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HMAS Onslow facts for kids

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| colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5em;" | A submarine tied up alongside a wharf on a calm day. Numerous skyscrapers are in the background

HMAS Onslow on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum

|} HMAS Onslow (SS 60/SSG 60) was a special submarine that served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It was one of six Oberon-class submarines. The submarine got its name from the town of Onslow, Western Australia. It was also named after Sir Alexander Onslow. The submarine's motto, Festina Lente, means "Hasten Slowly." This motto and its special badge came from Onslow's family history.

Onslow was ordered in 1963. It was built in Scotland by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. The submarine was started in late 1967 and launched almost a year later. It officially joined the RAN at the end of 1969.

Contents

History
Australia
Namesake Town of Onslow, Western Australia
Ordered 1963
Builder Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock
Laid down 4 December 1967
Launched 3 December 1968
Commissioned 22 December 1969
Decommissioned 29 March 1999
Refit Modernisation (1982–1984)
Homeport HMAS Platypus Sydney
Motto Festina Lente ("Hasten Slowly")
Status Museum ship at the Australian National Maritime Museum
General characteristics
Class and type Oberon-class submarine
Displacement
  • 1,610 tons standard
  • 2,030 tons surfaced
  • 2,410 tons submerged
Length 295.2 ft (90.0 m)
Beam 26.5 ft (8.1 m)
Draught 18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Admiralty Standard Range supercharged V16 diesel generators
  • 2 × English Electric motors
  • 3,500 bhp, 4,500 shp
  • 2 shafts
Speed
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
  • 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) submerged
  • 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) at snorkel depth
Range 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Test depth 200 metres (660 ft)
Complement
  • As launched:
  • 8 officers, 56 sailors
  • At decommissioning:
  • 8 officers, 60 sailors
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Sonar:
  • Atlas Elektronik Type CSU3-41 bow array
  • BAC Type 2007 flank array
  • Sperry BQG-4 Micropuffs rangefinding array
  • Radar:
  • Kelvin Hughes Type 1006
Armament
  • Torpedo tubes:
  • 6 × 21-inch (53 cm) bow tubes
  • 2 × short-length 21-inch (53 cm) stern tubes (later removed)
  • Payload: Mix of 20:
  • Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes
  • UGM-84 Sub Harpoon missiles
Notes Taken from:

Life as a Submarine

Even though Onslow was never in a real war, it had some important events during its time in service.

Important Moments

In 1972, an incident happened when a sailor did not follow orders. This caused the submarine to dive much deeper than it was supposed to. After this, the Royal Australian Navy Submarine Service changed its rules. From then on, sailors had to volunteer to serve on submarines. They could no longer be simply assigned to them.

Another serious event happened in 1981. Fumes from one of the diesel engines filled the submarine. Sadly, one sailor died. After this, the Navy made changes to how submarines operate to keep everyone safer.

In 1995, there was a special ceremony called a line-crossing ceremony. This event led to new rules for how such ceremonies could be held on Navy ships.

Submarine Achievements

During its career, Onslow was the first regular submarine to be fitted with special missiles that could attack other ships. It was very good at practice battles, also known as wargames.

For example, in 1980, during an exercise called Kangaroo 3, Onslow successfully "sank" a group of seven ships! Later, in 1998, during a big exercise called RIMPAC, it even "sank" a huge United States aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson. This showed how skilled the crew and the submarine were.

From Sea to Museum

Onslow finished its service in 1999. After that, it was given to the Australian National Maritime Museum. Today, you can visit Onslow at the museum. It is kept there as a museum ship, so people can learn about submarines and the Navy.

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