 SASIsandlwana atValparaiso, Chile on 1 December 2006 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 South Africa | |
| Name | SASIsandlwana |
| Namesake | Battle of Isandlwana |
| Operator | South African Navy |
| Ordered | 3 December 1999 |
| Builder | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft,Kiel |
| Laid down | 28 October 2001 |
| Launched | 5 December 2002 |
| Commissioned | 20 July 2006 |
| Homeport | Simonstown |
| Status | Ship in active service (but non-operational) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Valour-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 3,700long tons (3,759 t) |
| Length | 121 m (397 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 16.34 m (53 ft 7 in) |
| Draught | 5.95 m (19 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 30knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 152 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 ×SuperLynx 300 (can carry 2) |
| Aviation facilities |
|
SASIsandlwana (F146) is the second of fourValour-classfrigates for theSouth African Navy built by the European South African Corvette Consortium. SASIsandlwana was named after theBattle of Isandlwana at a ceremony held in Kiel in December 2002, by Deputy Defence MinisterNozizwe Madlala-Routledge.[1]
SASIsandlwana was manufactured by the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), consisting of the German Frigate Consortium (Blohm+Voss, Thyssen Rheinstahl andHowaldtswerke Deutsche Werft), African Defence Systems (part of the FrenchThales defense group) and a number of South African companies.[2]
The ships were built to theMEKO modular design concept and are designated by the manufacturer as the MEKO A-200SAN class. Some controversy exists as to the class type of the vessel, with both the manufacturer and the South African Navy referring to her as a "corvette," but other similar vessels in other navies being referred to asfrigates. Some have claimed the use of the word "corvette" was a political decision made by the South African government to ease criticism of the procurement of the vessels.
SASIsandlwana was built at theHowaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyards inKiel,Germany, and she arrived inSouth Africa on 25 February 2004.[3]
In 2007, SASIsandlwana took part in the Atlasur Exercise in cooperation with the fleets ofBrazil andChile.[4]
According to a presentation made to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence by Rear Admiral B.K. Mhlana, Deputy Chief of the Navy in May 2023,Isandlwana had been scheduled for a refit in both 2012 and 2018 but no work had been done to date. Her mid-life update was scheduled for 2024. The admiral described the ship as effectively non-operational until a refit could be completed.[5]
As with all the other ships of the Valour class,Isandlwana is named after a famous South African battle or instance of great valour. In this case the famousBattle of Isandlwana between theZulu nation and theBritish Empire, at the beginning of theAnglo-Zulu War.
