Not So Fassi Flying

At those locations I'm sure Rooi saw plenty of horrific "action".

I served in 65. We had one rather funny contact with the ‘enemy’. There was terrorist activity in South West and we patrolled up to the Cunene River. There was evidence trawlers were putting weapons ashore.

One morning when I was on watch, we saw many dots on the radar, scampering out of territorial water and raced at our max of about 20 measly knots, to interdict.

We cornered one Russian trawler and were told by Naval Headquarters to arrest the vessel. Knowing there was going to be a language issue we had big signs in Russian telling them they were under arrest and to proceed with us to Walvis Bay.

They ignored us and steamed in circles as we cut them off….then in what we assumed were diversion tactics, they dumped fish and the woman came out and hung washing amid the scores of sea birds.

Then the Navy thought better of it and told us to disengage. Incredibly a couple of hours later Military Headquarters in Pretoria told us to find and re-arrest the trawler. So we steamed around all day with no chance of finding the ship.

That was also the last patrol of SAS Good Hope, by the time we got back to Simonstown we were trailing a huge plume of smoke as the engine made some spectacular noises. She now lies in False Bay, scuttled to form a conservation reef.

But I have a blown up, framed picture of her that I glance at every day

The cow shot gets my vote.

My experience of the Cunene river was a bit different to Moffie's. Truly one of the most beautiful and spectacular sights I've ever seen.

In late 1980 I was walking patrols in the Kaokoveld which is basically semi-desert at best where the dusty little village of Opohoho was our base. There had been no action in that area for years so we tended to fill our magazine pouches with water and oranges rather than R1 magazines. I remember walking miles on end through blistering heat where the only relief was the occasional village when my compatriots would punch or slap the PBs (Plaaslike Bevolking) demanding to know where the terrorists were hiding. I think some of these dutchies had watched one too many Vietnam war movies. I was horrified because the locals were the Himba people, a gentle and peaceful people who just appeared dazed and confused when the SADF arrived and started beating them up. 

Anyway, there was one time when we were sent north to the Angola border on a patrol and I have a very clear memory of walking through this oppressive, dry and arid desert only to see a band of green in the distance. As we got closer we saw the first proper trees we'd seen in months and the beautiful blue Cunene river. We ended up near a place called Epupa Falls where we camped for a few days and just chilled. A spectacular waterfall and an oasis of green and blue in the middle of a dry desert.

My other memory of that time is when we saw a goat on the Angola side of the Cunene and a few of our platoon crossed the river, shot the goat and brought it back. One of our platoon was the son of a butcher and he gutted and butchered the goat so we all go a big hunk of meat. After eating rat packs and tins for weeks on end, fresh meat was about the most exciting thing that had happened to us. Now there were ony about three of us souties (English speaking, or Rooinekke) in the platoon and we lit a fire to braai our meat, while the rest of our Afrikaans-speaking compatriots had a chuckle, pointed at us and laughed. They also lit a fire but they didn't braai their meat, they put it into water, added some spice and let it slowly cook overnight and ended up with a delicious stew while our meat that we'd braaied hadn't hung or aged at all, so it was literally like eating elastic. Luckily there was so much meat to go around we got some of the stew the next evening and to this day goat is one of my favourite meats to eat.

Whatever else, the Cunene river remains a very memorable place for me, a beautiful band of lush green and blue in the middle of a desert.

Rooi, thanks for your service... you and the others...it was forced on you, but you still did it...thanks...it was a big ask.

Well thank you Draad. I can count on one hand the amount of times anyone has shown any appreciation for what we went through . . . but I'm sure Saffex and others will agree with me, as much as we hated it, the whole army experience made men of us.

I know I went into the army a boy and came out a man and there were a lot of other things that changed for me, some of which are extremely personal. Those years may not be the happiest of my life but they were probably the most influential and character-forming years of my life.

..

Sad….the old boat carried us through some rough seas. The Navy was given the freedom of the city in East London. The whole fleet was practically there….including some of the more modern frigates.

When we left sailing up the river to the harbor mouth, it was clear things were pretty stormy. Waves were exploding in spray off the harbor wall. 

I was sent down to the paint locker to secure the supplies. As we came out the harbor the ship started to rise and fall alarmingly. That and the smell of paint was pretty unpleasant.

Later I got a photo of the President Steyn (I think) on top of a huge swell with the front 50% of the hull clear of the water hovering over a deep chasm. It was a mind bending picture which I lost somewhere in my travels, but it stays with me.

Recruits and permanent force guys were sick during that storm, but honestly I think the Good Hope rode the waves as well as any of the newer ships….now she lies beneath those waves carrying many memories good and bad.