SAS President Pretorius

History
South Africa
Namesake	Marthinus Wessel Pretorius
Builder	Yarrow Shipbuilders, Scotstoun
Laid down	21 November 1961
Launched	28 September 1962
Christened	President Pretorius, F145
Commissioned	18 March 1964
Homeport	Simonstown
Nickname(s)	'PP'
General characteristics
Class and type	President-class frigate
Displacement	2144 tons (2557 tons loaded)
Length	370 ft (110 m)
Beam	41 ft (12.5 m)
Draught	18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 steam turbines, 2 boilers, 25,000 shp (19 MW)
Speed	28 knots (52 km/h)
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	250
Sensors and processing systems	Sonar, Radar
Armament	Limbo mortar (originally 6 barrels, 3 barrels subsequently removed to make space for helicopter deck) 2 twin mount x 4.5 in (114 mm) guns 2 × Bofors 40 mm guns 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Aircraft carried	1 × Westland Wasp helicopter

The SAS President Pretorius was a frigate of the South African Navy, decommisioned in 1985.

History

SAS President Pretorius was one of three President-class type 12 frigates obtained by the South African Navy in the 1960s following the Simonstown Agreement with the Royal Navy. She was launced on 28 September 1962 by Mrs Mientjie Grobelaar, wife of General PH Grobelaar. Her first captain was Captain James Johnson, later Chief of the Navy.

She was decommisioned in 1985 due to manpower shortages and lack of funds.