South Africa’s first female submarine navigator dies

The three submariners which were washed off their vessel by high waves on Wednesday off the coast near Cape Town, She was among the three officers who died at sea. Lt Malouw was only 32 when she joined the Navy in 2010. She was qualified as a combat officer in 2018 and then became a navigator in 2019 after working.

The incident occurred on Wednesday in Kommetjie and for this incident, the world lost three Navy crew members. The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has initiated an inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding this event. As per the report, the SANDF has said that the incident happened due to high waves that swept seven crew members out to sea during a vertical transfer operation. The names of the submariners who died are Lieutenant Commander Gillian Elizabeth Hector (Executive Officer), Master Warrant Officer William Masela Mathipa (Coxswain), and Warrant Officer Class One Mmokwapa Lucas Mojela (Coxswain under training). A surface swimmer was dispatched from the helicopter to assist in the rescue operation.

The SANDF reported that the rescue operation faced significant challenges due to the rough sea conditions that were happening at the time. Despite their hard efforts, they could not save the three crew members. A senior officer remains in critical condition and the other members are seriously injured, including the surface swimmer, and all are currently hospitalized.

Lieutenant Gillian Malouw was stationed at the Simon’s Town naval base. She shared her lifelong passion for the maritime industry in an interview with Cape Talk. A relative of her named Bronwyn Nel, took to social media to express the impact of Gillian Malouw’s life.

She wrote, ‘Your loss will be felt for years to come because you left your mark on this world and in everyone’s minds and lives, my girl.’