1980 SA Navy Marines Reunion

08/05/2025

1980/81 Marine Reunion - 45 years later - 1-3 May Richmond NC

08/05/2025

45th Reunion Day 1

08/05/2025

45th Reunion @ Excelcior Club de Aar - Day 3

16/04/2025

2025 Reunie Program

09/11/2024

Details to follow shortly 🫡

29/10/2024

20/10/2024

1980/81 SA Navy Marines ROLL CALL

Arlow, Neil
Bendel, Colin
Bowman, Keith
Brink, Lucien
Buchinger, Jock
Cameron, Jock
Chamberlain, Clifford
Cohen, Brian +
Cousins, Eric
Cronje, Dave
Dasneves, Filipe
Davis, William
De Jager, Billie
De Jongh, Issie
De K**k, Tinkie
De Villiers, Charles
Donaldson, John
Drotsky, Deon +
Du Preez, E
Du Toit, Andre
Gillespie, Neil +
Goosen, Jons
Greyling, Raymond
Hestermann, Martin +
Herold, Roy
Jordaan, Gerrit
Jonker, Jaco
Jordaan, Jannie
Joubert, Mark
Karsten, Jaques
Keiser, Mickey
Kotze, Josh
Lanham-Love, Alec
Laing, Gary
Livingston, Martin
Krebser, Mark
Kruger, Harry
Kruger, Henru
Lawrenson, D.J.
Le Roux, Nicholaas +
Le Roux, S.K. +
Lowe, Paul
Luyt, Louis
Meyer, Michael
Miney, Jan
Mongie, Willie
Muller, Hannes
Nagel, Eric
Naude, S
Nel, Hansie
Nortier, Andre
Parlabean, Tony
Povis, Nigel
Scholtz, Frans
Schonken, A
Setzkorn, Calvin
Sham, Paul
Schumager, A
Smit, Andries
Smit, Charl
Stevens, A
Steytler, J
Tesner, Dan +
Teubus, Neil
Van Aard, Bertus
Van Mollendorf, Hein
Van Niekerk, Jan
Van Schoor, Kobus
Van Wyk, S.R.
Viljoen, Meyer
Visser, P.A.
Wasserman, Klasie
Weber, Paul
Wierenga, Hylke
Wills, Neville

+ Deceased

17/02/2024

1980

Top 30 of the year 1980 in South Africa based on Springbok Radio chart performance (highest position, weeks spent on charts, etc.I do not own copyright to an...

26/11/2019

'80 MARINE STORIES

Kom ons skryf 'n boek - 40 jaar later. Skryf 'n storie oor jou tyd en ondervindinge in die SA Vloot/Marines. Iets vir jou, jou mede Mariniers, jou vriende en familie en nasate om om te onthou. Sonder oorvertelling is ons geskiedenis dood.

Skryf stories, soveel jy wil, so lank of kort jy wil, al het jy nog nooit so ietrs gedoen nie. Ek sal die boek uitle en publiseer (danksy moderne tegnologie en 'n woordsmit wat ons krom en skewe woorde en sinne vrywillig sal versorg).

Dis nie 'n fotoboek, as jy egter fotos het wat jy voel deel moet wees van die storie, stuur aan.

Skryf onder jou naam, of 'n valsnaam op hierdie blad of stuur aan na: [email protected].

Die deadline vir stories is 1 Maart, 2020, twee maande voor die 40ste re-unie.

Stuur hierdie boodskap aan troepe wat nie op FB is.

Om hierdie boek 'n werklikheid te maak kort sowat 80 stories, en die stories is beperk tot die 1980-81 Marines se ondervindinge.

-Will post this message in English in due course.

Raak Bosbefok en span die Penne!! -JD

27/01/2019

Frans Scholtz het pas uit Tafelbaai geseil, op pad na Rio. Ons hou jou dop Bootsman!

20/03/2017

On the morning of 18 February 1982, President Kruger was conducting anti-submarine exercises for the Submarine Officer Commanding Course with President Pretorius, Emily Hobhouse and Tafelberg. The high-intensity exercises progressed from 06:00 to 23:00 over several days, with different candidate submarine captains being given an opportunity of executing a mock attack against Tafelberg. The rest of the day, the ships followed a narrow zig-zag course that allowed the submarine repeated opportunities to engage the surface ships in lower-intensity exercises while the bulk of the crew rested. The frigates too were using the opportunity to carry out anti-submarine exercises, with each ship given a patrol sector ahead of Tafelberg. The escorts were expected to patrol their areas in a random fashion 2,000–5,000 yards (1,800–4,600 m) from Tafelberg. President Kruger's station was on Tafelberg's port side between 10 and 330 degrees and President Steyn had a station on the starboard side.

At approximately 04:00, the whole formation had to change direction by 154 degrees, a near complete reversal in direction, to stay within their training area. The frigates had to change direction first to maintain their protective positions ahead of Tafelberg on the new heading. President Kruger's options were to turn 200 degrees to port, or 154 degrees to starboard. While the latter turn was smaller and tactically sound, it was more dangerous as it involved turning towards the other two ships. Critically, the inexperienced officer of the watch (OOW) elected to turn to starboard, and initiated a turn with 10 degrees of rudder rather than the standard 15 degree turn. A 10 degree turn had a larger radius and would take longer to execute than a 15 degree turn, thereby allowing Tafelberg more time to close on the ship turning in front of her. Shortly after beginning the turn, an argument ensued between the OOW and the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) over the proper amount of wheel to apply. About two-thirds of the way through the turn, the operations room lost radar contact with Tafelberg in the clutter because the high-definition navigation radar was broken and the ship was using the less-precise search radar. The OOW was unable to recover the situation, and Tafelberg's bow impacted President Kruger on her port side at 03:55. The impact tore a large hole in her side and killed 13 of the 15 men sleeping near the point of collision. The ship took on a large list and the captain ordered "abandon ship" at 04:32. The exercise was immediately terminated and the other ships present began rescue operations. More ships, both military and civilian, began arriving after dawn as did aircraft from the South African Air Force. A total of 177 crewmen of the 193 aboard were rescued.

Model of SAS President Kruger at the South African Naval Museum in Simonstown
A naval board of inquiry was appointed shortly afterwards that determined the cause of the collision was of a lack of seamanship by the captain and watch officers of the ship. The Justice Minister, Kobie Coetsee, subsequently introduced a retrospective change in law to allow him to hold an inquest into the death of the only crewman whose body was found. The inquest lasted a year and apportioned blame on the captain and PWO.

PS. The wooden box from SAS President Kruger, featured in the photo, was rescued by a Marine while on patrol in the Simonstown dockyard during the winter of 1980.

24/03/2016

Nou Ja Toe. http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/full-text-mk-generals-veterans-call-for-zuma-to-step-down-20160323?isapp=true

Read the full statement from senior commanders and commissars of the former military wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe, calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down.