"Retreat, Cape Town Retreat is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa. Retreat is bordered by Steenberg and Lavender Hill to the south, Tokai, Bergvliet and Kirstenhof to the West and Heathfield to the north. Retreat railway station is on the main line from Cape Town to Simon's Town. Main Road (which runs from Central Cape Town through to Simon's Town) runs along the west of Retreat. The suburb of Retreat in Cape Town was so named because the Dutch retreated to that area when they were losing the Battle of Muizenberg (1795?) The Dutch landed there after the Retreat"
"as the Naval Rapid Deployment Force (NRDF) in 2005. The squadron consists of the following components: The command structure is depicted below. The Chief of the Navy, based at Navy Headquarters at the Navy Office (SAS ""Immortelle"") located in Pretoria, heads up the South African Navy. All operational forces, including ships and submarines, fall under the control of the Flag Officer Fleet who is based in Simon's Town. Fleet Command includes all vessels and units of the Navy other than Naval Headquarters, Pretoria. Fleet Command is based in Simon's Town under control of Flag Officer Fleet. Four directorates are responsible"
"full naval base to accommodate the South African Navy's offshore patrol flotilla. In December 2015 it was officially redesignated Naval Base Durban. Three Warrior-class offshore patrol vessels; , and are based in Durban. When the new offshore and inshore patrol vessels enter service they will replace the Warrior-class vessels. The entry of Japan into the Second World War on the side of the Axis Powers and their ability to threaten the east coast of Africa prompted the construction of a new naval base on Salisbury Island. In the process of this construction the island was linked to the mainland by"
"base. In 2012 a decision to base the navy's offshore patrol flotilla in Durban led to a programme of renovation to restore the facility back to full naval base status. In December 2015 it was redesignated a naval base as the home port of the patrol flotilla. Salisbury Island, Durban Salisbury Island in the Port of Durban on the east coast of South Africa, was an island until the Second World War when construction of a naval base connected it to the mainland by a causeway. The island, then a mangrove-covered sandbank, was named after , the Royal Navy ship"
"moored on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town since 2 September 1988, and is the only boom defence vessel remaining in the world, as well as the only remaining ship of the Royal South African Navy. SAS Somerset SAS ""Somerset"" was a Bar-class boom defence vessel of the South African Navy, now preserved as a museum ship in Cape Town. Somerset was originally built in Blyth, Northumberland, by Blyth Shipbuilding Company and commissioned as HMS Barcross in 1941. HMS Barcross and her sister ship HMS Barbrake arrived at the Cape Station at Simonstown, in 1942 and was transferred"
"in 1939."" Commander-in-Chief, Africa (Royal Navy) The Commander-in-Chief, Africa was the last title of a British Royal Navy's formation commander located in South Africa from 1795 to 1939. Under varying titles, it was one of the longest-lived formations of the Royal Navy. It was also often known as the Cape of Good Hope Station. From 1750 to 1779 the Cape of Good Hope became strategically important due to the increasing competition between France and Great Britain for control of the seas. In 1780 Holland joined the American Revolutionary War in alliance with France and Spain against Great Britain; the British"
"Commander-in-Chief, Africa (Royal Navy) The Commander-in-Chief, Africa was the last title of a British Royal Navy's formation commander located in South Africa from 1795 to 1939. Under varying titles, it was one of the longest-lived formations of the Royal Navy. It was also often known as the Cape of Good Hope Station. From 1750 to 1779 the Cape of Good Hope became strategically important due to the increasing competition between France and Great Britain for control of the seas. In 1780 Holland joined the American Revolutionary War in alliance with France and Spain against Great Britain; the British Government were"
"The South African Navy's Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is in an underground bunker on the lower slopes of the Silvermine mountain. Silvermine Nature Reserve Silvermine Nature Reserve forms part of the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa. It covers the section of the Cape Peninsula mountain range from the Kalk Bay mountains through to Constantiaberg. The area is a significant conservation area for the indigenous fynbos vegetation which is of the montane cone-bush type at this location. The Ou Kaapse Weg main road runs through the reserve, cutting it into a northern and southern section. The Silvermine"
