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DKB celebrate Easter in style.
Article by S Lt Khasuli
Photos by WO 1 D. John |
When DKB slipped from Rota in
Spain, SAS CHARLOTTE MAXEKE (CME) was approximately
400 Nm ahead and DKB had to catch up with her as
quickly as possible. On Wednesday morning 04 Apr
both vessels were sailing in parallel, which
basically means the DKB had covered a distance of
approximately 730 Nm within 40 hours.
Padre Dukwana on Easter Friday
The first week at sea on the
passage to SMST has been extremely busy with lots
and lots of activities onboard the DKB. To start
with; Air Force detachment under the leadership of
Maj Benade (pilot) had conducted helicopter
operations on a daily basis heading to the Easter
weekend. These operations really tested their skills
as most of the flying was conducted during the night
with the moon creating ideal conditions. Both the
Air Force and DKB team performed superbly well. The
ship gained one more night qualified HCO during the
process.
Eleven members of the ships
company are attending a Flight Deck Learning
Opportunity making full use of the helicopter
availability. The LO is about the procedures of
launching and recovering of a helicopter onboard.
Two Combat Junior Officers, S Lt
Selala and S Lt Van Zyl are currently busy with
Astro Navigation. Astro Nav is navigating out of
sight of land by means of the celestial sphere. In
the Ancient times, before the manual and electronic
charts were implemented, sailors used to use the
celestial bodies for navigation. This module forms
part B of the practical phase of the COQ1 LO.
Upperdeck maintenance is in full
swing and everyone is involved including the
Officers and WO's. "This approach of keeping
everyone busy minimizes stress level because every
sailor is concentrating to complete the task at hand
rather than fantasizing about the ships arrival in
SMST," stated the XO Lt Cdr Mkhwanazi.
On Good Friday, the ship's
Chaplain, Padre Dukwana led a church service in the
hangar. The focus of the service was the 7 words
that spoken by Jesus on the cross. "It is my
obligation to render spiritual support to the ships
company and I wanted to create an environment where
by members can express their feeling and that's why
I opted for the 7 words on the cross approach"
stated the Padre after a unique service. The service
was followed by lunch including homemade pickled
fish and hot cross buns in the hangar. It was a day
that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
The role of the DKB on OPERATION
SIYAKHULA is not only to escort CME but also to
provide support and assistance to the submarine
where it's deemed necessary. This clearly became
visible when the CME called the DKB requesting
medical assistance. Within a twinkle of eye a
Stingray was launched to conduct PTX with the sub
and a member suffering from an eye infection was
transferred to the DKB. Lt Col Kleinhans the Medical
Doctor onboard recommended that the member stay in
isolation onboard DKB for few days before he could
go back to the sub because of the contagious nature
of the infection. The member was returned to the CME
after spending three days on DKB.
CME spends most of the time doing
a dived transit, snorkeling to recharge her
batteries and then continue dived. On Sunday 08 Apr,
DKB and CME were passing Senegal heading south.
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