Simons Town Naval base

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front

Cachet: The cachet shows a gold lion standing on a blue star shaped shield. The lion rests one paw on a ship's mast topped with a small flag and stands with its hind legs on a pair of round cannonballs. Below the star is the wording "Naval base, Simonstown ~ Vlootbasis, Simonstad" in both English and Afrikaans. The star shape echoes the postmark design used on this cover, tying the cachet directly to the cancellation.

Info card

SIMONSTOWN NAVAL BASE The Simonstown Naval Base is strategically situated 30 km from Cape Point near the southern tip of the African continent at 34° 11,3' south by 18° 26,4' east. Twenty-five years ago, on 2 April 1957, the base was handed over to the South African Navy after being under control of the Royal Navy since 1910. At that time the dockyard was geared mainly for carrying out minor repair work, alterations and additions to Royal Navy ships based at this South Atlantic station. When the South African Navy embarked on a fleet expansion programme in the nineteen sixties and seventies, this necessitated a corresponding expansion of logistic facilities to cope with major refits, repairs and modernizations in the dockyard to maintain ships of the South African Navy in operational condition. Practically all machinery and equipment have since been replaced with the most modern equipment available and millions of rands have been spent on new multi-storeyed office buildings, electrical, electronic and mechanical workshops and storage acccommodation. The acquisition of three Daphne Class submarines in 1971/72 added a new dimension to the expanding fleet that resulted in the construction of a marine lift able to hoist submarines and warships of more than 2 000 ton capacity out of the water and to position them either on transverse rails on either side of the lift or in a large shed where work can continue in all types of weather. Additional berthing facilities became necessary and plans were drawn up to construct a new tidal basin. Work on this project commenced in 1974 and was completed several months ahead of schedule in September 1979. The subsequent reclamation of 6,8 ha of land and the enclosure of 18,4 ha of water more than doubled the existing berthing facilities. Cranage facilities have been vastly improved and a 50-ton gantry crane was installed in 1969, spanning the 30 m width of the old Selbourne Drydock. The steam-driven drydock pumps were also replaced by electric pumps. A computerized workshop, production, planning, scheduling and control system was introduced in 1977, thereby bringing production procedures in line with modern techniques. The Simonstown Naval Base today has one of the most advanced dockyards in the Southern Hemisphere. The position of the base on the Cape sea-route renders it of the utmost strategic importance, considering that up to 2 500 ships pass around the Cape each year carrying vital minerals, foodstuffs and other merchandise, and a million tons of crude oil each day, 90 % of which is destined for European and North-American ports. Although the South African Navy's main task is the protection and defence of the Republic's harbours and maritime border, assistance is readily offered to ships of friendly nations using this busy southern sea-route between the East and the West. VLOOTBASIS SIMONSTAD Die Vlootbasis Simonstad is strategies geleë 30 km van Kaappunt op 34° 11,3' suid en 18° 26,4' oos naby die suidelike punt van die vasteland van Afrika. Die basis is vyf en twinting jaar gelede op 2 April 1957 aan die Suid-Afrikaanse Vloot oorhandig nadat dit sedert 1910 onder beheer van die Britse Vloot was. Destyds was die skeepswerf hoofsaaklik toegerus vir kleiner herstelwerk en veranderings aan en byvoegings tot die Britse Vloot-skepe wat by hierdie Suid-Atlantiese basis gestasioneer was. Toe die Suid-Afrikaanse Vloot in die sestiger- en sewentigerjare 'n vlootuitbreidingsprogram onderneem het, het ooreenstemmende uitbreiding van die logistiese fasiliteite noodsaaklik geword om tred te hou met die omvattende opknapping en modernisasie van en herstelwerk aan die skeepswerf ten einde die vloot in operasionele gereedheid te hou. Nagenoeg alle masjinerie en toerusting in die skeepswerf is sedertdien vervang deur die modernste toerusting wat beskikbaar is en miljoene rand is aan nuwe toringkantoorgeboue, elektriese, elektroniese en meganiese werkwinkels en pakhuise bestee. Die aankoop van drie Daphneklas-duikbote in 1971/72 het 'n nuwe dimensie by die uitbreidende Vloot gevoeg wat tot gevolg gehad het dat 'n nuwe skeepshyser gebou is wat duikbote en oorlogskepe van meer as 2 000 ton uit die water kan lig en hulle in posisie kan plaas óf op die dwarsspore aan weerskante van die hyser óf in die groot skuur waar herstelwerk in alle weerstoestande gedoen kan word. Bykomende vasmeerfasiliteite het noodsaaklik geword en planne is opgestel vir die bou van 'n nuwe getyhawe. Werk aan hierdie projek het in 1974 begin en is etlike maande voor die bestemde datum in September 1979 voltooi. Die daaropvolgende herwinning van 6,8 ha land en die toebou van 18,4 ha water het die bestaande vasmeerfasiliteite meer as verdubbel. Hyskraanfasiliteite is grootliks verbeter en 'n 50-ton bokkraan wat die ou 30-m-wye Selbourne-droogdok oorspan, is in 1969 geïnstalleer. Die stoomaangedrewe droogdokpompe is ook deur elektriese pompe vervang. In 1977 is 'n gerekenariseerde werkwinkel-, produksie-, beplanning-, skedulering- en kontrolestelsel ingestel wat produksieprosedures met moderne tegnieke op een lyn gebring het. Die Vlootbasis Simonstad beskik tans oor een van die mees gevorderde skeepswerwe in die Suidelike Halfrond. Die basis se ligging aan die Kaapse seeroete maak dit van groot strategiese belang, veral as in ag geneem word dat die ongeveer 2 500 skepe wat jaarliks om die Kaap vaar lewensbelangrike minerale, voedsel en ander handelsware vervoer, asook miljoen ton ru-olie per dag. Hiervan is 90 % vir Europese en Noord-Amerikaanse hawens bestem. Alhoewel die hooftaak van die Suid-Afrikaanse Vloot die beskerming en verdediging van die Republiek se hawens en maritieme grens is, word bystand geredelik verleen aan skepe van goedgesinde lande wat die besige suidelike seeroete tussen die Ooste en die Weste gebruik.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 2 April 1982 in Simonstad, SAPO reference PT 3.36. The date marks the 25th anniversary of the handover of Simonstown Naval Base from the Royal Navy to the South African Navy, which took place on the very same day in 1957. The four stamps on the cover show a submarine, a strike craft, a minesweeper and harbour patrol boats, giving a snapshot of the range of vessel classes that made up the South African Navy's fleet at the time.

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