NEWTOWN, Conn. - SAS Manthatisi (S 101), the first of three Type 209 submarines acquired by the South African Navy as part of the 1999 Strategic Defence Procurement Package, has re-entered service after a major refit and is participating in the biannual Exercise 'Ibsamar IV' in Cape waters with the Brazilian and Indian navies.
SAS Manthatisi has been out of service since 2007 following what was then reported to Parliament as damage to the boat's electrical systems when "someone" connected the submarine to its high-voltage shore service "the wrong way round," blowing fuses. All the work associated with the refit and replacement of defective and/or damaged parts is being done in the Simon's Town dockyard, run by ARMSCOR.
Part of the refit included 480 new man-sized battery cells weighing 250 tons, which cost the Navy ZAR35 million ($3.3 million).
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