On Tuesday 121000B Feb 07 SAS
DRAKENSBERG (DKB) slipped from Walvis Bay Harbour,
enroute to Luanda (Angola). Shortly after leaving
harbour, the Ship’s Company conducted emergency drills
until suppertime. These drills entailed mustering for
life-raft stations, a man overboard exercise and a fire
exercise.
OC during courtesy call with the Chief of Angolan Navy.
The first quiz of the voyage kicked off
at 1930B directly after the Captains meeting. The
presenter of the quiz, CPO Dove, encouraged maximum
participation from the Ships Company. There will be a
reward for the overall quiz winners that will be
unveiled on the passage back home.
DKB came alongside in Luanda on
Friday 161130A Feb 07. The South African Defense Advisor
(DA), Col. Sidwell Baartman, and other delegates awaited
us on the quayside. Directly after coming alongside, the
OC DKB, Charle Coetzee, had courtesy calls with the
Angolan Deputy Minister of Defense, the Deputy Chief of
General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces, the Angolan
Chief of the Navy and the Port Captain. In the evening,
the Angolan Chief of the Navy invited the entire Ships
Company of the DKB for a cocktail party that was hosted
at the Armed Forces Museum.
“What an awesome experience, it did
not cross my mind that the first time I have a taste of
lobster will be in a foreign land, especially Angola”
said Sea Mbanya with much excitement.
On Saturday afternoon, a cocktail
function was held onboard DKB. The Charge de Affair of
SA hosted the function in the absence of the South
African Ambassador. Included in the dignitaries
attending the function were the Charge de Affair of
Zimbabwe, Namibia, Belgium, France, Italy, USA and Cuba.
Even though there was a language barrier all the parties
communicated matters of mutual interest. The function
onboard DKB left a lasting positive impression on both
countries.
