Rear Admiral Anthony (Chubby) Howell at U3A

■ The Helderberg U3A will meet on Wednesday October 3, at the Strand Town Hall, at 10am. The guest speaker is Retired Rear Admiral Anthony (Chubby) Howell, pictured, who will give a short history lesson on submarines – from David Bushnell’s Turtle in 1775 to the present, how they work and the different types, with particular reference to South African submarines, showing life aboard them and the rescue systems, all from this committed mariner’s personal experiences. Retired Rear Admiral Howell joined the South African navy in 1965 and trained at the Naval Gymnasium, Naval College Gordon’s Bay as well as Saldanha from where he graduated with a B Mil (BA) in 1968. As a naval Communications Officer he went to France to fetch South Africa’s first Daphne class submarine, the SAS Maria van Riebeeck and subsequently served as the Detection and Weapons Officer, First Lt. in all three Daphne submarines, the other two being the Emily Hobhouse and Johanna van der Merwe which was subsequently renamed the Assegaai. He was promoted to captain and served at the Naval Headquarters in Pretoria after which he commanded the Naval College in Gordon’s Bay before being promoted to Commodore in 1993. He started both the Corvette and Submarine Projects the same year. In 1998 he was appointment director Naval Acquisition, Defence Secretariat and the following year he was promoted to Rear Admiral and later the Chief Director Maritime Warfare, Navy Office. He retired in 2001 and since 2006 has been an advisor to the Spanish shipbuilding company Navanti for the South African Navy’s projects for new ships. He is now farming figs and a small amount of olives and rosemary on a small farm in Windmeul and has been happily married to Lindy for over 44 years. The doors will open at 9.30am when tea is available.Contact Brodwyn on 083 6040 784 for more information.