×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
NAVAL WARFARE
MODERN FLEETS
COUNTRIES
SHIPBUILDERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
BY CLASS
MODERN VESSEL
Naval Warfare

SAS Mendi (F148)


Guided-Missile Frigate / Corvette Warship [ 2007 ]



The SAS Mendi F148 corvette is the last of the Valour-class vessels to be procured by the South African Navy.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/07/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
The SAS Mendi (F148)is a corvette/frigate vessel of the four-strong "Valour-class" belonging to the South African Navy. Her sisters include the SAS Amatola (F145), SAS Isandlwana (F146) and the SAS Spioenkop (F147). The vessel saw her keel laid down on June 28th, 2002 and she was launched in October of 2003 to undertake the requisite sea trials. Upon successful completion of these trials, she was formally commissioned into service with the South African Navy on March 20th, 2007. The SAS Mendi is named after the SS Mendi, a passenger ship from 1905 commissioned as a troop ship during World War 1. She and 646 of her passengers and crew were lost after a collision with the SS Darro - the accident marking one of the largest losses of life in South African Navy history. The area of her sinking was marked during an August 23rd, 2004 ceremony with the new SAS Mendi present. The vessel makes it homeport out of Simon's Town (also "Simonstown") and is recognized by its "F148" pennant. She was constructed with German assistance at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft shipyard (as part of the European South African Corvette Consortium) in Kiel, Germany prior to being handed over to South African naval forces in September of 2004. The SAS Mendi marks the last Valour-class corvette/frigate to be produced by the South African Navy.

NOTE: The South African Navy considers the SAS Mendi a corvette type vessel. However, its qualities and firepower are more akin to a frigate in other global inventories.©MilitaryFactory.com
Advertisements
Design of the SS Mendi makes extensive use of large-area panels to do away with details and radar-attracting protrusions while promoting stealth through sloped surfaces and hidden deck fittings. The forecastle is a long-running, nearly featureless section of ship leading up to the primary superstructure containing the bridge and air/surface search radome installation. A deck gun is fitted forward of the superstructure for engagement of surface vessels at range or offshore bombardment as needed. The mast atop the superstructure is completely enclosed as opposed to an open lattice-type assembly. There is a noticeable gap dividing the forward and rear superstructures at amidships to offer space for a pair of Exocet surface-to-surface missile launchers - one fitted to port and other to starboard. The aft superstructure holds the ship's funnel used to exhaust the conventional nature of the diesel turbine engines while a pyramid-shaped mast towers above. A pair of watercraft are partially exposed along either side of the aft superstructure while an rotary-wing aircraft hangar is housed in the aft-most section of the rear superstructure. Aft of the hangar is the open-air flight deck for the launching and recovery of helicopters. A twin-barreled cannon emplacement defends the rear quarters of the ship. The hangar also doubles as a internal storage for when the Mendi is called to undertake humanitarian relief missions. A service crane is fitted to the starboard side of the vessel next to the hangar bay for unloading/loading supplies.

Military navy frigates have historically been generally well-armed and their armament array should reflect a mix of weaponry designed to counter the various possible threats (land-, sea- or air-based) to the allied fleet or the ship itself. As such, the Mendi is armed with a 76mm /67 Otobreda Compact deck gun at the forecastle, ahead of the bridge superstructure. Aft of the deck gun are 2 x 8 (16) Umkhonto vertical surface-to-air missile-launching cells. Defending the stern is a 35mm LIW (Denel) 35DPG dual-purpose twin-barreled cannon emplacement above the hangar door. A pair of 4-cell (2x4) Excocet MBDA MM 40 Block 2 surface-to-surface missile launchers divide the forward and aft superstructures. Two Super Barricade chaff decoy launchers protect the vessel from missile attack. A pair of 20mm Oerlikon Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) defend the superstructures from point attacks.

The air wing of the Mendi consists of one or two Westland SuperLynx 300 navalized helicopters. Her entire crew complement of officers, sailors, airmen and mechanics is 152 personnel. Electronics consist of a Thales MRR 3D air-surface search radar suite with 2 x Racal Bridgemaster E navigation system. Fire control is directed by 2 x Reutech RTS 6400 system. Sonar capability is made possible by the hull-mounted, active-search Thomson Marconi 4132 Kingklip series sonar array.

The Mendi is powered by 2 x diesel engines and 1 x gas turbine generating propulsion through 2 x shafts. There is also a single waterjet fitted. Top speed in ideal conditions is 30 knots with a range out to 8,000 nautical miles. Overall legnth is 397 feet with a beam of 53.5 feet and draught of 19.5 feet. The Mendi displaces at 3,700 tons.

To date, the SAS Mendi has undertaken various deployments including anti-piracy campaigns and general exercises. Its modern, forward-thinking design should make it a stable part of South African Navy operations for decades to come.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
2007

Origin
South Africa national flag graphic
South Africa

Complement
152
PERSONNEL


Class
Valour-class
Number-in-Class
4
VESSELS
Ships-in-Class


SAS Amatola (F145); SAS Isandlwana (F146); SAS Spioenkop (F147); SAS Mendi (F148)


National flag of South Africa South Africa
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
Offshore Operation
Activities conducted near shorelines in support of allied activities.
Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.


Length
397.0 ft
121.01 m
Beam
53.6 ft
16.34 m
Draught
19.5 ft
5.94 m
Displacement
3,760
tons


Installed Power: 2 x Diesel engines developing 7,840 horsepower each with 1 x Gas turbine generating 26,820 horsepower to 2 x shafts; 1 x waterjet.
Surface Speed
30.0 kts
(34.5 mph)
Range
7,995 nm
(9,200 mi | 14,806 km)


kts = knots | mph = miles-per-hour | nm = nautical miles | mi = miles | km = kilometers

1 kts = 1.15 mph | 1 nm = 1.15 mi | 1 nm = 1.85 km
1 x 76mm /62 Otobreda Compact deck gun (forecastle)
1 x 2 35mm LIW (Denel) 35DPG dual-purpose cannon (twin-barreled).
2 x 20mm Oerlikon Mk 1 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).
2 x 4-cell (8) MBDA MM40 Exocet Block 2 surface-tosurface missile launchers (amidships)
2 x 8-cell (16) Umkhonto surface-to-air vertical missile launchers (forecastle).


Supported Types


Graphical image of a modern warship turreted deck gun armament
Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon
Graphical image of an aircraft Gatling-style rotating gun
Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon
Graphical image of an aircraft anti-ship missile


(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
Up to 2 x Westland SuperLynx 300 navy helicopters.


Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period
Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.

Images Gallery



1 / 1
Image of the SAS Mendi (F148)
Image copyright www.navy.mil.za


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)