HMAS Onslow facts for kids

HMAS Onslow on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum
Quick facts for kids 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:

HMAS Onslow (SS 60/SSG 60) was one of six Oberon-class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The submarine was named after the town of Onslow, Western Australia, and Sir Alexander Onslow, with the boat's motto and badge derived from Onslow's family heritage. Ordered in 1963, Onslow was laid down at the end of 1967 by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Scotland, launched almost a year later, and commissioned into the RAN at the end of 1969.

Although never involved in war, three major incidents occurred during Onslow's career. The first occurred in 1972, when a disgruntled sailor who disobeyed orders caused the submarine to dive to almost twice her safe operating depth. As a result, the RAN changed the Submarine Service from being able to "conscript" any sailor for submarine service to volunteer only.

The second happened in 1981, when carbon monoxide fumes from one of the diesel generators filled the submarine, resulting in the death of one sailor. Although changes were made to submarine operating procedures, the boat's company was not provided with any psychological counselling, and the incident report remained classified until 2009. The third was a controversial line-crossing ceremony in 1995, which resulted in restrictions being placed on similar ceremonies aboard RAN vessels. During her career, Onslow became the first conventionally powered submarine to be fitted with anti-ship missiles, and was successful in wargames, "sinking" a seven-ship flotilla during Exercise Kangaroo 3 in 1980 and the United States supercarrier USS Carl Vinson at RIMPAC 1998.

Onslow was decommissioned in 1999, and was presented to the Australian National Maritime Museum, where she is preserved as a museum ship.

Images for kids

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  The builders' plaque for Onslow

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  Onslow underway on the surface. A sailor is standing near the original bow sonar dome. This dome was replaced during the submarine's 1982–84 refit, as the new sonar was larger.

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  Onslow at the Australian National Maritime Museum, alongside the destroyer HMAS Vampire and the HM Bark Endeavour replica

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  HMAS Onslow returning to Hawaii from RIMPAC 98.

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  HMAS Onslow's fin and masts.

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  HMAS Onslow's nameplate.

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  HMAS Onslow on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum in 2017

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  HMAS Onslow at night

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  HMAS Onslow's galley