SAS Mendi (F148)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 3 December 1999 |
| Laid down: | 28 June 2002 |
| Launched: | October 2003 |
| Commissioned: | 20 March 2007 |
| Fate: | Active service |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 3,700 tons |
| Length: | 121 m |
| Beam: | 16.34 m |
| Draught: | 5.95 m |
| Propulsion: | CODAG WARP: (2 diesels 5,920 kW each, 2 shafts for cruise; 1 gas turbine 20,000 kW, 1 waterjet) |
| Max speed: | 30 knots (55 km/h) |
| Range: | 8,000 nm at 16 knots (15,000 km at 30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 117 |
| Armament: | • One 76 mm Oto Breda gun, • Two 35 mm LIW (Denel) 35DPG dual purpose twin-barreled guns, • Two 20 mm Oerlikon Mk1 cannon, • Eight MBDA MM 40 Exocet Block 2 surface-to-surface missiles (mounted in two four-cell launchers), • Sixteen Umkhonto surface-to-air missiles (mounted in two eight-cell vertical launchers). |
| Aircraft: | 1 × SuperLynx 300 (can carry 2) |
SAS Mendi (F148) is the last of four Valour class frigates for the South African Navy.
They were manufactured by the European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), consisting of the German Frigate Consortium (Blohm+Voss, Thyssen Rheinstahl and Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werf), African Defence Systems (part of the French Thales defence group) and a number of South African companies.
The ships were built to the MEKO 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 it as a corvette, but other similar vessels in other navies being referred to as frigates. It has been claimed by some that 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.
As with all the other ships of the Valour class, the Mendi is named after a famous South African battle or instance of great valour. In this case the sinking of the SS Mendi in the English Channel during World War I. On the 23 August 2004, en-route from the shipyards to South Africa, the SAS Mendi and the HMS Nottingham (D91), a Type 42 destroyer, met at the site where the SS Mendi sank and lay wreaths in remembrance to those who passed away in service for their country
The SAS Mendi was built at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyards in Kiel, Germany, and arrived in South Africa on 20 September 2004. It is currently embarked on a tour of South Africa's coastal areas prior to the fitment of its various weapons systems.
The commanding officer of the Mendi is Captain Kevin Packer.
| Valour class frigates of the South African Navy |
|
SAS Amatola | SAS Isandlwana | SAS Spioenkop | SAS Mendi |
| List of ships of the South African Navy |
