The submarine SAS Umkhonto (S98), formerly the SAS Emily Hobhouse, was the second of three French-built Daphné class

Daphne class submarine

The Daphné class was a type of diesel-electric patrol submarines built in France between 1958 and 1970 for the French Navy and for export.-History:...

 submarines ordered by the South African Navy

South African Navy

The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....

 in 1968. Laid down in December 1968 and launched October 24, 1969 and commissioned into the South African Navy under the command of Lt Cdr Lambert Jackson "Woody" Woodburne

Lambert Jackson Woodburne

Vice-Admiral Lambert Jackson "Woody" Woodburne DVR, SD, SM, South African Navy is a former Chief of the South African Navy...

 on February 26, 1971. SAS Umkhonto was decommissioned in 2003 and scrapped in 2008.

Ship Name

The SAS Umkhonto was originally named SAS Emily Hobhouse after Emily Hobhouse

Emily Hobhouse

Emily Hobhouse was a British welfare campaigner, who is primarily remembered for bringing to the attention of the British public, and working to change, the poor conditions inside the British concentration camps in South Africa built for Boer women and children during the Second Boer War.-Early...

, a Cornish

Cornish people

The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...

 humanitarian in South Africa during the Boer War

Boer War

The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....

 who was later made an honorary citizen of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. In 1994, with the end of Apartheid in South Africa, ships bearing names of noted figures of white South African rule were removed and renamed after geographical names and less controversial figures in South African history. "Umkhonto" is the Zulu

Zulu language

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...

 word for spear.

Operational history

In 1982, the SAS Emily Hobhouse was part of a submarine officer commanding course exercise occurring 80 miles off Cape Point

Cape Point

Cape Point is a promontory at the southeast corner of the Cape Peninsula, which is a mountainous and scenic landform that runs north-south for about thirty kilometres at the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent in the Republic of South Africa. Table Mountain and the city of Cape Town...

 on February 17. Her mission was to pass through the security screen provided by the frigates SAS President Kruger (F150), and SAS President Pretorius (F145) and simulate an attack on the replenishment ship

Replenishment Oiler

A replenishment oiler or fleet tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can replenish other ships while underway in the high seas. Such ships are used by several countries around the world....

 SAS Tafelberg

SAS Tafelberg

SAS Tafelberg was a replenishment ship of the South African Navy. The ship started life as the Danish tanker Annam before undergoing various conversions into her final configuration.-Early history:...

(A23) which the frigates were protecting. The heavy seas were causing clutter on the radar screens and the execution of a WWII-era convoy maneuver in the rough seas ended in a collision at 4:23am between the Tafelberg and the President Kruger that resulted in minor damage to the Tafelberg and the sinking of the President Kruger on the morning of February 18 with a loss of 16 lives.

The SAS Umkhonto was paid off in 2003 and scrapped in 2008.