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South African Navy participates in fleet
review commemorating 500th anniversary
of the discovery of Brazil
by Keith Cambell
Political analyst and journalist
The South African Navy's hydrographic ship, SAS
Protea, was one of 29 ships from eleven nations
which participated in a fleet review in Guanabara Bay,
Rio de Janeiro, on 30 April 2000, as part of festivities
to mark the 500th anniversary of the discovery of
Brazil. The Protea left the South African Navy's main
base at Simonstown, south of Cape Town, on 14
April, arriving in Rio on 26 April. The captains of all
the ships participating in the review were briefed on
the morning of 28 April, on such matters as the route
to be followed, the order of ships in the review, and so
on.
The review fleet included modern warships, naval
auxiliaries, sail training ships, and replicas of 15th/
SAS Protea participating in the fleet review
16th century Portuguese vessels. Apart from South
Africa, the foreign countries participating were the
US, which sent a frigate, the UK, with a destroyer and
tanker, Venezuela, with a frigate and a tank landing
ship, Argentina, Spain and the Netherlands, each of
which was represented by a frigate, Poland, whose
representative was a training ship, Uruguay, with a sail
training ship, and of course Portugal, which sent a
couple of replica sailing vessels and its Navy's sail
training ship, the Sagres. Apart from four sailing
vessels ± three civilian and the Navy's new sail training
ship Cisne Branco ± the Brazilian Navy contingent
comprised one destroyer, five frigates, a corvette, a
submarine, a tank landing ship, a survey ship, and a
museum ship. In addition, nine helicopters participated
in a fly-past.
The review took the form of a sail past, with the
ships in line-ahead formation and divided into two
divisions. The first division comprised a Brazilian
frigate (which was in the lead) followed by the eight
sailing ships (or tall ships as they are nowadays
called). Then there was the helicopter flypast, and
finally the sail past of the modern naval vessels.The
salute was taken by Brazilian President Fernando
Henrique Cardoso, from a review stand at the Escola
Naval in Rio de Janeiro.
Captain L D Reeder, commander of the Protea,
reported that his crew had been proud to represent
South Africa at the review and enjoyed themselves
thoroughly. The reception received by the ship in
72 ISSN 0256±6060±Unisa Lat. Am. Rep. 16(2) 2000