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MV TS General Botha

Historic African Maritime Vessel

Country South Africa
Type Naval training ship
Water Body Atlantic Ocean
Service Period 1885 - 1947
Service Timeline
1885
1947
1900 1962.5 2025
62
Years in Service
Wrecked
Current Status
TS General Botha
Wrecked

Overview

TS General Botha was a South African naval cadet training ship (originally the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Thames, launched 1885). She served as a stationary training vessel at Simon’s Bay near Cape Town starting in 1922, training over 1,200 cadets over two decades. Following World War II she was deemed beyond repair and was scuttled as a wreck in False Bay in 1947.

Detailed History

Originally commissioned as HMS Thames, a British Mersey-class second-class cruiser launched in 1885, the vessel was sold in late 1920 to South African entrepreneur T.B. Davis. Renamed TS General Botha (after Louis Botha, the first Prime Minister of South Africa), she was refitted and departed Plymouth in early 1921 for Cape Town. Davis donated the ship to a training trust, stipulating it serve for nautical training of cadets. The ship was permanently moored at Simon’s Town (Simon's Bay) starting in 1922 as the South African Training Ship General Botha. The first intake of 75 cadets joined in March 1922. By the 1930s, over 1,200 cadets had been trained aboard. General Botha’s propulsion machinery and armaments were removed over this period and her interiors converted into classrooms, mess halls and recreation spaces.

During World War II, concerns over submarine threats led to the cadets being moved ashore (on Red Hill) by 1942, while the now-accommodating ship was taken over by the navy for use as a stationary headquarters and barracks. After the war it was determined that the old ship was beyond economical repair; she was decommissioned and scuttled by naval gunfire on 13 May 1947 in False Bay off Cape Town. The wreck of General Botha now lies beneath False Bay and has become a known dive site. Today her legacy is preserved through a memorial museum exhibit in Simon’s Town and an active alumni association of former cadets.

Key Highlights

Era Pre-1980 African Maritime
Region ocean
Historical Age 140 years
Documentation Verified Historic Record

Technical Specifications

Basic Information

Vessel Name TS General Botha
Vessel Type Naval training ship
Country/Flag South Africa
Water Body Atlantic Ocean (Ocean)

Service History

Launch Year 1885
Decommission Year 1947
Current Status Wrecked

Physical Dimensions

Length 91.40 meters
Beam (Width) 14.00 meters
Displacement 4,110 tons
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