The Oberon class was a ship class of 27 British-designed submarines operated by five different nations. They were designed as a direct follow-on from the Porpoise class: physical dimensions were the same, but stronger materials were used in hull construction, and updated equipment was fitted.
The submarines were built between 1957 and 1978 by four shipyards: Cammell Laird (4), Chatham Dockyard (6), Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company (11) and Vickers-Armstrongs (6). Thirteen of the submarines were operated by the Royal Navy, six by the Royal Australian Navy, three by the Brazilian Navy, three by the Royal Canadian Navy/Canadian Forces Maritime Command (plus two ex-Royal Navy boats later acquired for non-commissioned roles), and two by the Chilean Navy.
The Oberons operated during the height of the Cold War, with duties including surveillance, tracking of other ships and submarines, delivery and retrieval of special forces personnel, and serving as targets for anti-submarine training. Submarines of the class were in service until 2000. As of 2015, eight of the submarines are preserved intact as museum vessels, another three are partially preserved (with some exterior portions of the submarine on display), and one is in private ownership and awaiting conversion for display. The rest have been sold for scrap, including one former museum vessel.
+NationNamePennantBuilder Laid down Launched Commissioned DecommissionedStatus/FateNotesUnited KingdomS09Chatham Dockyard28 November 195718 July 195924 February 19611986Sold for scrap in 1991Lead ship of classUnited KingdomS17Chatham Dockyard17 November 19605 May 196231 January 1964August 1991Preserved since 1992 at Chatham Historic Dockyard United KingdomS10Cammell Laird27 April 19594 November 19603 May 196218 October 1990Sold for scrap in 1991 United KingdomS12Vickers-Armstrongs4 March 1960 14 June 19617 July 19621980sSold for scrap in 2011Operated by Canada from 1989 to the 1990s as a non-commissioned training vessel.United KingdomS14Chatham Dockyard8 April 195924 September 196014 August 19621990Sold for scrap United KingdomS21Cammell Laird16 November 196418 August 196620 November 19671991Sold for scrap in 2014A previous Oberon named Onyx became the Canadian during construction: this submarine was ordered as a replacement. Preserved from 1991 to 2006 by the Warship Preservation Trust, then from 2006 to 2014 by the Submarine Heritage Centre.United KingdomS20Scotts Shipbuilding26 October 196214 February 196429 December 19642 June 1993Sold for scrapUnited KingdomS19Cammell Laird21 December 196123 May 19635 June 1964August 1993Sold for scrapUnited KingdomS16Cammell Laird26 April 196026 September 196114 February 196318 September 1993Sold for scrap in 1997United KingdomS11Vickers-Armstrongs16 April 195917 November 195925 November 19601987Sold for scrap in 1994Between 1987 and 1994 she served as a training vessel at HMS Dolphin.United KingdomS13Vickers-Armstrongs26 January 196229 November 196211 January 19641989Sold for scrap in 1991Between 1988 and 1991, used by Canada as a parts hulk.United KingdomS15Scotts Shipbuilding14 January 196015 May 196120 August 196231 July 1991Sold for scrap in 1992United KingdomS18Scotts Shipbuilding31 May 196117 October 19625 October 19631990sPreserved at Sassnitz, GermanyAustraliaS60Scotts Shipbuilding4 December 19673 December 196822 December 196930 March 1999Preserved since 1999 at the Australian National Maritime MuseumAustraliaS61Scotts Shipbuilding6 October 197216 September 197415 June 19771996Sold for scrap in 2003. Fin preserved at Rockingham Naval Memorial Park.AustraliaS62Scotts Shipbuilding25 May 19733 December 197527 April 197815 December 2000Sold for preservation in 2001AustraliaS59Scotts Shipbuilding29 June 196529 November 196623 April 196817 February 1994Sold for scrap in 1995. Fin and upper casing preserved at Holbrook, New South WalesAustraliaS70Scotts Shipbuilding17 June 19664 December 196718 April 19691 December 1995Preserved since 1998 at the WA Maritime MuseumAustraliaS57Scotts Shipbuilding2 July 196424 September 196521 March 1967February 1992Sold for scrap. Fin preserved at . Bow preserved at the WA Maritime MuseumBrazilS20Vickers-Armstrongs3 November 19705 October 197118 June 19731996 ?BrazilS21Vickers-Armstrongs18 November 197122 November 197210 December 1977 ? ?BrazilS22Vickers-Armstrongs26 May 19736 September 1975March 19771997Preserved at the Navy Cultural Centre, Rio de JaneiroCanadaS72Chatham Dockyard27 September 196229 February 196423 September 196521 May 1998Preserved since 2012 at the Elgin Military MuseumOriginally laid down for the Royal Navy as Onyx, sold prior to launching.CanadaS74Chatham Dockyard25 March 196517 September 196622 June 196814 September 1998Sold for scrap in 2011CanadaS73Chatham Dockyard18 June 196425 September 196522 June 196728 July 2000Preserved since 2009 at the Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-PèreChileS22Scott Lithgow17 January 197121 December 197215 August 1976? Preserved in Valdivia, ChileChileS23Scott Lithgow10 January 197226 September 197327 September 1976? Sold for scrap in 2003
See also List of submarines of the Royal Navy
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