PDF
« Previous

Webb , Donald (D)

Next »
Photo of Webb
Identity
Person No.
33814
Old ROH no.
1636
Service No.
07467392PE
Last Name
Webb 27
First Name
Donald
Initials
D
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1939 (±1 yr) 101
Age at Death
43
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
Died after the collision between SAS President Kruger and SAS Tafelberg while abandoning ship, 18 February 1982
Military Service
Branch
Navy
Rank
Chief Petty Officer
Regiment
SAS President Kruger 16
Unit
Mess 12 22
Defence Force
SADF 3,843
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Western Cape 2,137
Cemetery
SIMON'S TOWN (DIDO VALLEY) CEMETERY 30
Grave Reference
Military type stone near a white wall 1
Coordinates
-34.1703, 18.42953 OSM
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, Mr. Liebenberg
Listed by Chris Bennett, Three Frigates (2006), as one of two men who survived the initial Mess 12/impact phase but died while abandoning SAS President Kruger after the collision with SAS Tafelberg on 18 February 1982. Body recovered 19 Feb by SAS Protea.

Research notes

Colyn Brookes, Mibisa: Volume One – Western Cape (Lulu, 2013, ISBN 9781447682523): Simonstown, Dido Valley Cemetery,.
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 "Air Force" 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
Chief Petty Officer Donald Webb of SAS President Kruger died on 18 February 1982 while abandoning ship after the collision with SAS Tafelberg.

Bennett (Three Frigates) distinguishes these two deaths from the fourteen Mess 12 impact fatalities: Body recovered 19 Feb by SAS Protea.
Dedications

No dedications have been added yet.