Oberon class

Oberon class

The Otus

Ship data country  United Kingdom Canada Australia Brazil Chile         Launch of the type ship July 18, 1959 Units built 27 period of service 1961 to 2000

Ship dimensions and crew length 88.5 m ( Lüa ) width 8.1 m Draft Max. 5.6 m displacement Surface: 2,080 t. Submerged: 2,540 t   crew 60 to 68 men

Machine system machine Diesel- electric 2 16-cylinder diesel Machine performance 6,000 PS (4,413 kW)

Mission data submarine Immersion depth, max. 300 m Top speed submerged 12.5 Top speed surfaced 17.5

Armament 8 × torpedo tube ⌀ 53.3 cm (6 bow, 2 stern) Sensors Radar type 1002 Sonar type 187, later type 2051

The Oberon- class is a class of British diesel-electric submarines . 13 boats were built for the Royal Navy , 14 more boats were shipped to Canada (3 units, 1965–1968), Australia (6 units, 1967–1978), Brazil (3 units, 1973–1977) and Chile (2 units, 1976 ) exported.

history

The Oberon class was designed in the late 1950s. It was a modified Porpoise class and thus inspired by the German Type XXI .

The Oberons are considered the best submarines of their time - in particular, they are said to be surprisingly quiet - which is why they are still in use in the 21st century. The "sinking" of the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise during an exercise by an Australian submarine is proof of its efficiency .

The British units entered service between 1960 and 1967. In the mid-1980s, nine of the boats were converted to a new sonar system (Type 2051) , which was necessary because the construction of the Upholder class was delayed. These nine units can be identified by a large "bubble" in which the large sonodome is hidden. In 1982 HMS Onyx took part in the Falklands War, where they landed members of the Special Boat Service .

Today all units built have been decommissioned, the last boats of the Royal Navy in 1993. The Onyx was a museum ship in Birkenhead , Merseyside , until it was scrapped in 2014 , HMS Ocelot is part of a museum in Chatham . The Australian HMAS Ovens serves as a museum ship in Fremantle , and the HMS Otus is a museum ship in Sassnitz and can be visited. The Otus was not retrofitted with the sonar system Type 2051 and is therefore externally in its original condition.

The Canadian HMCS Onondaga (S73) has been a museum ship in Rimouski , Québec, since June 2009 . The other three remaining Canadian submarines, the Ojibwa , the Okanagan and the Olympus , used as a training ship , are moored at a pier in Dartmouth in Halifax Harbor . The Chilean O'Brien was decommissioned on December 31, 2001 and is now a museum ship in Valdivia , Chile.

Units & whereabouts

- Royal Navy

HMS Osiris 1982 dry dock in Portsmouth ; Photo: Hugh Llewelyn from Bristol, UK

The Oberon class was developed for the British Royal Navy, which with 13 units was also the largest user of this submarine class. It was an organic further development of the Porpoise class , because for budget reasons (competition to the nuclear submarine program) no expensive new development was wanted. However, a number of optimizations (e.g. good noise insulation) were incorporated as far as possible within the scope of this draft. In the Royal Navy, the boats replaced the last submarines from World War II, albeit in significantly fewer numbers. Thus they formed the backbone of the conventional British submarine fleet for decades and relieved the few, expensive atomic submarines (e.g. for training tasks). The boats were decommissioned by the mid-1990s due to budget cuts and a focus on nuclear-powered boats. The Oberon class followed in small numbers in the Royal Navy and for a short time the Upholder class , which then also had a correspondingly modern hull shape and improvements taken from the atomic submarines.

