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''S. A. Agulhas'' is a South African ice-strengthened training ship and former polar
research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...
. She was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in
Shimonoseki file:141122 Shimonoseki City Hall Yamaguchi pref Japan01s3.jpg, 260px, Shimonoseki city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a pop ...
, Japan, in 1978. ''S. A. Agulhas'' was used to service the three South African National Antarctic Programme research bases,
Gough Island Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan d ...
,
Marion Island The Prince Edward Islands are two small uninhabited subantarctic volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean that are administered by South Africa. They are named Marion Island (named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, 1724–1772) and P ...
in the Southern Ocean and SANAE IV in
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
, as well as various research voyages. ''S. A. Agulhas'' retired from Antarctic service in April 2012 when the replacement vessel, '' S. A. Agulhas II'', was commissioned. She was transferred to the South African Maritime Safety Authority as a training ship.Antarktisen tutkimus- ja huoltoalus kastetiin ja laskettiin vesille Raumalla
Radio Ramona, 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-2
mirror
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History


Rudder damage

In December 1991, ''S. A. Agulhas'' suffered rudder damage while in the Antarctic. The German icebreaker '' Polarstern'' assisted her and by February 1992 ''S. A. Agulhas'' had been freed from the pack ice. Once freed, the SAS ''Drakensberg'' towed the stricken vessel back to Cape Town for repairs.


Rescue of the ''Magdalena Oldendorff''

''S. A. Agulhas'' participated in a multinational rescue of '' Magdalena Oldendorff'' in 2002. The ice-strengthened cargo ship had become stuck in the ice during severe weather conditions while en route from a Russian Antarctic base to Cape Town. ''S. A. Agulhas'' and the
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
icebreaker '' Almirante Irízar'' were dispatched to render assistance. On 27 June 2002, ''S. A. Agulhas'' was from ''Magdalena Oldendorff'', close enough for its two Oryx helicopters, operated by 22 Squadron, to reach the stricken vessel. By 1 June the Oryx had transferred 89 Russian Antarctic expedition members and ''Magdalena Oldendorff'' crew members to ''S. A. Agulhas'' and have transferred of supplies to the remaining crew. The crew remaining on ''Magdalena Oldendorff'' were to await the arrival of ''Almirante Irizar'' and attempt to free the ship.


Deaths at sea

upright=1.2, ''S.A. Agulhas'' in 2007 with seal, penguin and kelp off Marion Island On 27 September 2007, Ordinary Seaman Edward Hudley was stabbed and killed while ''S. A. Agulhas'' was near
Gough Island Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan d ...
. Two crew members were accused of murder. The environmental protection vessel ''
Sarah Baartman Sarah Baartman (; 1789 – 29 December 1815), also spelled Sara, sometimes in the diminutive form Saartje (), or Saartjie, and Bartman, Bartmann, was a Khoekhoe woman who was exhibited as a freak show attraction in 19th-century Europe under ...
'' was dispatched and took custody of the two accused and the deceased's body on 3 October 2007. Both accused were charged with murder on arrival in Cape Town, but all charges were dropped on 6 April 2009. On the ship's first ever voyage to Marion Island, a member of the crew was killed by another crew member, using a fire axe. On arrival back in Cape Town, the suspected killer could not be found on board the vessel. It was speculated that he jumped over the side of the vessel before arrival in Cape Town.


Mission

The mission of ''S. A. Agulhas'' included regular visits to South Africa's base on
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
, and to research stations on
Gough Island Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan d ...
and
Marion Island The Prince Edward Islands are two small uninhabited subantarctic volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean that are administered by South Africa. They are named Marion Island (named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, 1724–1772) and P ...
.


Retirement from polar mission and new role

''S. A. Agulhas'' retired from polar supply missions in March 2012, when its replacement, ''S. A. Agulhas II'', arrived. The Oceans and Coasts Branch of the Department of Environmental Affairs announced in 2011 that several other government agencies had requested the vessel's transfer, noting that, unlike the new vessel, the first was not designed to carry out scientific research, just icebreaking and that the capability to perform scientific research had been added later. It was also reported that the vessel could be insured for a further two years. In July 2012 the ''S. A. Agulhas'' was recommissioned as a training ship operated by the
South African Maritime Safety Authority The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is a South African government agency responsible for the implementation of current international and national regulations regarding the maritime industry as well as upon all recreational marine v ...
, the ship will continue to provide facilities for scientific research while training up to seventy merchant marine cadets. Having undertaken a brief "shakedown" cruise from 4 July 2012, the ship left Cape Town on 2 November 2012 on the first full cruise as a training vessel. Included in the itinerary were visits to
Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most p ...
and
Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N'ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the largest city and the former capital of Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of the overall population ...
to take on additional cadets from Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, while en route to London, UK. After returning to Cape Town, the ship then visited Antarctica. During the cruise various scientific experiments and observations were completed for the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
and the Departments of
Science and Technology Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...
and Environmental Affairs. In 2013, the vessel delivered The Coldest Journey team, which was an Antarctica winter crossing expedition led by Sir
Ranulph Fiennes Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet (born 7 March 1944), commonly known as Sir Ranulph Fiennes () and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer, writer and poet, who holds several endurance records. Fiennes served in the ...
in support of the charity "Seeing is Believing".


See also

* * * * *


References


External links


South African Maritime Safety Authority
- The present owners (Official website).

- The previous owners (Official website). {{DEFAULTSORT:S.A. Agulhas Ships of South Africa Agulhas Maritime history of South Africa South African National Antarctic Programme 1977 ships Research vessels Training ships Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries