History
The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922. Unofficially, however, the SAN can trace its history even further back, to the Natal Naval Volunteers (NNV), which was formed in Durban on 30 April 1885 as well as to the Cape Naval Volunteers (CNV), which was formed in Cape Town in 1905. On 1 July 1913 these two units were amalgamated to form the South African Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). During World War I a total of 164 members of the RNVR (SA) served in the Royal Navy and a total of 412 South Africans served in the RNVR (SA) during the war, while the naval base at Simons Town played a strategic role to the Allies.
The first ships acquired (on permanent loan from the Royal Navy) by the newly formed navy were HMSAS Protea (a hydrographic survey vessel), HMSAS Sonneblom and HMSAS Immortelle (both minesweeping trawlers). However the Great Depression meant the government had to cut back and the ships acquired by the Navy were handed back to the Royal Navy (HMSAS Protea in 1933 and the remaining ships in 1934).
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