South African Naval Museum

28/09/2026

CABLE & SONS PIANO
The Cable & Sons Piano at the SA Naval Museum, getting some much needed attention from a piano technician today..

The Cable & Sons Piano company was established in New York in 1852 by Robert Cable. The piano is serialed 163942 and probably dates from around 1936 (one of the last made by this company). It is unique in that it was originally configured as a "player piano" or pianola - a self-playing piano - containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operated the piano action via pre-programmed music recorded on perforated paper, or metallic rolls.

There are pianos at virtually every unit and wardroom of the SA Navy, but mostly neglected and hardly used these days.
Our piano is situated in the Dockyard Chapel adjacent to the museum and still regularly played during baptisms, weddings, funerals and memorial services.

25/09/2026

24/09/2026

HERITAGE DAY:
Our South African Naval Museum crew with Gunnery Instructers from SAS SIMONSBERG at Middle North Battery, where our museum's cannon was fired hy the Cannon Association of South Africa (CAOSA) today.

24/09/2026

HERITAGE DAY CANNON FIRING:
The South African Naval Museum historic 9inch Rifled Muzzle-Loading (RML) gun was fired by the Cannon Association of South Africa (CAOSA) today as part of a historic, multi-province muzzle-loading cannon relay. The relay revives an old VOC Signal Gun chain tradition, where cannons were fired in a rolling sequence to rapidly pass communication over long distances. At 11:45 the firing of the 9-inch RML gun at the Middle North Battery in Simon's Town.
From the initial shot, a staggered five-minute rolling countdown carried the firing signal through multiple historical locations. The chain spans across four South African provinces: the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, and Gauteng.

20/09/2026

MUSEUM CLOSED. Kindly note that we will be closed on Monday 21 September due to the annual fumigation of our buildings.
Enquiries: 021 787 4686.

19/09/2026

The Naval Museum at the Castle Military Museum Military Heritage weekend, today and tomorrow. Making new connections and catching up with old friends.
Did you know? The Naval Museum had its origins in 1966 at the Castle of Good Hope, as a maritime/naval collection, which formed a part of the Military Museum there.

18/09/2026

Visit the Naval Museum stall at the Castle this weekend. We will be there!

Join us for Military Heritage Weekend at Castle Of Good Hope on Saturday, 19 September 2026 at 09:00. Tickets from R26.5 - R50. Come discover an exciting mix...

17/09/2026

NOT JUST MUSEUM WORK:
Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Naval Base Simon's Town medal parade today, and the museum staff made their presence known. Our newly appointed assistant-historian as platoon commander, museum storekeeper petty officer as the announcer and the OiC on the podium behind FOC.
Behind the scenes our two Military Skills Development seamen performed PR duties.

All in a day's work when in uniform (while keeping the museum open to the public).

15/09/2026

💥 This Heritage Day, an old tradition will return with a bang.

Cannons will be fired at different locations, beginning in Simon’s Town and forming part of a historic multi-province relay.

📖 Read more about the cannon relay and the fascinating history behind it: https://tinyurl.com/bxa7cepp

01/09/2026

The preservation of yacht Voortrekker

Discover the history of 'Voortrekker', the iconic yacht that change...