defenceWeb
Written by defenceWeb -
SAS Outeniqua off Gough Island. Picture courtesy of the SA Naval Museum.
The SA Navy (SAN), like its sister service the SA Air Force (SAAF), has a Sword of Peace award for the naval unit which provides the most meritorious aid in the humanitarian field, typically disaster relief or search and rescue operations.
SA Naval Museum Commander, Commander Leon Steyn notes “the award is not necessarily presented each year, only in cases that truly merit the award in recognition of a unit’s achievement”.
Presented to the maritime service of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) by the Wilkinson Sword Company in 1976, it was first awarded the following year to SAS Flamingo.