The keel of number 280 in Blyth shipyard was laid on 15 April 1941, her machinery coming from the famous shipbuilders of Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Tyneside.
On 8 April 1942 HMS Barcross was taken into service, she was the first in a class of 76 similar vessels which were built during the war as Boom Defence Vessels. Later that year she was brought out to South Africa under the command of Lt. V. Sutherland RNR, where she was stationed in Saldanha Bay laying and servicing booms.
On 23 January 1943 she was renamed HMSAS Barcross, a name she kept until 1947 when she was taken out of service at Durban. She re-entered service in 1955 under the name SAS Somerset. The name comes from the horse that Dick King rode in 1842 on his epic ride between Durban and Grahamstown. Hence the seahorse in the ships crest. She had a varied and interesting career with the South African Navy until decommissioned on 31 March 1986. She was moved to Table Bay in May 1988 where she was subsequently repainted and refurbished, and handed over to South African Maritime Museum. She has been there ever since, a unique specimen of a little known class of naval workhorse.
SAS Somerset is crewed by 1 officer and 37 ratings. She is 59M long with full load displacement of 960 tons. She is propelled by triple expansion steam engine of 850 hp. Her service speed is 11 knots. She was originally coal fired but converted in 1959 to burn oil. New boilers were installed in 1967.

Period postcard of SAS Somerset. (Source unknown)


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