HMAS Ovens facts for kids
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|} HMAS Ovens (S 70) was a cool submarine that served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It was an Oberon-class submarine. Six of these submarines were built for Australia by a Scottish company called Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company. Ovens started its service in 1969.
The submarine was named after John Ovens, an Irish explorer in Australia. A river in Victoria, Australia, is also named after him. During its time in service, Ovens was the first RAN submarine to work with the ANZUK force. It was also the first RAN submarine to fire a live Mark 48 torpedo. This torpedo sank a target ship called Colac. Ovens stopped serving in 1995. Today, you can visit it at the Western Australian Maritime Museum as a museum ship.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia |
|
| Builder | Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company |
| Laid down | 17 June 1966 |
| Launched | 4 December 1967 |
| Commissioned | 18 April 1969 |
| Decommissioned | 1 December 1995 |
| Status | Museum ship since November 1998 |
| 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 Ovens
The Oberon class of submarines was based on an older type called the Porpoise class. Engineers made changes to make them stronger, better at finding things, and harder to detect. Australia ordered eight of these submarines. However, two were cancelled before they were built. The money was then used for the navy's air force. This was the fourth time Australia tried to create its own submarine fleet.
How Big Was HMAS Ovens?
The submarine was about 295.2 feet (90.0 m) long. That's almost the length of a football field! 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. When it was underwater, it weighed 2,410 tons.
How Did It Move?
Ovens had two propellers. Each was powered by a large electric motor. These motors got their electricity from two powerful diesel generators. The submarine could travel up to 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (about 22 km/h) on the surface. It could go even faster, up to 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) (about 31 km/h), when underwater. It could travel for a very long distance, about 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) (16,668 km), without needing to refuel. This was enough to cross oceans! It could also dive very deep, up to 200 metres (660 ft) below the surface.
Who Worked on the Submarine?
When Ovens first started service, it had a crew of 8 officers and 56 sailors. By the time it stopped serving, the number of sailors had grown to 60. The submarine could also carry up to 16 trainees.
What Weapons Did It Have?
The Oberon submarines had six torpedo tubes at the front. These tubes fired 21-inch (533.4 mm) torpedoes. At first, they used British Mark 8 torpedoes. Later, they were updated to use wire-guided Mark 23 torpedoes.
Between 1980 and 1982, the Australian Oberon submarines got an upgrade. They could then carry powerful American Mark 48 torpedoes. They could also launch UGM-84 Sub Harpoon anti-ship missiles. By 1996, a submarine like Ovens would carry a mix of 20 Mark 48 torpedoes and Sub Harpoon missiles. Instead of torpedoes, they could also carry Mark 5 Stonefish sea mines. These mines were also launched from the torpedo tubes.
Ovens was built in Greenock, Scotland. It was started on June 17, 1966, and launched into the water on December 4, 1967. It officially joined the Royal Australian Navy on April 18, 1969.
HMAS Ovens: Its Missions and Adventures
Early Years and Training
In 1970, Ovens visited ports in New Zealand. It went back to New Zealand in 1971. During this visit, it helped train the Royal New Zealand Navy ships. They practiced how to find and fight submarines.
In January 1972, Ovens went to Southeast Asia. It joined the ANZUK force, which was a military group from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. This was the first time an Australian submarine had done this. While there, it took part in a big exercise called SEATO Exercise Sea Hawk. This mission lasted until June. On August 3, the submarine found a small boat called Sea Witch. It was empty and floating by itself about 50 miles (80 km) off Newcastle, New South Wales.
Big Exercises and Special Flags
In May 1976, Ovens went on a five-and-a-half-month trip to the Far East. Before coming home, it joined a large international exercise called Kangaroo 2. This exercise pretended that an enemy was attacking a coastal area. Ovens was on the defending team. It successfully "attacked" many ships, including a huge aircraft carrier called USS Enterprise.
When Ovens returned to its home base, HMAS Platypus, it sailed into Sydney Harbour with a broom tied to its periscope. This was a special naval tradition. It meant the submarine had made a "clean sweep" and successfully completed all its missions.
Ovens made history on March 4, 1987. It became the first RAN submarine to fire a live Mark 48 torpedo. The torpedo sank a ship that was no longer in service, HMAS Colac. When Ovens returned to port, it flew a 'Jolly Roger' flag. This pirate flag is a tradition for submarines to show they had a successful mission. It was the first time an Australian submarine had done this.
In June 1995, the submarine visited Geelong, Victoria.
HMAS Ovens: Its Final Home
Ovens officially stopped serving in the navy on December 1, 1995. In November 1998, the submarine was given to the Western Australian Museum. Now, it is a museum ship at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle, Western Australia. You can visit it and explore what life was like inside a real submarine!
