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Frigate SAS President Steyn (F147)

Frigate SAS President Steyn (F147) 0Frigate SAS President Steyn (F147) 1Frigate SAS President Steyn (F147) 2Frigate SAS President Steyn (F147) 3Frigate SAS President Steyn (F147) 4

Classification

Ship class:
Rothesay-class frigate (Type 12M frigates)
Type:
Frigate

Basic information

Namesake:
Martinus (Marthinus) Theunis Steyn (2 October 1857 – 28 November 1916) was a South African lawyer, politician, and statesman, sixth and last president of the independent Orange Free State from 1896 to 1902.
Operator:
South African NavySouth African Navy
Country of build:
Builder:
Alexander Stephens and Sons
Ordered:
Laid down:
Launched:
Commissioned (service):
Status:
Decommissioned
Fate:
Sunk as target, 29 April 1991

Ship measurements

Displacement:
2,200 t
Length:
112.78 m
Beam (waterline):
12.5 m
Draft:
5.33 m

Machine

Propulsion:
  • 2 * Babcock & Wilcox boilers
  • 2 * English Electric steam turbines
  • 2 * shafts
  • 30,000 shp (22,000 kW)
Speed:
30 knots
Range:
4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)

Personnel

Complement:
214

Combat assets

Electronics:
  • Type 978 navigation radar
  • Type 293Q surface-search radar
  • Type 277Q height-finding radar
  • Type 162 sonar
  • Type 170 sonar
  • Type 177M sonar
  • Type 262 gunnery radar
  • Type 275 gunnery radar
Armament:
  • 1 * twin 4.5-inch (114 mm) dual-purpose gun
  • 1 * twin 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors AA gun
  • 2 * triple Limbo anti-submarine mortars (1 * triple removed during the modernization)
Aircraft:

As modified:

  • 1 * Westland Wasp helicopter
  • Helipad
  • Hangar

SAS President Steyn was the second of three President-class Type 12 frigates built in the UK for the South African Navy (SAN) during the 1960s. The ship spent most of her career training and made many visits to foreign ports in Africa, Western Europe and Australia. In the late 1960s, she was modernized and equipped to operate a helicopter. In the mid-1970s, President Steyn played a minor role in the Angolan Civil War as a part of South African operations against the communists. The ship was withdrawn from service in 1980 and was sunk as a target in 1991 after financial problems prevented her from being reactivated.

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