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Message from the Chairman: Mike Bosazza
2026 is flashing by very quickly and we have been hard at work at our naval heritage.
The Naval Digests and books in the pipeline are on track and will be published in due course. The team, of volunteers keeps tabs on our records, controls and documents new items, ensures that our publications are available and assists the Naval Museum as we can. Queries are answered and visitors welcomed. And then of course there is our submarine.
SAS Assegaai is a great success, much admired by her many visitors and, as predicted, by the Mayor of Cape Town when he attended the official opening, she has become a highlight in the city’s tourist offerings.
Soon we will have our AGM when we account to our members for the past year and once again it has been a productive and good year.
My thanks are due to the Executive Committee, the volunteers and all of you who support the Trust in various ways.
I hope you will join us at the AGM.
Mike Bosazza
Naval Digests (ND) and Books in the pipeline
Naval Heritage is required to produce two Naval Digests and one book per year. This requirement continues to be met and although the Trust has sufficient Naval Digests in the pipe line to produce three NDs per year the funding through membership and book sales is not sufficient to up the number at present.
The two Naval Digest for 2026 have been completed and will be printed in May for distribution in Jun / July to all paid-up members.
Naval Digest 42. Tim Johnson
This Digest is made up of Tim`s Oral History recorded by Glen Knox a few years ago and also includes articles by other Naval officers and friends.
Many of his paintings have also been included with kind permission of Joey Johnson.
Royal Naval Surveys in South African Waters 1793 – 1821 ND 43.
This ND was written by Captain Mike Barritt, RN.
The book contains interesting and fascinating stories of the early surveys along the SA coast line. Included are old and interesting photos of the early charts produced by the RN for marine operations along a very dangerous and unknown coast.
If any member will be away from home during the delivery (June /July) period and not in a position to collect the books from their PEP Store kindly let Glen or Andre know by 22 May 26.
A new book of South African submariners serving on foreign submarines by MWO Dave Harrison, has been completed and is due for publication in April 2026. This book will be on sale through the Naval Heritage office.
Other books and NDs in the pipeline.
Naval Digest. Voyage to the Ice – SAS Outeniqua by Marga Ley. This ND has been completed and approval has been obtained by the original author to have it published. This ND is still due for publication in 2027.
The Trust has recently been given a complete book on the SA Naval Marines called MOES TROEP, Memoirs of a National Serviceman during the South African Border War by Brad Wills.
This book has been reformatted into a Naval Digest. The story line is hard hitting and extremely blunt which may well shock some readers. We are attempting not to change anything and publish it as it is. The SA Marine story of their training and experiences during in operations on the border and within SA are very different to the sea going navy and deserves to be told as it is. Naval Heritage has long been trying to get a book on the marines and this book will be opening a few eyes. This Naval Digest is due for publication in 2027.
The books and Naval Digest below are in no particular publishing order:
- The Naval Career of Cdre Sam Davis is being put together by Arne Soderlund for a Naval Digest to be published in 2028. Historic items and documents on the Cdre`s life and career have been kindly handed over by his daughter who is very happy to see her father career in print. Some of the supplied documents are very humous, for anyone who knew him well or served in his ships will attest too and others are more shocking and display the crass way he was told his services were completed. Anyone having additional stories or photos on the career of Sam Davis during his various appointments should kindly forward them to glenknox090@gmail.com
- Sea / Naval Cadets in South Africa by Capt Waldie Bartie (SCC) – This Naval Digest has been completed and is being proof read in preparation of the 2027 publication
- History of SAS Protea by Cdr Leon Steyn This Naval Digest is due for completion be November 2026
- Hydrography in the SA Navy by Capt (Ret) Theo Stokes assisted by Capt (Ret) Abri Kamfer and Capt Nicholette le Roux.
- Top Sportsmen and Women of the SAN 1922 – 2026 by Capt Glen Knox and MWO Dave Harrison.
- SAS Drakensberg – Ops Pullen by RAdm (JG) Arne Soderlund, Capt Chris Dooner. Adding to this ND will be Operation White Dove with SAS Outeniqua on the peace mission with President Mandela – by Capt Glen Knox with assistance from those serving on board at the time.
