HMAS Otway (S 59) facts for kids
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|} HMAS Otway (S 59) was a special type of submarine called an Oberon-class submarine. It served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Otway was one of the first four Oberon submarines ordered for Australia. It was built in Scotland in the 1960s and started serving in 1968. The submarine stopped serving in 1994. Today, parts of Otway like its top section, fin, and back are kept as a monument in Holbrook, New South Wales.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia |
|
| Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company |
| Laid down | 29 June 1965 |
| Launched | 29 November 1966 |
| Commissioned | 23 April 1968 |
| Decommissioned | 17 February 1994 |
| Fate | Monument at Holbrook, NSW |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Oberon-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 295.2 ft (90.0 m) |
| Beam | 26.5 ft (8.1 m) |
| Draught | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| 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 |
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| Sensors and processing systems |
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| Armament |
|
Building a Submarine: HMAS Otway's Design
The Oberon submarines were designed based on an older British submarine class called the Porpoise. Changes were made to make them stronger, better at sensing things, and harder to detect. The RAN ordered eight of these submarines. Otway was part of the first group of four ordered in 1963. This was the fourth time the RAN had tried to create its own submarine fleet.
Size and Power of the Otway
Otway was about 295.2 feet (90.0 m) long. It was 26.5 feet (8.1 m) wide and sat 18 feet (5.5 m) deep in the water when on the surface. When fully loaded, it weighed 2,030 tons on the surface and 2,410 tons when underwater.
The submarine had two propellers. Each was powered by a strong English Electric motor. These motors got their electricity from two large diesel generators. Otway could travel up to 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (about 22 km/h) on the surface. When underwater, it could go up to 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) (about 31 km/h). It could travel a very long distance, about 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) (16,668 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The submarine could dive to a maximum depth of 200 metres (660 ft).
When it was first launched, Otway had a crew of 8 officers and 56 sailors. By the time it stopped serving, the number of sailors had grown to 60. It could also carry up to 16 trainees.
Weapons and Equipment
The main weapons on the Oberon submarines were six 21-inch (533.4 mm) torpedo tubes at the front. At first, they used British Mark 8 torpedoes. Later, these were replaced with wire-guided Mark 23 torpedoes.
Between 1977 and 1985, Australian Oberon submarines were updated. They could then carry Mark 48 torpedoes and UGM-84 Sub Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the United States Navy. By 1996, a typical load for an Australian Oberon was a mix of 20 Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and Sub Harpoon missiles. Instead of torpedoes, the submarine could also carry Mark 5 Stonefish sea mines. These mines were launched through the torpedo tubes.
When Otway first started serving, it also had two shorter torpedo tubes at the back. These were for Mark 20 anti-submarine torpedoes. But as new, better wire-guided torpedoes were developed, the ones at the back were no longer needed. They were eventually removed during a refit.
Building and Launching Otway
Otway was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock, Scotland. Its construction began on 29 June 1965. The submarine was launched on 29 November 1966 by Princess Marina. This was a special event because it was the first RAN submarine and only the second RAN ship (after HMAS Canberra) to be launched by a member of the Royal Family.
In January 1968, RAN crew members who were in Scotland training for the submarine helped local people. Their homes had been destroyed in a storm. Otway officially joined the RAN on 23 April 1968.
HMAS Otway's Service History
Otway arrived in Australia in September 1968. It had sailed all the way from the United Kingdom, stopping at ports in Africa. During this long trip, it became the first RAN ship to visit Ghana. It was also the first RAN submarine to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.
On 10 January 1969, Otway escorted HMS Trump out of Sydney Harbour. Trump was the last submarine of the Royal Navy's 4th Submarine Squadron based in Australia.
In 1970, the submarine visited New Zealand. It also took part in training exercises in the Indian Ocean.
Events in 1971
In March and April 1971, Otway joined in a naval exercise called SEATO Exercise Subok. On 26 August 1971, the submarine's fin was hit by a dummy torpedo during training in Jervis Bay. The damage was minor and quickly fixed.
On 1 September, the fin was damaged again. This time, a periscope mast was hit by a whale! Repairs were done in Sydney that same day. In October, the submarine visited Brisbane for Navy Week. However, it had to leave quickly with only two-thirds of its crew. They were called to find and rescue the crew of a boat called One and All, which had run aground on Middleton Reef.
Retirement and Legacy
HMAS Otway officially stopped serving on 17 February 1994. The submarine's fin was given to the town of Holbrook, New South Wales. This inland town has a special connection to submarines. During World War I, the town was renamed after a British submariner and hero, Norman Douglas Holbrook.
The people of Holbrook wanted to buy the rest of the submarine. They raised money, and Holbrook's widow even made a large donation. But the town did not win the bid to buy the whole submarine. Otway was sold to Sims Metal to be taken apart for scrap in November 1995.
Not giving up, the Holbrook group used the money they raised. They bought the upper part of the submarine's casing (everything above the waterline when it was surfaced) and its tail section from Sims Metal.
The casing was cut into pieces and transported on large trucks down the Hume Highway. Then, it was put back together in Holbrook. Unemployed trainees helped with this project. Otway was officially dedicated as a submarine memorial on 7 June 1997. Later, the Holbrook Submarine Museum was opened nearby.
In 2013, the fin of Otway was fitted with periscopes and masts. These were the same types that Otway had when it was in service.