Identifier	Surname	Shipyard	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	unit	Decommissioning	Whereabouts
S09	HMS Oberon	Chatham Dockyard , Chatham	November 28, 1957	July 18, 1959	February 24, 1961		1986	Sale to Egypt (via Seaforth Group) failed, scrapped in Grimsby in 1991
S10	HMS Odin	Cammell Laird , Birkenhead	April 27, 1959	November 4th 1960	May 3, 1962		1990	Scrapped in Greece in 1991
S11	HMS Orpheus	Vickers in Barrow	April 16, 1959	17th November 1959	November 25, 1960		1987?	Scrapped in 1994
S12	HMS Olympus	Vickers in Barrow	March 4, 1960	June 14, 1961	July 7, 1962		1989?	Sold to Canada as a stationary training platform, scrapped from July 28, 2011 at International Marine Salvage in Port Maitland, Ontario
S13	HMS Osiris	Vickers in Barrow	January 26, 1962	November 29, 1962	January 11, 1964		1989	In 1989 Cammell Laird cannibalized for spare parts for Canada, 1992 scrapped in Garston, Liverpool
S14	HMS Onslaught	Chatham Dockyard , Chatham	April 8, 1959	September 24, 1960	August 14, 1962		1990	scrapped
S15	HMS Otter	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	January 14, 1960	May 15, 1961	20th August 1962		July 31, 1991	Scrapped in April 1992 by European Metal Recycling (Pounds Abwreckwerft) in Portsmouth , spare parts sold to Chile
S16	HMS Oracle	Cammell Laird , Birkenhead	April 26, 1960	September 26, 1961	February 14, 1963		September 18, 1993	scrapped from 1997 to 2003 at the Pounds shipyard in Portsmouth
S17	HMS Ocelot	Chatham Dockyard , Chatham	17th November 1960	May 5th 1962	January 31, 1964	3rd Submarine Squadron, HMNB Clyde, Faslane	August 1991	Museum in Chatham
S18	HMS Otus	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	May 31, 1961	17th October 1962	5th October 1963		1990?	first Pounds scrapping yard, then museum in Sassnitz
S19	HMS Oppussum	Cammell Laird , Birkenhead	December 21, 1961	May 23, 1963	5th June 1964		August 1993	scrapped
S20	HMS Opportue	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	October 26, 1962	February 14, 1964	December 29, 1964		2nd June 1993	scrapped at the Pounds shipyard in Portsmouth
S21	HMS Onyx	Cammell Laird , Birkenhead	November 16, 1964	18th August 1966	November 20, 1967		1991	initially a museum in Birkenhead , then scrapped in May 2014

- Royal Canadian Navy

Oberon- class boats in Halifax Harbor (2010).

With the withdrawal of the British 6th Submarine Squadron (Royal Navy) from Halifax at the end of the 1950s, the Royal Canadian Navy (Royal Canadian Navy) needed its own submarines to fulfill the tasks previously provided by the British (including U- Hunting training of surface units). For cost reasons, the decision was made to participate in the British Oberon building program and thus to forego modern structures such as B. the American barbel class . The British, for their part, were also interested in Canadian participation in order to be able to reduce the unit costs of their construction program, which is why British boats that were already under construction were also offered for sale in Canada. In 1961, the USS Burrfish (SS-312) was acquired by the USA and put into service as HMCS Grilse (SS 71) for training in the reconstruction of the Canadian submarine components . In the Canadian version of the Oberon class, also known as the Ojibwa class, as many components as possible have been replaced with devices from Canadian production, and an improved air conditioning system and more effective snorkel de-icers have been installed. The Canadian boats also used only American torpedoes (initially Mark 37 , later Mark 48 ). The boats were, like their sister boats in the British Royal Navy, replaced by the four units of the Upholder class after Great Britain had decommissioned them after a short time. Two of the three Canadian Oberon-class units have been preserved as museum ships.

Identifier	Surname	Shipyard	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	unit	Decommissioning	Whereabouts
S72	HMCS Ojibwa	Chatham Dockyard , Chatham	September 27, 1962	February 29, 1964	September 23, 1965	Maritime Forces Atlantic, Halifax	May 1998	laid down as HMS Onyx and handed over to Canada before completion. Museum in Port Burwell, Ontario
S73	HMCS Onondaga	Chatham Dockyard, Chatham	June 18, 1964	September 25, 1965	June 22, 1967	Maritime Forces Atlantic, Halifax	July 28, 2000	Museum in Rimouski
S74	HMCS Okanagan	Chatham Dockyard, Chatham	March 25, 1965	17th September 1966	June 22, 1968	Maritime Forces Atlantic, Halifax	September 14, 1998	Scrapped in 2011

- Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Onslow (1998)

The Royal Australian Navy had also resorted to British units (4th submarine squadron, Royal Navy) for the submarine component and had not maintained its own submarines since the 1930s. With the arrival of the first Australian units of the Oberon class, the 4th British submarine squadron in Sydney was disbanded on January 10, 1969. The Australian submarines of the Oberon class (also Oxley class) differed from the British originals by a different electronic equipment ( RADAR , SONAR ), mainly from American production. They owned a Sperry BQG-4 Micropuffs passive sonar, with the ability to passively determine distances, and a Krupp CSU3-41 active sonar. American Mark 48 torpedoes were also used. In all six units, the two stern torpedo tubes were sealed a short time after commissioning, so that the boats only had the six bow torpedo tubes. In return, the boats had a slightly larger supply of torpedoes than the British units (22 instead of 20). The boats were later modernized to be able to fire the American anti-ship missile UGM-84 Harpoon . Like Canada, Australia chose only names beginning with "O" for its units of the Oberon class, so that, according to British tradition, at least all units of the class belonging to Commonwealth nations had names beginning with the same letter. The Oxley-class boats were replaced one-to-one by the Collins class, which was built in Australia according to Swedish design .