- SAS Tafelberg – Ops Gypsy with diary input from CPO Rushby and Capt Bob Harrison
- Voyage of the Dias by Capt Andrew Blake, a crew member of the Dias at the time. AB Justin Fox (now a notable author of many maritime books) will be adding in a chapter on his own perceptions of this voyage
- The history of SAS Simonsberg by V Adm Loedolff, R Adm Cole and Cdr Leon Steyn. This ND is still in the development stage but will be covering all the changes and growth of the Units and all the schools attached to it.
- Operation Savannah by R Adm (JG) Arne Soderlund and MWO Dave Harrison. With details from the SAS President Steyn, OC, Capt Sam Davis Report of Proceedings
- Sea / Naval Cadets in Cape Town by Capt Ruper Toms. Still very much in draft form and in need of a lot of work before being ready for publication.
- Through the Periscope by MWO Dave Harrison will be updated and reprinted.
- Warships visiting SA by Capt Bill Rice. This book will cover all the naval warships that have operated around the SA Coast.
- My Life, the naval career of R Adm Nic Smit. This book will be edited and formatted by Arne Soderlund before being published.
- The family of Capt G.F. Gower have compiled a magnificent album of his life and times including letters written during WWII. Heritage will be reformatting this for a ND.
- Oral History stories of past serving naval members. A short list is being discussed as to which stories can be safely used. Permission from the surviving families will then be obtained before progressing with the stories. It is envisaged that there will be 4 Oral History stories per Naval Digest. The trust will attempt to slot these smaller Naval Digest in with the yearly two
New Books available through Naval Heritage
Beside the books listed below kindly check out the Naval Heritage webpage for the full list of Naval Digests and books available for purchase.
Foreign Submarine Visits to South Africa and Associated Exercises 1933 – 2023. By MWO Dave Harrison
This very interesting 198-page book on visiting submarines is available to those interested in submarine exercises and visits.
The book contains fascinating stories on the visiting submarines. Almost every page has a photo to add to the storyline.
The book costs R150 for NH Society members and R180 retail, plus R60 for PAXI post if required.
Heritage Symposium
The Heritage Symposium attended in late October 25 has had growth within the Western Cape. The Armed Forces Heritage Association (AFHA) has been established for the Western Cape with meetings being held to pave the way forward for safeguarding SA military heritage through the coordinated conservation, restoring, memorialisation, preservation and digitisation of military heritage artefacts and sites.
The Organisations in the AFHA are SA Legion, Naval Heritage Trust, The Dukes Association, Cape Town Highlanders. The MOTHS, Gunners Association and Western Cape Military History Society Naval Heritage will be involved with Oral Histories and Naval heritage artifacts.
Feedback will be provided in the next newsletter
Navy Festival
The SA Navy is planning a Navy Festival between 17 and 19 April. It is planned to have the Heritage office open for visits and book sales. Hope to see many of the local members.
NHT Office
The NHT office is operating from the ASSEGAAI Submarine Museum Park on the left side of Cole Point Parking area. Over the wall from the NSRI Station 10.
The office is open for members to visit on Mondays and Thursdays between 0930 and 1200. If you are in the area, you are most welcome to pop in for a chat. You will then be able to view the Heritage collection of books, paintings and Oral Histories in the Office. Visits to the office outside these times can also be arranged with any of the Trustees.
If you wish to confirm a visit, please message Glen on 0846861384 or Chris on 0845130617
The ASSEGAAI Submarine Museum is open daily from 0930 – 1500 for the public right alongside the NHT office.
NHT Subs 2025/26
Although the yearly subs for Naval Heritage were increased as of 1 January 2024, to cover the climbing printing and postal costs, there is as yet no envisaged increase during 2027/28.
Besides the ND`s and book projects the Trust is also involved in Oral History recordings, and assistance to the Naval Museum and the Submarine Museum project. These projects cost, and funds need to be carefully allocated by the Board to ensure the Trust can meet its Heritage goals.
There are savings for those wanting the electronic copy of a Naval Digests. Published Books will still need to be hard copies.
Naval Heritage Society Subs are as follows. Please ensure the correct amount is transferred.