"Cape Town Cape Town ( ; Xhosa: ""iKapa""; Dutch: ""Kaapstad"") is a coastal city in South Africa. It is the capital and primate city of the Western Cape province. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality. As the place where the Parliament of South Africa is found, Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. The other two capitals are located in Pretoria (the administrative capital where the President and Cabinet work) and Bloemfontein (the judicial capital where the National Court of Appeal is located). The city is known for its harbour, for its natural"
"but significant battle for the future destiny of South Africa which took place at Muizenberg (near Cape Town), South Africa in 1795; it led to the capture of the Cape Colony by the United Kingdom. A fleet of seven Royal Navy ships – five third-rates, ""Monarch"" (74), ""Victorious"" (74), ""Arrogant"" (74), ""America"" (64) and ""Stately"" (64), with the 16-gun sloops ""Echo"" and ""Rattlesnake"" – under Vice-Admiral Elphinstone anchored in Simon's Bay at the Cape of Good Hope in June 1795, having left England on 1 March. Their commander suggested to the Dutch governor that he place the Cape Colony under"
"Air Force Base Waterkloof Air Force Base Waterkloof is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is situated on the outskirts of Pretoria, and is the SAAF's busiest airbase. The base's name, ""Waterkloof"", is Afrikaans. It means ""Water Ravine"" in English. Despite the name, this base is not located in Waterkloof, Pretoria, but lies to the south of Pretoria, to the northeast of Centurion, Gauteng and from AFB Swartkop, at an elevation of 1506 metres (4940 ft). The base motto is ""Acquirit Qui Tuetur"" (He Obtains Who Defends). The base was officially opened on 1 August 1938 as"
"in Cape Town and at the Port Elizabeth airport. Swartkop is the largest of the three museum locations, occupying at least five hangars and contains a number of Atlas Cheetahs as well as a Cheetah C flight simulator. The Silver Falcons are the aerobatic display team of the South African Air Force and are based at Air Force Base Langebaanweg near Cape Town. The Silver Falcons fly the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II Astra, the basic trainer of the SA Air Force in a 5-ship routine. The main purpose is to enhance the image of the South African Air Force, encourage"
"Las Palmas Naval Base Las Palmas Naval Base, also known as Arsenal of Las Palmas, is a military base and arsenal of the Spanish Navy located in the city of Las Palmas, Spain. It is the largest military base of the Spanish Navy on the African continent. In 1922 the Association of Fruit Exporters of Las Palmas began the construction of a dock on the ruins of the Royal Castle of Santa Catalina. During World War II, because of the continuous presence of warships of the belligerent countries, the Spanish State took the decision to establish a permanent naval base"
"South African Naval College The South African Naval College provides naval officer training to the South African Navy and is one of three officer training institutions within the South African National Defence Force, the equivalent of the Air Force Gymnasium and the Army Gymnasium HMS ""Thames"" was a Mersey-class cruiser launched in 1885 for the Royal Navy. Thomas Benjamin Frederick Davis was a wealthy businessman, yachtsman and philanthropist. In 1920 Davis bought the ""Thames"" from the British Admiralty and sent her to South Africa. He donated the ship to the South African government and stipulated that it had to be"
"SAS Saldanha SAS Saldanha is a South African Navy training base in Saldanha Bay. In 1941, as a result of increased pressure on Table Bay, a new Allied harbour was sought. Saldanha Bay, with its sheltered moorings was the ideal location. The South African Seaward Defence Force and a minesweeping flotilla were established in 1942 for seaward and harbour protection. On Baviaanskop, Elands Bay, Malgaskop and Hoedjiespunt, 6-inch and 12-inch guns were installed. Anti-submarine nets were laid in North Bay, and eight lines of moored mines and a control centre on land protected the entrance of Saldanha Bay. Members of"
"the post of Director-General of Naval Forces. In tribute to his services, De Waal Battery, the heavy battery on Robben Island, is named after him. The South African Corps of Marines which began to function as a Corps in 1951, consisted of: The role of the Marines was the Coastal Artillery, Anti-Aircraft and Radar defence of South African ports and coast, the Anti-Aircraft defence of other strategic points in South Africa and provision of Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery for S.A. forces in the field. In addition Marines, including the Active Citizen Force Marines were trained on water assault tactics and also"
