SA Navy tragedy: Crew member who became the first woman in Africa to navigate a submarine was on the verge of making history again

Described as a woman who was set to bring change to our naval forces, Lieutenant Commander Gillian Elizabeth Hector was on the verge of making history again, the South African Navy revealed on Thursday.

Hector, who was the Executive officer, along with two crew members, Master Warrant Officer William Masela Mathipa (Coxswain) and Warrant Officer Class One Mmokwapa Lucas Mojela (Coxswain under training), died on Wednesday after a training exercise in Kommetjie in Cape Town went south.

Hector, originally from Gqeberha was based at the Simon’s Town naval base.

In 2020, Hector became the continent's first woman to navigate a submarine.

At the time, she told IOL that when she enlisted in the Navy, she never looked back.

“I was in Grade 9 when I decided I was going to join the Navy once I completed school. I was already exposed to the navy as I joined the Sea Cadets in Grade 7, and this taught me so much about the maritime industry,” Hector said.

She was also encouraged even more when her cousin left for Cape Town to enlist in the Navy and said the transition from school to the Navy seemed easy.

On Thursday, a media briefing was held by Flag Officer Fleet, Rear Admiral Musawenkosi Nkomonde, where he unpacked what happened on board the submarine SAS Manthatisi.

During the briefing, it was revealed that all safety measures were taken by crew members and all procedures were followed.

“In terms of safety, no Navy vessel or submarine will leave the harbour without a crew that is worked up or trained. This vessel, the crew, and the captain are all trained. All the safety precautions were taken, and the vessel was certified to go sea by our own certification entity, which we call operational sea training,” Nkomonde said.

He said at the time of the tragic event, all members were wearing lifejackets, as should be.

But during the rescue operations, unlike her fellow crew members, Hector was found inside the vessel and had not gone overboard like the others.

All efforts to resuscitate Hector were exhausted, and she was declared deceased on board the vessel.

“She was tied to a harness, which normally when you go outside on the upper deck of a submarine, she is hooked on the safety line.

“The safety net line didn’t snap, so she was injured by banging against the hull of the submarine. That is why she was recovered on board the submarine and resuscitated inside the submarine,” Nkomonde said.

He also stated that Hector’s death was not only a huge loss to the SA Navy but to the entire country, and she was on the verge of once again making history.

“She was the first female to qualify in her position on a submarine, and she was also on the verge of becoming the first female commanding officer, that is, a Captain officer of a submarine. It is a huge loss for the Navy.

“It took years of training for her to get here. She has 13 years in the Navy, eight years of which she served on the submarine,” Nkomonde said.

robin.francke@inl.co.za

IOL

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