PDF
« Previous

Koen , Evert (E)

Next »
Photo of Koen
Identity
Person No.
31116
Old ROH no.
720
Service No.
66510579PE
Last Name
Koen 14
First Name
Evert
Initials
E
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1951 (±1 yr) 254
Age at Death
31
Death Record
Date of Death
18 February 1982 199
Cause code
Unknown
Cause of Death
Died in the crash of the SAS President Kruger into the SAS Tafelberg 17
Killed in the collision between SAS President Kruger and SAS Tafelberg (Mess 12), 18 February 1982
Military Service
Branch
Navy
Rank
Petty Officer
Regiment
SAS President Kruger 16
Unit
Mess 12 22
Defence Force
SADF 3,832
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,874
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
SADF WALL OF REMEMBRANCE, VOORTREKKER MONUMENT, PRETORIA 1,926
Grave Reference
Body not recovered 79
Memorial
Memorial
SADF Wall of Remembrance
Location
On a koppie at the Voortrekker Monument, overlooking Pretoria
Address
Voortrekker Monument, Eeufees Road, Groenkloof, Pretoria, 0181, South Africa
Coordinates
-25.77639, 28.17583 · OpenStreetMap
Panel
Not listed against a numbered panel
On the panel
Position on the panel will be added with photographs
Operation
Operation
President Kruger–Tafelberg collision
Dates
1982-02-18
About
At about 03:50 on 18 February 1982, during night station-keeping / replenishment exercises, SAS President Kruger collided with the replenishment ship SAS Tafelberg and sank about two hours later. Fourteen men in Mess 12 were killed by the impact; Chief Petty Officer D. Webb and Able Seaman G.T. Benjamin died while abandoning ship (Webb’s body recovered by SAS Protea on 19 February). Source: Bennett, Three Frigates (2006).
Notes

Next of kin given as Mrs. G. M. Koen
Listed by Chris Bennett, Three Frigates (2006), among the fourteen Mess 12 personnel killed by the impact when SAS President Kruger collided with SAS Tafelberg at about 03:50 on 18 February 1982; bodies went down with the ship.

Research notes

Bennett, Chris. Three Frigates: President Class Frigates bring the SA Navy to maturity. Just Done Productions / Lulu, 2006 (ISBN 978-1-920169-02-2).
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Army" was CLEARED. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word, and it CONTRADICTED this record's own Branch, "Navy". Across the roll 787 records carried such a contradiction; judged against Corps and Regiment -- independent of both columns -- the evidence backed Branch 744 times and Unit2 not once. Branch is therefore kept and the contradicting word removed. Nothing is guessed: this man's branch of service is already recorded, and his sub-unit, if any, is simply not known.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 2
on 17 August 2026 · via source
In the early hours of Thursday 18 February 1982, SAS President Kruger , oldest of the three Type 12 Frigates of the South African Navy, collided with the replenishment vessel, SAS Tafelberg . Both ships were severely damaged but TAFELBERG returned safely to Simon?s Town. President Kruger sank approximately two hours after the collision when efforts to keep her afloat failed. 14 men from Mess 12, Chief Petty Officers
by Chris Bennett (Three Frigates) on 26 August 2026
Petty Officer Evert Koen of SAS President Kruger was among the fourteen men in Mess 12 killed when the frigate collided with SAS Tafelberg in the early hours of 18 February 1982 and sank south of Cape Point.

Bennett (Three Frigates) records that only two men in Mess 12 survived the impact (CPO Leonard Mack and PO Roodt); the remainder, including Evert Koen, were lost with the ship.
Dedications 1
by Eugene Erasmus on 14 April 2008 · via source
Ewert Koen and I served in the SAN at the same time. He on frigates and I on Submarines. Although we did not see much of each other we were good friends. Ewert was married to Gerda. They had one child. Gerda and I went to the same high school in Pretoria (Wonderboom High). Ewert was wonderfull soft hearted person and was dedicated in everything he did. He was dearly missed by all his friends. I am not sure who all knew but Ewert was also a very keen amature pilot and on many ocations amused us with his flying stories. He paid the ultimate price and I think about him often.