From the SAS Mendi (at sea)
Petty Officer Dennis Ndaba is a journalist for SA Soldier and Petty Officer Eddie Kgomo a television cameraman at Defence Television. The two members were invited to sail with the
SAS Mendi on her maiden voyage to South Africa to assist with the capturing of video footage, still photographs as well as writing stories for public relations and archive purposes. Below is a short summary from them of how they experienced the journey.
PO Ndaba and PO Kgomo
LUBBERS AT SEA
By PO Dennis Ndaba and PO Eddie Kgomo
The call to join men and women at sea is both an honour and a highlight of any proud member of the SA Navy, especially lubbers. This opportunity presented itself, when we were tasked to capture the moments of the
SAS Mendi, on her maiden voyage home. When we arrived in Germany, we found the ship's company under the command of Capt (SAN) Kevin Packer, faced with the challenge of sailing the ship safely to South Africa.
At first, we didn't know what to expect and we were very worried with the stigmatisation attached to people, working ashore. The reception was good as in no time we were integrated with the ship's company that was very motivated to accomplish its mission. We also noticed that they were looking forward for the 20th August 2004 as most of them were homesick and wanted to be united with their loved ones.
After we spelt out our mandate to them, their co-operation was amazing. It was overwhelming and encouraging for some members of the crew, when they thanked us because their partners, friends and family told them that they saw their photos on the Internet. It humbled us that we were contributing in connecting the crew with their loved ones.
Since this was our first trip at sea, there were days when we turned bit green around the edges, but managed to "find" our sea legs after a day or two. Another thing that struck us during the trip was that the crew was united and working together to achieve "team MENDI"s goal: to be the best.
It was refreshing to notice the professionalism in which the crew executed their tasks. The fact that the ship is being sailed with only half of the crew meant that all had to put more efforts. It must be also said that onboard the ship, there are no passengers; we also had to dip in and help the ship's company, where there were shortages.
Sailing past the English Channel and laying a wreath, where the
SS Mendi sank was our greatest memory never to be forgotten for a long time. It is so encouraging to notice that sailors are practicing the naval traditions and customs at sea. The first example was when we reached a lock and the youngest member of every department had to run as fast as he could to buy ice cream. The second was a ceremony called "crossing the line", where all members of the crew, who had not crossed the equator are expected to pay homage to "King Neptune", who all the World Navies believe that he is the ruler of the seven seas.
We visited Brest in France, where we experienced a weather that changed from summer to winter in a single day. We had an opportunity to strengthen military ties with the members of the French Navy through a soccer match. Our last stop was Naval Base Rota in Spain. Spain is one of the greatest places and the people are welcoming even if they give you a lopsided smile you will not notice. The problem was language, and they don't compromise to accommodate you, so one is left with the option of using sign language. The opportunity of sailing by ferry to Santa Maria was the greatest. Our experience was that it was very cheap than the other countries we visited.
One would notice the Creator's great works regarding the temperature between the North Atlantic Sea, which is warm, and calm as compared to South Atlantic Sea, which is cold, and raining most of the time. Together, we worked and played hard, there was still time to watch movies, playing the quiz and attending prayer meeting.
We must also mention that the prayer meetings were both inspiring and uplifting. It was where we strengthen and encourage one another to carry on doing all our respective duties to the best of our abilities. We must also be grateful to our dearest wives for keeping the fort, during our absence.
We hope and trust that the interest that we have generated on the
SAS Mendi's trip does not end here. We are going to keep in touch with the ship's company, as they have adopted us. We would also encourage other members of the Navy, especially those that are working ashore, to consider a detached duty onboard any Navy vessel. To see the crew undergoing their trials and tribulations onboard is educational and enriching and cannot be easily described.
GENERAL INFORMATION
At 17:15 (GMT+2) on Wednesday 15 September 2004 the SAS Mendi entered South African waters for the first time!
The total distance from Kiel to Simon's Town: 5 186 nm
Distance covered to date: 4 926 nm
Remaining distance: 260 nm
Average depth of the water: 300 m
Sea state: 1
Nearest land abeam: Alexander Bay (port, 100 nm)
Weather: Sunny but cold (16.8 degrees Celsius)
Wind: south 5 knots
