The wreck of the SAS Transvaal
The SAS Transvaal is one of Good Hope’s sister ships. She was originally called HMS Loch Ard and was one of three Loch-class frigates. She was in the service of the Royal Navy during World War II and served as a royal escort and troop transport ship but was transferred to the South African Navy in 1944 before she was completed. She.was renamed SAS Transvaal. The ship was ready for service shortly after the German surrender in May 1945 and did not participate in the war. The SAS Transvaal was scuttled with explosives in 1978 and is fairly broken up. Today, she has corroded and broken up and is covered in fascinating marine life,
It lies close to the Orotava, in Smitswinkel Bay, which is a few meters off its starboard side.
The sinking of these ships to form artificial reefs was opposed by the Department of Sea Fisheries (now Marine and Coastal Management), which at the time threatened legal action, however, the vessels were sunk according to plan and have caused no recorded ecological or navigational hazard. The maximum depth here is thirty-four meters. Divers wishing to explore the ship are advised to do so in the winter as the summer currents are quite strong. A permit is required in order to dive on the wreck.