Identifier	Surname	Shipyard	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	unit	Decommissioning	Whereabouts
P 57	HMAS Oxley	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	2nd July 1964	September 24, 1965	March 21, 1967	1st Australian Submarine Squadron, HMAS Platypus, Sydney	February 13, 1992	scrapped
P. 59	HMAS Otway	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	June 29, 1965	November 29, 1966	April 23, 1968	1st Australian Submarine Squadron, HMAS Platypus, Sydney	February 17, 1994	Memorial (envelope only) in Holbrook, New South Wales
P. 60	HMAS Onslow	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	4th December 1967	3rd December 1968	22nd December 1969	1st Australian Submarine Squadron, HMAS Platypus, Sydney	March 29, 1999	Museum in Sydney
P. 70	HMAS Ovens	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	June 17, 1966	4th December 1967	April 18th 1969	1st Australian Submarine Squadron, HMAS Platypus, Sydney	December 1, 1995	Museum in Fremantle
P. 61	HMAS Orion	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	October 6, 1972	September 16, 1974	June 15, 1977	1st Australian Submarine Squadron, HMAS Platypus, Sydney	1996	Scrapped in 2006
P. 62	HMAS Otama	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	May 25, 1973	3rd December 1975	April 27, 1978	1st Australian Submarine Squadron, HMAS Platypus, Sydney	December 15, 2000	Hulk near Hastings, Victoria (38 ° 20 ′ 30.19 ″ S; 145 ° 13 ′ 27.96 ″ E), to be preserved as a museum, success questionable

- Brazilian Navy

Riachuelo as a museum ship in Rio de Janeiro

The Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil) was the first to use the Oberon class outside the Commonwealth's British sphere of influence . The units replaced used American submarines from World War II ( Gato and Balao classes ), which until then had formed the backbone of Brazil's submarine weapon. After the first Brazilian unit, the boats are also referred to as the Humaitá class. From their British sister ships, the boats differed by a Vickers fire control system. They were later modernized to be able to fire the more modern Mod 1 Tigerfish torpedo. They were followed in the 1990s by the Tupi and Tikuna classes (variants of the German submarine class 209 ). The Riachuelo is preserved as a museum in Rio de Janeiro .

Identifier	Surname	Shipyard	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	unit	Decommissioning	Whereabouts
S-20	Humaitá	Vickers in Barrow	3rd November 1970	3rd October 1971	June 19, 1973	Força de Submarinos, Ilha de Mocanguê Rio de Janeiro	April 8, 1996	scrapped
S-21	Tonelero	Vickers in Barrow	15th November 1971	November 22, 1972	December 10, 1977	Força de Submarinos, Ilha de Mocanguê Rio de Janeiro	June 21, 2001	Sunk in dock during repairs in 2000, hull sold in 2004.
S-22	Riachuelo	Vickers in Barrow	May 27, 1973	6th September 1975	March 12, 1977	Força de Submarinos, Ilha de Mocanguê Rio de Janeiro	November 12, 1997	Museum in Rio de Janeiro

- Chilean Navy

O'Brien with the destroyer Blanco Encalada during the TEAMWORK SOUTH '99 maneuver

Chile was the last nation to procure Oberon-class submarines for its navy (Armada de Chile). As in Brazil, the units replaced used units of the American Balao class from the Second World War. The Chilean Oberon class boats are also known as the O'Brien class. Unlike the British units, the armament consisted of the German SUT torpedo type. The boats were supplemented by two units of the Thompson class (German submarine class 209/1300 ) in the late 1980s and finally replaced by two units of the O'Higgins class (French Scorpène class ) in the early 2000s . The O'Brien is preserved as a museum in Valdivia .

Identifier	Surname	Shipyard	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	unit	Decommissioning	Whereabouts
S22	O'Brien	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	17th January 1971	December 21, 1972	April 15, 1976	Força de Submarinos, Talcahuano	2005?	Museum in Valdivia
S23	Hyatt	Scott Lithgow in Greenock	January 10, 1972	September 26, 1973	September 27, 1976	Força de Submarinos, Talcahuano	April 26, 2000	Scrapped in 2003

Web links

Commons : Oberon class  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Datasheet of the Oberon class
• HMS Otus - museum ship
• HMCS Onondaga - Museum Ship (English)
• Museo Submarino O'Brien (Spanish)

Footnotes

1. ↑ http://www.canadianmilitary.page.tl/Navy.htm (English). Retrieved March 12, 2010.
2. ↑ Page of the Abwracker , accessed November 25, 2019 (English)
3. ^ Archive link ( Memento of March 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (French). Retrieved March 12, 2010.
4. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/03/17/sub-060317.html (English). Retrieved March 12, 2010.
5. ↑ http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/528673 (English). Retrieved March 12, 2010.
6. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of December 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (Spanish). Retrieved March 3, 2014.
7. ↑ BBC , accessed August 11, 2019
8. ↑ NAVIOS DE GUERRA BRASILEIROS (Portuguese)