Page 281 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

SOUTH AFRICA'S NAVAL ROLE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR 267

After a drawn out parliamentary debate the house decided (by 80 votes to
67) that South Africa would declare war on Germany. The following day Hertzog
resigned his premiership and requested the Governor-Genetal, Sir Patrick Dun-
can, co call a generai election. Duncan refused and on 6 September he asked Smuts
to form a new Government <3>. South Africa was now a t war an d the new govern-
ment had to prepare the country for it.
As was pointed out earlier, the.South Mrican Naval Service was virtually non-
existent at the outbreak of the war. lt had no ships and comprised only two officers
(Lieutenant Commanders) and three ratings. By comparison the SA Division of
the Royal N a val Volunteer Reserve, RNVR (SA), comprising part-time volunteers,
was a thriving organisation and was still under the control of the British Admiral
in Simon's Town. After the outbreak of the war the recruicment of personnel for
local seaward defence, for the protection of harbours, an d for overseas service, ha d
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to be addressed <>.
As no purpose-built warships coùld be found, ships were to be requisitioned
5
from trade and converted for maritime defence purposes <>. T o make this task ea-
sier in the case of an emergency numerous surveys were, however, do ne during the
late 1930's. These surveyes established the type and number of vessels available
in trade, fishing and whaling and selected vessels that could be used for anti-subma-
rine and minesweeping duties <6>. The most suitable vessels available were found
co be trawlers and whalers; and a comprehensive lise was compiled early in 1939 <7>.
Following the declaration of war, mobilization immediately started with the
requisitioning of vessels for conversion to anti-submarine (AS) vessels and mine-
8
sweepers < >. Although the conversion and fitting out of the first minesweepers pro-
gressed well, sufficient equipment for AS vessels was initially a probleril and Asdic
sets had to be urgently requested from the Admiralty <9>. Furthermore, local trai-
ning facilities had to be established and, here anti-submarine training was regar-
ded as specifically importane (lO).
The structure and nature of SA maricime defence changed drastically during
the war. The South African Seaward Defence Force (SDF) carne into being after
the Prime Minister informed the British High Commissioner on ~5 October 1939
that " ... the Union Forces should accept full responsibility for certain services in
connection with the defence of Union ports and coast line. lt has therefore been
decided to forma new force ... the South Mrican Seaward Defence Force" o n. Au-
thority for the creation of the SDF was granted on 15 December 1939 and on 15
January 1940 this force with 15 vessels in service, a few onshore establishments
and a total strength of 428 (47 officers) was formally constituted 0 >. As the Union
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Government.had for some cime been in favour of amalgamating the SDF with the
RNVR (SA), consul~tion with the Admiralty cook piace and this was agreed upon.
A notice to this effect was published in the Government Gazette of l August 1942
and from that date onward the new force was known as the South African Nav.al
Forces (SANF) 03>.