The South African Naval Museum and the SAS Assegaai Museum proved to be popular tourist attractions this festive season, according to Commander Leon Steyn, officer-in-charge at the SA Naval Museum.

The SA Naval Museum saw high foot traffic because it was on the tourism route used by visitors bound for Boulders Beach and Cape Point, while the return of the railway commuter service between Muizenberg and Simon’s Town had also helped to swell visitor numbers for Simon’s Town, he said.

During the early part of the holidays, the SA Naval Museum saw visitors mostly from the inland provinces, but there were also locals visiting during the last few days.

The SA Naval Museum had a total of 2 500 visitors during the festive season with the busiest day being Monday December 30, when 175 people visited.

As an added bonus, the SAS Assegaai Museum had “surfaced” on Monday December 16, opening its doors on a trial basis to the public, said Commander Steyn.

“The submarine proved hugely popular from day one,” he said.

The first phase to turn the decommissioned sub into a museum started in November 2022 (“Plan to revive Simon’s Town sub museum,” Echo, December 1, 2022).

The museum is managed by the Naval Heritage Trust (NHT), on behalf of the Naval Museum.

Retired Rear Admiral Arne Söderlund, a trustee of the NHT, said the museum had had almost 4 000 visitors since its opening.

On Sunday December 12, the museum had 188 visitors.

Commander Steyn said guided tours of the sub were often fully booked by midday and with a visitor count of around 180 per day, the volunteer tour guides had to run a tight ship.

Commander Steyn said Google Review, TripAdvisor and the museum’s comments book showed “a very positive visitor engagement at both the naval and submarine museums”.

“Consistent positive ratings have raised the SA Naval Museum to the second best thing to do in Simon’s Town, according to TripAdvisor. The penguins at Boulders Beach still remain the most popular,” he said.

The SAS Assegaai Museum is open daily from 9.30am to 3.30pm. The first tour starts at 9.40am. There is a group tour of 10 people every 20 minutes.

For more information about the SA Naval Museum, call 021 787 4686. For information about the SAS Assegaai Museum or to book, call 021 787 4786 or visit the website.

The SAS Assegaai Museum opened its doors to the public on a trial basis on Monday December 16 last year.

Rondebosch scouts about to start their tour of the SAS Assegaai on Sunday January 12.

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Sub museum proves popular for festive season