- Electronic copy only, subs R180 (no hard copy posted)
- Hard copy, subs R280. This will include the cost of the Paxi Post with Pep Stores. Hand delivered publications in the Cape Town area will also fall into this category as the Trustees will be required to travel around their allocated areas delivering the publications personally. Each Trustee will then be given a small travel allowance for this duty.
- Overseas delivery, subs R380 this will include the standard overseas postage with the Post Office (appears to be working better than local postal services)
- Corporate membership will also be R280.
Any other postage for additional books purchased will be on an individual basis through the Paxi system. (R60)
All members should let the Trust know if there are any changes re:
- Which option they are choosing Electronic (via email) or Hard Copy,
- Which Pep Store is their desired delivery point and their correct cell number. Paxi Post will have the packages delivered within 7 days of posting. Their system is well controlled, and packages are tracked constantly.
- Hand deliveries will need correct street address, not a P.O. Box number
Notification of Pep Store delivery point or actual home address as applicable and correct Cell phone numbers should be sent to Andre Wessels at nhtmembership@gmail.com
Kindly note the the yearly subs are either R180 or R280 for local members and R380 for overseas members.
There are no subs at R150 or R200.
NHT DATABASE
The NHT has at considerable cost installed a server for the Heritage database in the NHT office. This server on a 6 TB HDD now holds the electronic copies of all the Oral Histories, Newsletters, Membership data, published Naval Digests and books, financial records, historic photographs, large book collection (SA books, RN publications, and general books and then collectors and rare books that the NHT has purchased and the asset register of donated items. The loading of data and photographs is ongoing with the server slowly filling up.
Prior to this all the data was retained on the Trustees laptops and standalone computers at their homes. It is now all under one roof in the NHT Office. There is a backup drive which is held by Glen and he has the master drive backed up each month.
This central database is a great step forward for Naval Heritage.
NHT Library of Collected Books
The Trust has built up a considerable collection of nautical books on the SAN and other navies. A large collection of magnificent books has been left to the Trust by the late Capt Ian Manning.
A full stocktake has been completed of all the books in the Heritage collection with over 680 books npw in the collection. All duplicate books are being offered for sale at the office. These sales will bring in additional funding for the Trust
Books remaining after this will be passed along to the Sea Cadet base at Zandvlei.
If any member is clearing out nautical books, Ships Line Books, historic photos and photo albums or paintings, please remember the Trust we are always happy to receive these either for our collection or passing along to the Naval Museum and Sea Cadets
Oral History Program
Every day of your life is a page of your history.
The Heritage Trusts Oral History program has continued strongly. There are 370 completed Oral Histories in the Heritage collection.
One-on-One recordings slowed in the last reporting period, however a concerted effort with be made in the new year to continue with both Glen and Eddie making inroads into the considerable backlog.
Mini Oral Histories with the info being obtained from family members, old Navy News articles and other documents are always being sourced and make up a valuable additional source of heritage life stories.
The oral histories outstanding include Capt Peter De Beer Strydom, Capt Chris Dooner, Capt Richard Loydell, R Adm Steve du Toit.
There were no new Oral Histories completed since the last report:
WO1 Roy Marks continues putting his book together and Capt Gerrit Rademeyer is also working on his book of his naval career.
A trip to both the Cape South Coast and Durban areas for a recording session remains on the cards for early 2026 and will be programmed in once 10 candidates have been confirmed for each area. The next recording trip to the Pretoria region will be later in 2026. Interested readers should contact Glen Knox to set a date for a recording.
We would encourage Society members to start writing their own Oral Histories or just making notes to assist in the writing or recoding of your full life story – an hour or two each week is all it takes. However, if you would prefer a recording to be conducted as part of this important Heritage project, please get in contact with Glen Knox on his email glenknox090@gmail.com or through WhatsApp on 084 686 1384.
Membership
New members to the NHT Society are warmly welcomed and we trust you will all enjoy the publications produced and interacting with the Trust and Society members.
There are no new members for this year.
We would like to encourage all Society members to recruit amongst their own friends and other retired Naval and Defence personnel who are not yet members, to join up if they are interested in SA Navy and SA Naval Heritage. The Application form is on the SA Naval Heritage fb site and on the Heritage web page.
