This day in history: the R.S.A. arrives in South Africa from Japan on its maiden voyage in 1961

On 31 December 1961, early in the morning, South Africa’s first Antarctic supply ship, the R.S.A., suitably dressed with flags, docked in Table Bay on  its delivery voyage from Osaka, Japan.

The 1572- gross ton ship was built by the Fujinagata Shipbuilding and Engineering Company.  The keel was laid on 4 April 1961,  the R.S.A. was launched on 28 September, undertook sea trials in Osaka Bay over 28/29 November and set sail for Cape Town, South Africa on 30 November on a non-stop voyage.

Loading for Antarctica commenced on the 2nd of January, and on the 6th the new ship sailed from the Table Bay Docks for Dronning Maud Land with members of the Third SANAE Overwintering team (S3) aboard, under the leadership of Radio Technician Marten J. du Preez.  Her first voyage south followed the placement of the first two SANAE over-wintering teams in Norway Station  by the Norwegian vessels Polarbjørn in 1959/60 and Polarhav  in 1960/61.

Her Master on both voyages was Captain Kenneth Thomas McNish (30-08.1923 – 19.08.2008) who captained the ship until 1974, being awarded the South African Antarctic Gold Medal for his services.  McNish was replaced by his Chief Officer, Ernst Funk (1916-1979) as Captain.  The R.S.A. served the South African National Antarctic Programme for 16 years, making visits every year to South Africa’s meteorological stations on Gough and Marion Islands and in Antarctica to relieve teams or on special voyages for medical or other emergencies. The R.S.A.was replaced by the S.A. Agulhas in 1978.

Once her Antarctic career was over the R.S.A. joined the South African Navy, known only by her pennant number A331 (pronounced “Azzi”) without any Navy name. Following a conversion and a new paint job of white and buff (traditional hydrographic survey ship colours) she then spent two years undertaking clandestine electronic surveillance off the coasts of southern Angola and northern (as it was then) South West Africa, now Namibia.

In 1980 the R.S.A. was converted into a static training ship for merchant seaman in Cape Town Docks. She ended her life partially demolished for scrap but then was sunk once asbestos came to light: a sad end to South Africa’s first Antarctic ship – known, somewhat affectionately, as  “Rolling Slowly Along”.

Reference:

McNish, K.T. 1971. The Eternal Ice.  Cape Town: Tafelberg.  110 pp.

John Cooper, Principal Investigator, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University