SAS Drakensberg (A301)

The SAS Drakensberg (A301) is a fleet replenishment ship (AOR) of the South African Navy, 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.

Design
The design and shortcomings of the Tafelberg heavily influenced the designers of the Drakensberg. The Drakensberg is able to carry 5 500 tons of diesel fuel, 210 tons of fresh water, 100 tons of dry provisions, over 30 tons of frozen food, 230 tons of containerized cargo or 1 000 tons of palletized and general cargo. The loading and offloading of this cargo is made possible with one 20-ton crane, four 2-ton cranes and a 5-ton hoist, assisted by two lifts of 2.5 and 7.5 tons respectively. Replenishment at sea (RAS) is from two abeam positions or from the RAS deck astern, with the ability to pump 40 tons of fuel per hour and 15 tons of fresh water per hour. In addition, an on-board plant enables the ship to produce 50 000 litres of fresh water from sea water daily.

The ship carries two rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) called 'Stingrays' for small-craft duties, as well as two Delta-80 LCUs for limited amphibious use.

Operational history
Since its commissioning in November 1987, the Drakensberg has built up a record of being the most travelled ship currently in SAN service. This began fairly early: Barely a year after its commissioning, it set sail along with the SAS Frans Erasmus for Chile on 15 February 1988, returning to South Africa on 15 April. This was followed two years later in May 1990, when the Drakensberg accompanied the strike craft SAS Jan Smuts and Hendrik Mentz on an epic voyage to Keelung in the Republic of China (Taiwan), without stopping at any ports along the way (a procedure necessitated by South Africa's political isolation at the time). This was the first time since 1945 that a South African naval vessel had "shown the flag" in the Far East; it also provided an opportunity for joint exercises with the Taiwanese Navy.

Under Operation Pullen in 1990, the Drakensberg became the first South African naval vessel to visit the then-Zaire in over 30 years, laying the groundwork for a series of additional visits to African nations, signifying South Africa's gradual return from isolation. The next year, it set sail on a humanitarian relief mission, offloading 630 tons of supplies in Chittagong, Bangladesh and 35 tons of supplies in Mersin, Turkey. In 1992, it became the first SAN vessel to proceed further south than 54 degrees south latitude, in a mission to assist the damaged S. A. Agulhas.

The Drakensberg's greatest voyage, arguably, was Operation Narsau in May 1994, following South Africa's first fully democratic elections and the election of Nelson Mandela. In three months, it visited Lisbon, Rosyth, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Rouen, London, Cadiz, São Tomé and Príncipe, Bioko Island and Gabon in the process becoming the first SAN vessel to visit Denmark and Belgium. While not quite living up to the high standards set by the 1994 voyage, the 1995 voyage to Abu Dhabi, Karachi, Mumbai and Muscat is also notable for its diversity in destinations.

In 1996, the Drakensberg became the first SAN vessel in over 20 years to visit the United States, when it called at the ports of Norfolk, Newport and New York City, which followed a naval exercise with over 25 other vessels at the US Navy's base at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. During a time of increased budget cuts, it would be three years until it embarked on another long-range voyage, this time to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay to partake in the Atlasur IV naval manoeuvres.

In 2006, the Drakensberg was sent to France by President Thabo Mbeki to collect a giant rotor to replace the damaged rotor at Koeberg nuclear power station. The rotor was offloaded at Cape Town harbour just after 16:00 on 6 April 2006.

In 2011, the Drakensberg was sent 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.