Membership for the Naval Heritage Society now stands at 236 paid up members. With a few members arrears in payments.
Society members who do not respond to membership renewal emails and are non-paying for 6 months after renewal date are unfortunately removed from the Heritage data base and will not be receiving any further Naval Digests.
If you are moving home or changing your email addresses, kindly update any new addresses with Andre Wessels. Confirmation of your Email, postal address and cell numbers may be sent to the membership secretary at nhtmembership@gmail.com.
Naval Heritage Website
The Naval Heritage web page continues to be maintained by the Web Master, Nicholas Dunn. The webpage has been accessed by 25336 interested readers. Sections to be found on the webpage include, Published Naval Digests and Books, background to the Trust and Trustees, History of the SAN, Navy 100, Vintage Naval videos and ASSEGAAI Submarine Museum.
We encourage all our Society members to log on and see the additional items on display. The link for the site is navalheritagetrust.co.za
Typing in SA Naval Heritage Trust will also link you to the page.
We are looking to upgrading the webpage to cover additional items during 2026.
Additional books and Naval Digests can also be ordered through the web site.
Where can you purchase Naval Heritage books and Digests?
All our published Naval Digests and books are available at the NHT Office in Simon`s Town at the Submarine Museum Park or through the Naval Heritage web page. Remember paid up members get a big discount on all purchases bought at the office or online. Postal deliveries are worked through Pep Store Paxi at R60. Payments for the books can either be cash or card.
Other stockists include
- Enkosi Africa gift and souvenir shop, Simon`s Town.
- STADCO on Jubilee square, Simon`s Town.
- The SA Naval Museum and
- ASSEGAAI Submarine Museum Gift counter
These venues only hold a selection of the inventory and sell the publications at the full retail price.
To check out the full range of Naval Heritage titles kindly consult the NH Webpage for titles and prices
SA Naval Heritage Society Facebook Site
The NHT fb site has now grown steadily to 7450 members. This site continues to be extremely popular with many positive interactions re historic memories of the SAN. The daily Shipwreck Heritage Report from SAHRA makes for additional fascinating reading each day.
Are you a member of this Facebook site yet? If not click on it and join in the daily discussions and also encourage your friends with naval interests to join this active fb site.
Naval Heritage Trust Banking details
This account can be used for all payments of yearly subs, books purchases and donations.
Naval Heritage Trust
Standard Bank code 051001 Account number 072 102 276
SUBMARINE MUSEUM UPDATE: October 2025
Reported by Alisa, Assegaai Manager
It has been a rollercoaster of a year here at the Assegaai. We have finally received our long-awaited bundle of joy, a nice healthy L3 dummy torpedo, although without a propeller blades. We are now waiting for her sister torpedos and a few other items to join the party.
We have thus far welcomed a total of 33270 visitors through our lovely lady with our visitor’s book overflowing with positive comments. School groups and other businesses are now organizing trips to the submarine, Bishops boys, Fairdale high School, Star of the Sea and Draeger are among the groups welcomed aboard.
We have other various projects on the go such as sound effects on the sub and some media displays for the display area.
Our one negative is our lack of qualified guides and it is a strain to have enough guides to cover every day that we are open.
Naval Heritage Trust Board
- Chairman: Mike Bosazza
- Vice Chairman: Capt Glen Knox (Ret)
- Secretary: Capt Trunell Morom (Ret)
- Treasurer: Mrs Glynnis Hellemann
- Trustee: RAdm (JG) Arne Soderlund (Ret)
- Member: Capt Chris Dooner (Ret)
- Trustee: Cdr Eddie Wesselo (Ret)
- Trustee: Cdr Mac Bisset (Ret)
- Trustee: Cdr L Steyn
- Trustee: WO1 Andre Wessels (Ret)
- Member: WO1 David Harrison (Ret)
- Web Master: Nicholas Dunn
- Volunteer staff: WO1 Harry Croome
Next newsletter – June 2026
Let us know how you feel about the newsletter.
Those that provided feedback on the last newsletter many thanks.
Glen Knox