep it in shape would help.Actually,that could just as easily be us being unable to man our nuclear submarines as well.Maybe Australia can use this “shortage” as justification to put women on submarines.
As far as South Africa goes,they have pretty much been driving away the commanders & technicians from their navy because they happen to have the wrong skin color.Their problem seems to be being able to man all of their submarines with “qualified” Black South Africans as that is the heart of the matter with them.I haven’t heard anything yet as to if they are having the same problems manning their new Gripen Fighter Jets.Call me rasist if you want,but it is the current ANC government’s policy to man their military with Black South Africans.Since most of the whites,especially the Afrikaners don’t feel like they’re part of South Africa anymore(especially since Jacob Zuma ha maade them feel extremely unwelcome),they don’t feel the need to help with the submarine manning crisis.There is also the problem that Black South African sailors don’t listen to their white South African commanders anyway.With the strong possibility that with Jacob Zuma,South Africa will follow down the same path as Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe,do we really want them to have functioning submarines anyway?
People really need to have a serious paradigm shift concerning what they think today’s South Africa really is.Just because BAE South Africa makes great weapons means nothing.They could close shop in South Africa & move anywhere,Australia,Brazil,Chile,Mexico,etc. & they’d still be the great company that they are.
People need to think of the ANC in the same terms that they think of the Ayatollahs & Mullahs ruling Iran.South Africa under Jacob Zuma is as unwelcome as Iran was under Khomeini.Jacob Zuma is a member of the South African Communist Party & is the new head of the ANC & the first thing he wants to do is nationalize everything in South Africa(& that includes BAE South Africa).He will take South Africa down the same disastrous path that Robert Mugabe took Zimbabwe.Do we seriously want Zuma to have working submarines & the crew to operate them? Remember Zuma=Khomeini.
For those of us who don’t remember Khomeini & the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis,then how about the more contemporary Hugo Chavez & Venezuela,or Evo Morales & Bolivia?
How did we allow them to get any its a radical nation with thugs in the goverment. its in a constant war, everywhere is a war zone. its is not safe. they might even use them on their own citizens during a riot!?! frankly the world powers should deny them anything until they get there act together. POLITICAL RELATIONS BE DAMNED!!! to much POLITICS!!!
In search for a job where a training prgramme is offered in the military force for submarines
In search for a job where a training prgramme is offered in the military force for submarines
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