HMAS ''Oxley'' (S 57) was an ''Oberon'' class submarine of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

(RAN).

Design and construction

The ''Oberon'' class was based heavily on the preceding ''Porpoise'' class of submarines, with changes made to improve the vessels' hull integrity, sensor systems, and stealth capabilities.Chant, ''A Compedium of Armaments and Military Hardware'', pp. 167–8 Eight submarines were ordered for the RAN, in two batches of four.Cooper, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 188 The first batch (including ''Oxley'') was approved in 1963, and the second batch was approved during the late 1960s, although two of these were cancelled before construction started in 1969, with the funding redirected to the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

.Cooper, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 194Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 366 This was the fourth time the RAN had attempted to establish a submarine branch.Dennis et al., ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Military history'', p. 399 The submarine was long, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , and a draught of when surfaced. At full load

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

, she displaced 2,030 tons when surfaced, and 2,410 tons when submerged. The two propeller shafts were each driven by an English Electric motor providing 3,500

brake horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

and 4,500

shaft horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

; the electricity for these was generated by two Admiralty Standard Range supercharged V16 diesel generators.Shaw, ''HMAS Onslow'', p. 15 The submarine could travel at up to on the surface, and up to when submerged, had a maximum range of at , and a

test depth Depth ratings are primary design parameters and measures of a submarine's ability to operate underwater. The depths to which submarines can dive are limited by the strengths of their hulls. Ratings The hull of a submarine must be able to with ...

of below sea level. When launched, the boat had a company of 8 officers and 56 sailors, but by the time she decommissioned, the number of sailors had increased to 60. In addition, up to 16 trainees could be carried. The main armament of the ''Oberon''s consisted of six torpedo tubes. The British Mark 8 torpedo was initially carried by the submarine; this was later replaced by the

wire-guided A wire-guided missile is a missile that is guided by signals sent to it via thin wires connected between the missile and its guidance mechanism, which is located somewhere near the launch site. As the missile flies, the wires are reeled out behi ...

Mark 23.Shaw, ''HMAS Onslow'', p. 21 During the 1980s, the Australian ''Oberons'' were upgraded to carry United States Navy Mark 48 torpedoes and UGM-84 Sub Harpoon anti-ship missiles. As of 1996, the standard payload of an Australian ''Oberon'' was a mix of 20 Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and Sub Harpoon missiles. Some or all of the torpedo payload could be replaced by Mark 5 Stonefish sea mines, which were deployed through the torpedo tubes.Sharpe (ed.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships, 1996–1997'', p. 23 On entering service, two stern-mounted, short-length torpedo tubes for Mark 20 anti-submarine torpedoes. However, the development of steerable wire-guided torpedoes made the less-capable aft-firing torpedoes redundant; they were closed off, and later removed during a refit.Shaw, ''HMAS Onslow'', p. 19 ''Oxley'' was laid down by

Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde. In its time in Greenock, Scotts built over 1,250 ships. History John Scott fou ...

Greenock, Scotland Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands o ...

on 2 July 1964, launched on 24 September 1965, and commissioned into the RAN on 21 March 1967.Royal Australian Navy, ''HMAS Oxley (II)''

Operational history

After completing sea trials, ''Oxley'' sailed to Sydney via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

.Owen, in Mitchell, ''Australian Maritime Issues 2010'', p. 30 The submarine arrived on 18 August 1967, the same day as the submarine base was commissioned and the Australian Submarine Squadron replaced the British 4th Submarine Squadron. In October 1977, ''Oxley'' docked at

Cockatoo Island Dockyard The Cockatoo Island Dockyard was a major dockyard in Sydney, Australia, based on Cockatoo Island. The dockyard was established in 1857 to maintain Royal Navy warships. It later built and repaired military and battle ships, and played a key role ...

for the Submarine Weapon Update Program, a major overhaul of the Australian ''Oberon''s warfighting capability.Owen, in Mitchell, ''Australian Maritime Issues 2010'', p. 32 The upgrade was completed in February 1980.

Decommissioning and fate

''Oxley'' paid off on 13 February 1992 and was scrapped. Her fin is on display outside the Submarine Training and Systems Centre at HMAS ''Stirling'' and her bow is preserved at the

Western Australian Maritime Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, now known as WA Museum Boola Bardip, officially re-ope ...

in Fremantle. An anchor forms part of a Submariners Memorial at HMAS Platypus, dedicated on 18 August 2017, on the 50th anniversary of the boats arrival in Sydney Harbour.

Citations

References

;Books * * * * * * ;Websites * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oxley (S 57) Oberon-class submarines of the Royal Australian Navy Ships built on the River Clyde 1965 ships