Commander Handsome Thamsanqa Matsane stands in the conning
tower of the SAS Queen Modjadji as he becomes the first black naval commander
of a South African submarine.
The crew of the submarine SAS Modjadji required trauma
counselling after the vessel struck the seabed off the Eastern
Cape coast earlier this year.
This was revealed by Defence Minister Nosiviwe
Mapisa-Nqakula in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Responding to a question, she said a board of inquiry,
convened by the SA Navy after the accident on July 18, had made various
proposals.
These included recommendations on submarine standard
operating procedures, current training "curricula", and
"possible engineering changes that may have to be implemented on board the
three SA Navy submarines".
She said the SAS Modjadji "did make contact with the
sea bottom, mud and sand, on July 18 [this year], during a routine diving
safety drill and hydraulic oil pressure failure exercise".
A technical investigation determined that the SAS Queen
Modjadji had "suffered an indentation, that is approximately 1.5 metres by
1.5 metres, to the outer protective plating" near the bow, over its number
five ballast tank.
There was no damage to the pressure hull or any of the
equipment aboard the submarine. The cost of repairing the submarine was R500,000.
No crew member was injured.
"All crew members were psychologically evaluated after
the incident as part of the normal procedure."
Mapisa-Nqakula later told MPs: "All of them, because of
the trauma they went through, were then subjected to trauma counselling."
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