SA's new navy is beginning to take shape. All four corvette warships have been delivered and the first of three submarines on order will be delivered by the end of 2007. When fully equipped, the navy will have more geographical reach and firepower than it has ever had in its history.

For the past week SAS Mendi, the last of the corvettes to arrive, has been on show at ports along SA's east coast. Delays in fitting the weapons control system have afforded time for the trip.

The tour has also brought training opportunities for crew and ports authorities , entertainment for local dignitaries, and a night on board for the press .

And given the controversies surrounding the multibillionrand arms deal and allegations bribes were paid to secure contracts, the navy has had its work cut out to assuage public opinion.

Early next month work will start on fitting the ship's guns and missile systems and the plan is for the corvettes, which will also carry Lynx helicopters for submarine hunting and lookout, to be fully operational in early 2007.

The navy says the corvette is a technological breakthrough in its configuration which allows for more space and greater safety the armour used, its diesel and gas turbine engines, and its stealth capabilities.

Weapons to be fitted include locally manufactured Umkhonto anti-aircraft missiles, Frenchmade Exocet ship-to-ship missiles, and a variety of guns.

Consideration is being given to placing large-calibre canons on board for land attack.

The navy says accessible hatches and magazines will allow for relatively easy upgrades.

SAS Mendi is named after the ship that sank in 1917, with the loss of all hands, in the English Channel while carrying 650 members of the South African Native Labour Corps to France to fight in the First World War .

Many of the sailors say life aboard the corvettes is sheer luxury compared to that on the cramped strike crafts that preceded them .

Senior officers have their own cabins and showers, whereas junior officers are two to a cabin. On the old strike craft, officers sleep four to a cabin.

Designed by Israelis for calmer Mediterranean seas than the rough Southern Ocean, the old vessels took a pounding off the South African coast.

The corvettes have special fins to prevent the ship from rolling excessively.

Instead of the calm seas expected for an early summer cruise, conditions turned out to be rough on the night the press went to sea.

Captain Kevin Packer said it was about sea state two, and another officer called it "a normal day at work nothing to worry about". Even with the stabilisers down in the water, however, it was enough to put your correspondent under the weather .

Dinner that evening consisted of beef, roast potatoes, and broccoli in a thick white sauce. This writer, however, could only manage a cup of tea and piece of bread and a motion sickness pill before retiring to bed.

Lying in a navy sleeping bag on a foam mattress on the floor, the evening's sleep was interrupted the occasional creaking of the boat, and by a crew member departing for his four-hour watch at 4.00am.

When off-duty the crew catch up with tasks such as washing clothes, or watch DVD s, or simply sleep. At sea the ship is dry, but in port alcohol is served to those off duty between 4pm and 10pm. Fire drills occur at any time and according to one junior rating depend on the mood of the senior officers.

After the "wakey wakey", a call in three of SA's 11 official languages , breakfast follows.

Food on board is high in protein, cholesterol and starch.

On offer for breakfast were scrambled eggs, bacon, chicken liver, pork sausages, beef, salami, kippers, cheese, cereals, and white bread. With newly found sea legs, this was now a tempting selection.

Unlikely to fight a pitched naval battle , the most likely use of the corvettes will be in peacekeeping missions off the coasts of failed African states or in the protection of SA's fisheries.

They could be a versatile base for operations onshore and for a show of strength offshore.

With acknowledgements to Jonathan Katzenellenbogen and the Business Day.