SAS PIETERMARITZBURG

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front

Cachet: The cachet shows the SAS Pietermaritzburg at sea with Table Mountain in the background, marking her arrival at Cape Town. The ship is drawn in grey and white, low in the water, with guns and rigging visible along the deck. Above the ship a crest displays a red lion standing on a bar reading "Pietermaritzburg" and below it a gold ring holds an elephant with three stars, along with the dates 24-12-47 and 24-12-87. The words "40 Jaar Years" appear in bold red beside the crest, and "SAS Pietermaritzburg" runs across the top in black. Along the bottom the cover reads "aankoms te Kaapstad / arrival at Cape Town", tying the design to the ship's original 1947 arrival forty years earlier. The illustration is signed by John Longden.

Info card

SAS PIETERMARITZBURG SAS PIETERMARITZBURG was originally an ALGERINE Class ocean minesweeper named HMS PELORUS. She was laid down at the yard of Lobnitz and Co Ltd, Renfrewshire, Scotland on 8 October 1942, launched on 18 June 1943 and completed on 7 October 1943. ALGERINE Class ocean minesweepers were fitted with sweep gear for moored and influence-type mines. HMS PELORUS led the invasion fleet on D-Day and swept the approaches to the Normandy beaches for 11 days and nights. She also served in the Pacific where she swept the Malacca Straits. In 1947 South Africa purchased the HMS PELORUS and a sister ship HMS ROSAMUND (renamed SAS BLOEMFONTEIN) from Great Britain. SAS PIETERMARITZBURG was commissioned at Plymouth on 9 September 1947. The two ships accompanied SAS PROTEA and arrived in Cape Town, the main naval base of the then SA Naval Forces, on 24 December 1947. The officers and ratings of the SA Navy who served in SAS PIETERMARITZBURG included members of the Permanent Force, National Servicemen and members of the Citizen Force undergoing continuous training. Many of the SA Navy's present Senior Officers and Non Commissioned Officers received their first sea-going training in SAS PIETERMARITZBURG. In 1953, the SAS PIETERMARITZBURG joined the select group of vessels that had crossed the Bar at Knysna. On 30 August 1962, after modernisation in the SA Naval Dockyard, Simon's Town, SAS PIETERMARITZBURG was recommissioned as the SA Navy's training ship. She continued to serve as such until her last decommissioning in July 1964. Since then SAS PIETERMARITZBURG has served as an accommodation vessel for the Mine Countermeasures Flotilla. SAS PIETERMARITZBURG SAS PIETERMARITZBURG was oorspronklik die ALGERINE-klas oseaanmynveër HMS PELORUS. Die skip is in die skeepswerf Lobnitz en Kie Bpk, Renfrewshire, Skotland op 8 Oktober 1942 neergelê, op 18 Junie 1943 ter water gelaat en op 7 Oktober 1943 voltooi. ALGERINE-klas oseaanmynveërs is toegerus met veeggerei vir moored en invloedmyne. HMS PELORUS het die invalsvloot op D-dag begelei en die aanlope tot die Normandie-strande sonder ophoud vir 11 dae en nagte geveeg. Die skip het ook in die Stille Oseaan en Malaka-straat diens verrig. In 1947 het Suid-Afrika die HMS PELORUS en 'n susterskip, HMS ROSAMUND (hernoem SAS BLOEMFONTEIN) van Brittanje gekoop. Die SAS PIETERMARITZBURG is op 9 September 1947 te Plymouth, Engeland in diens gestel. Die twee skepe vergesel deur die SAS PROTEA het op 24 Desember 1947 in Kaapstad, die hoof vlootbasis van die destydse SA Vlootmagte, aangekom. Die offisiere en manskappe van die SA Vloot wat diens in die SAS PIETERMARITZBURG verrig het, het staandemagslede, diensplig-tiges en lede van die burgermag, betrokke by voortgesette opleiding, ingesluit. Baie van die huidige senior offisiere en onderoffisiere van die SA Vloot het hulle eerste see-opleiding in SAS PIETERMARITZBURG ontvang. In 1953 het die SAS PIETERMARITZBURG by die gekose groep vlootskepe aangesluit wat hulle daarop kon roem dat hulle Knysnahawe binnegevaar het. Na modernisering in die SA Vlootskeepswerf, Simonstad, is SAS PIETERMARITZBURG op 30 Augustus 1962 weer in diens gestel as die SA Vloot se opleidingskip. As sulks het die skip volgehou tot finale uitdiensstelling in Julie 1964. Sedertdien is SAS PIETERMARITZBURG as inwonende skip deur die MTM Flottielje in gebruik geneem.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 24 December 1987 in Cape Town. It marks the 40th anniversary of the SAS Pietermaritzburg's arrival in Cape Town on the same date in 1947, having sailed from Britain after South Africa purchased her from the Royal Navy. Before her South African service, the ship swept mines ahead of the Allied invasion fleet on D-Day as HMS Pelorus, clearing the approaches to the Normandy beaches for eleven days and nights. She later trained generations of South African naval officers before ending her active career as an accommodation vessel for the Mine Countermeasures Flotilla.

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