"Noon Gun The Noon Gun has been a historic time signal in Cape Town, South Africa since 1806. It consists of a pair of black powder Dutch naval guns, fired alternatingly with one serving as a backup. The guns are situated on Signal Hill, close to the centre of the city. The settlement at the Cape of Good Hope was founded by the Dutch in 1652 and the signal guns were originally part of the regular artillery at the Imhoff Battery at the Castle in Cape Town. In 1795 during the Napoleonic Wars, Britain took the Cape Colony from the"
"the British and South African governments on the future of the Royal Navy's base at Simon's Town. The outcome of these talks was that the base was transferred to the Union on 2 April 1957 under the terms of the Simonstown Agreement, and that the Navy would purchase four additional frigates, ten coastal minesweepers and five seaward defence boats from Britain. In 1963 the first of the Type-12 ""President""-class frigates were delivered and in 1970 the Navy received the first of its three s from France, the first of which being named SAS ""Maria van Riebeeck"", after Jan van Riebeeck's"
"naval station established in 1819 at what is now Freetown and a supply base at Ascension Island, later moved to Cape Town in 1832. The resources were further increased; in the middle of the 19th century there were around 25 vessels and 2,000 personnel with a further 1,000 local sailors. Between 1808 and 1860 the West Africa Squadron captured 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 Africans. Unfortunately this did not exactly reduce the number of deaths of African Slaves. Thousands of Africans lost their lives if the captain of a slave ship knew they were being approached by a squadron"
"Simonstown Agreement The Simonstown Agreement (sic) was a naval cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the (then-officially) Union of South Africa signed . Under the agreement, the Royal Navy (RN) gave up its naval base at Simon's Town, South Africa, and transferred command of the South African Navy (SAN) to the government of South Africa. In return, South Africa promised the use of the Simonstown base to Royal Navy ships. The agreement also permitted South Africa to buy six anti submarine frigates, ten coastal minesweepers and four seaward defence boats from the UK"
"Pringle Bay Pringle Bay () is a small coastal town of ca. 1600 inhabitants in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, in South Africa. It is situated at the foot of Hangklip, on the opposite side of False Bay from Cape Point. The town and surrounds are part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO Heritage Site. The bay is named after Rear-Admiral Thomas Pringle, of the Royal Navy, who commanded the naval station at the Cape in the late 1790s. Situated between Betty's Bay and Gordon's Bay, many of the houses in the small community are only used"
"Mossel Bay Mossel Bay is a harbour town of about 130,000 people on the Southern Cape (or Garden Route) of South Africa. It is an important tourism and farming region of the Western Cape Province. Mossel Bay lies 400 kilometres east of the country's seat of parliament, Cape Town (which is also the capital city of the Western Cape Province), and 400 km west of Port Elizabeth, the largest city in the Eastern Cape Province. The older parts of the town occupy the north-facing side of the Cape St Blaize Peninsula, whilst the newer suburbs straddle the Peninsula and have"
"wife of General Pieter Grobbelaar, Chief of the South African Defence Force. She was commissioned on 18 March 1964 with Captain James Johnson, later Chief of the Navy, in command. ""President Pretorius"" was escorted into Cape Town by her two sister ships, , , the destroyer ""Simon von der Stel"" and four smaller warships to be greeted by the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Hugo Biermann, on 26 September. After 1964, the British government was reluctant to be seen openly cooperating with the apartheid government of South Africa and limited itself to exercises as their ships passed by. In"
"by MSC Cruises SA and 30% by Africa Armada Consortium. The terminal will be able to accommodate two cruise ships at any given time. Naval Base Durban, situated on Salisbury Island, is part of the Port of Durban. Established during the Second World War, it was downgraded to a naval station in 2002. In 2012 a decision was made to renovate and expand the facilities back up to a full naval base to accommodate the South African Navy's offshore patrol flotilla. In December 2015 it was redesignated a naval base. It is the home port of three Warrior-class interim offshore"
"Air Force Base Ysterplaat Air Force Base Ysterplaat is an airbase of the South African Air Force. It is located in Cape Town, on the southwestern coast of South Africa. The name ""Ysterplaat"" is Afrikaans from the Dutch ""Ysterplaats"" meaning ""Iron Place"" or ""Place of Iron"" in English. The base's motto is ""Fortiter In Re"" (Resolute in Action). The site of AFB Ysterplaat was originally used as a civilian airfield, known as Maitland Aerodrome, from as early as 1929. African Air Transport (AAT) opened at Maitland in 1938, and was involved in training pilots for the Union Air Training Group's"
