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HISTORY
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.
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