South Africa placed a contract for three Type 209/1400 submarines in July 2000 on Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Thyssen Nordseewerke. The Type 209/1400 submarines replace the French-built Daphné-class submarines, SAS Spear, SAS Assegaai and SAS Umkhonto which were decommissioned in 2003. The Heroine class are sometimes considered to be South Africa's first "true" submarines, as they were more suited to being underwater than the Daphné models.[5]
Queen Modjadji arrived in Simonstown on 22 May 2008.[6]
Commander Handsome Thamsanqa Matsane became the first black officer to command a South African submarine when he took command of Queen Modjadji in April 2012.[7] SAS Queen Modjadji was involved in an accident on the 17 July 2012 when the submarine hit the seabed during training. A 1.5-by-1.5-metre (4.9 ft × 4.9 ft) dent was made in the outer protective plating.[8]
The submarine took part in the joint naval exercise Good Hope V between the South African Navy and the German Navy. The exercise also included the South African Air Force and took place in March 2012.[9] The submarine participated in two further naval exercises in 2012; the multinational maritime exercise between the navies of South Africa, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, Atlasur IX between 24 September and 10 October 2012 and Exercise IBSAMAR III, a trilateral naval exercise between Brazil, India and South Africa from 10 to 26 October 2012.
As of August 2021, Queen Modjadji was said to be in urgent need of a refit but funding was not immediately available. The Department of Defence stated that plans for the refit of the submarine would be finalised "based on the availability of progressive funding to enable the phased commencement of [her] refit. The average cost of a submarine refit was reported to be R660 million, the department stated.[10] As of April 2023, Queen Modjadji was undergoing preservation and pre-refit planning activities, in preparation for a refit.[11]
^Rakoma, Ally (27 March 2012). "Exercise Good Hope Concludes". Department of Defense of South Africa. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
South Africa
