Mpacha: Thanks for your contribution mate, interesting stuff there, we’ve been talking over on my baord about upping the roles of these ships and using alternate propulsion to gain more speed and Arming them. feel free to have a look (just click the link in my signature down the bottom here.

VERY nice forum Ja, one is getting spoilt for choice 😀

Just to add to my previous, some reports say that the SAS Tafelberg could carry anti-ship missiles but I’ve never seen anything to support this claim. Although I suppose it is possible since some Strike Craft had two launchers removed in order to support Special Forces operations.

Ja,

Good thread! On the point of multi-refuelling, I would say that would depend on the navy!? My all time favourite was the South African Navy replenishment vessel SAS Tafelberg(A243) which began life as the commercial tanker, Annan. Displacement 25 300tons with 9 officers and 118 ratings. She was the first replenshment vessel in the SA Navy and during her service she under went many changes. She started life with two refuelling points and one solid stores transfer station on each side, together with astern fuelling arrangements and later a flight deck for light helicopters was fitted aft. In 1983 the rearward refuelling points were removed and an additional landing deck with two Super Frelon size hangars was fitted together with accomodation for 300 troops, a fully equipped hospital and davits for six Delta fast assault craft. This “tanker” had teeth! She even sank a frigate :diablo: This was during an unfortunate accident when she rammed the SA Navy “flagship”. Apart from replenishing ships, she was used as a guardship during yacht races, long range reconnaissance, search and rescue missions and amphibious assaults. Whilst many of her operations remain “classified”, one such operation was carried out to rescue the Muller family who had been held captive in Mozambique.

Squating is actually a legitmate problem in Africa. Why cant anyone look at the larger picture and always just focus on imediate circumstances?

You tell us to look at the larger picture?? Once “YOU” look at the larger picture, then talk. You forget how long ago Rhodesia was,a whole new generation of white folk have entered the “picture” since then, but you still condemn them? You say it is nothing because it was the whites who exploited, so who cares if they get exploited? Yet the Mashona was slaughted and exploit by the Matabele regiments, so why show concern when they in turn get “exploited” by the whites?

It is “fashionable” to blame whites for everything but the truth is that Africa is very “tribal” and only once people address this, then we can move forward. Never mind constantly harping on about what happend in the past, address what is happening now. This includes all the smaller tribes who have no voice, the Asians and those of mixed race etc. A generation of people who you chose to condemn for no valid reason. All Mugabe has done is to confirm that the whites of Rhodesia had valid reason to follow the path that they chose. You forget that Rhodesians had first hand experience of what happend in the Congo, as well as the worlds silence on acts of pure terrorism. Had a Black nation laid to rest those fears maybe history would be different. This is indeed what Zimbabwe originally conveyed to whites in South Africa.

Two wrongs don’t make a right but two Wrights make an aeroplane….. 😀

This is what we are wearing in Norfolk this summer………. 😀