South Africa placed a contract for three Type 209/1400 submarines in July 2000 on Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Thyssen Nordseewerke. The Type 209/1400 submarines replace the French-built Daphné-class submarines, SAS Spear, SAS Assegaai and SAS Umkhonto which were decommissioned in 2003. The Heroine class are sometimes considered to be South Africa's first "true" submarines, as they were more suited to being underwater than the Daphné models.[3][disputed – discuss]
Manthatisi arrived in Simon's Town on 8 April 2006, accompanied by the Valour-class frigate SAS Amatola (F145).[4]
Operational history
Exercise Amazolo, the first multi-navy exercise to involve ships of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the South African Navy took place in September 2007. The NATO ships included the USS Normandy, German tanker Spessart, HNLMS Evertsen, HMCS Toronto, HDMS Olfert Fischer and NRP Álvares Cabral. The Manthatisi managed to penetrate an anti-submarine screen of seven ships, including the two South African Valour-class frigates SAS Amatola (F145) and SAS Isandlwana (F146) and the USS Normandy. After having ‘sunk’ the target being protected by the surface screen, the submarine turned on the surface warships and ‘sank’ each of them as well.[5]
Manthatisi was withdrawn from service in 2007 and placed in reserve as part of the SAN's plan to maintain only two out of its three submarines in service. She began a refit in 2010, and re-entered service in October 2014.[6] As of April 2023, Manthatisi had completed a Docking and Essential Defect (DED) maintenance period and was undergoing post-maintenance trials.[7] However, according to a presentation made to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence by Rear Admiral B.K. Mhlana, Deputy Chief of the Navy in May 2023, the mid-life update for the submarine, that was due to start in 2022, had not yet commenced.[8]
On 20 September 2023, Manthatisi was involved in a fatal accident en route to Table Bay from Simon's Town for the South African Navy Festival. All seven swept off board were recovered by the NSRI near Slangkop Lighthouse with 3 fatalities.[9][10]