"Simon’s Town in 2003 from the South African Air Force Museum at Ysterplaat. This exhibit focuses on the South African Training Ship ""General Botha"" (ex ) and its successors, the South African Nautical College GENERAL BOTHA and the South African Merchant Navy Academy GENERAL BOTHA. As a training establishment, GENERAL BOTHA functioned for 67 years to educate and prepare young men as officers for South Africa’s Merchant Service and Navy and until 1961, for the British Navy too. GENERAL BOTHA was unquestionably the “cradle” of both the South African Navy and the South African Merchant Service. The Transformation Display at"
"Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth or The Bay (; ) is one of the major cities in South Africa; it is situated in the Eastern Cape Province, east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed ""The Friendly City"" or ""The Windy City"", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. Port Elizabeth is the southernmost large city on the African continent, just farther south than Cape Town. Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house British settlers as a way of strengthening the border region"
"PetroSA’s FA Platform). Mossel Bay’s GTL plant serves up to 15 percent of South Africa’s transport fuels requirements. It produces unleaded gasoline, ultra low sulphur diesel, kerosene, low aromatic distillates, drilling fluids, liquid petroleum gas, low sulphur fuel oil, anhydrous alcohols, liquid oxygen, liquid nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and waxes. Mossel Bay straddles the N2 national highway, which is South Africa’s main coastal road from Cape Town in the Western Cape Province, to Durban in KwaZulu-Natal Province. (Using this route, Mossel Bay lies exactly at the midpoint between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape Province’s capital of Port Elizabeth — 400"
"the steel industry and the harbour. Furthermore, its sheltered harbour plays an important part in the Sishen-Saldanha iron-ore project (connected by the Sishen-Saldanha Railway Line) at which Saldanha Steel takes center stage. Saldanha Bay is located about north west of Cape Town. It faces southwest and is 11 km long and 12 km wide. The Langebaan Lagoon, a SE prolongation of the bay, extends for 14 km southeastwards from the SE corner of the inner bay by Langebaan. Saldanha Bay is named after António de Saldanha, captain of a vessel in Albuquerque's fleet which visited South Africa in 1503. The"
"British built three Martello towers in South Africa, one at Simon's Town Naval base near Cape Town, one at Cape Town, and the third at Fort Beaufort. The tower at Simon’s Town and Cape Town were both built in 1795. The tower at Cape Town was demolished over 100 years ago, but the tower at Simon's Town now is sometimes claimed as the oldest Martello in the world. It is arguable as to whether one should properly call it a Martello Tower. That said, Vice Admiral George Elphinstone, who commanded the force that captured the colony and then served briefly"
"Port of Cape Town The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay. Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit and second only to Durban as a container port. The port also has significant repair and maintenance facilities that are used by several large fishing fleets and parts of the West African oil industry. Because of the many tourist attractions offered by Cape Town and"
"Freetown. This was the capital of the first British colony in West Africa, Sierra Leone. Most of the enslaved Africans freed by the squadron chose to settle in Sierra Leone as for fear of otherwise being re-enslaved. From 1821, the squadron also used Ascension Island as a supply depot, before this moved to Cape Town in 1832. As the Royal Navy began interdicting slave ships, the slavers responded by adopting faster ships, particularly Baltimore clippers. At first, the Royal Navy was often unable to catch these ships. However, when the Royal Navy started to use captured slaver clippers and new"
"to West Africa, officially for training purposes. The deployment drew criticism from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), who claimed that the deployment was related to ongoing conflict in Cote d'Ivoire. SAS Drakensberg SAS ""Drakensberg"" (A301) is a fleet replenishment ship (AOR) of the South African Navy (SAN), with the primary role of assisting and supporting the SAN's combat vessels at sea. Built by the (now defunct) Sandock Austral shipyard in Durban, it is the largest and most sophisticated warship to have been built in South Africa. The design and shortcomings of heavily influenced the designers of ""Drakensberg""."