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First black diving safety officer on SA sub

 

Lt-Cdr R_Beattie Lt LA Letsholo_DivingSafetyOfficersSASubMarch2009 March 11 2009 was the graduation of South Africa’s first black submariner the rather portly Lt L.A. Letsholo right with fellow graduate Lt-Cdr R Beattie.

Letsholo qualified as the diving safety officer on one of South Africa’s new, multimillion dollar German-made subs, the SAS Queen Modjadji-1.

After he and his fellow graduates had been dumped into the harbour as part of their formal graduation ceremony, the dripping-wet, barefooted Lt Letsholo said he was  ‘very excited’ about his new career in the Navy. He’s been trained as the sub’s diving-safety officer.

OTHER PICTURES:

 

LtCdrBeattie_LtLetsholo_SeaShabalala_SeaMoalosi 2009Submarines

The other new submariners on this graduation picture are from left Lt-Cdr R. Beattie, also qualified as diving-safety officer; Lt Letsholo; and two new submarine conrol room watchkeepers Seamen M. Shabalala and M.J. Moalosi. (click on picture for story).

The two officers completed 10 months training ashore, after which they successfully completed three weeks training at sea, before qualifying as Diving Safety Officers.

http://www.navy.mil.za/archive/0903/090313_Black_Diving_safety_officer/article.htm

The submarine was commissioned in Emden, Germany on 15 March 2007. Below is the crow at that time before it was taken back to Cape Town.

The crew of sas Queen Modjadji 15Mar2007GermanyCommissioning

http://www.navy.mil.za/forecastle/070220_OPERATION%20SIYAKHULA/070323_Sitrep08/article.htm

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