Jump to content

HMASOtama

Coordinates:38°20′30″S145°13′27″E/ 38.341776°S 145.224100°E/-38.341776; 145.224100
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

OtamainWestern Portin June 2011
History
Australia
BuilderScotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Company
Laid down25 May 1973
Launched3 December 1975
Commissioned27 April 1978
Decommissioned15 December 2000
Motto"Unseen We Seek"
Nickname(s)
  • One of the "Mystery Boats"
  • The "Gucci Boat"
StatusUndergoing scrapping
General characteristics
Class and typeOberon-classsubmarine
Displacement
  • 1,610 tons standard
  • 2,030 tons surfaced
  • 2,410 tons submerged
Length295.2 ft (90.0 m)
Beam26.5 ft (8.1 m)
Draught18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Admiralty Standard Range supercharged V16 diesel generators
  • 2 ×English Electricmotors
  • 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
Range9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Test depth200 metres (660 ft)
Complement
  • As launched:
  • 8 officers, 56 sailors
  • At decommissioning:
  • 8 officers, 60 sailors
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
  • Torpedo tubes:
  • 6 × 21-inch (53 cm) bow tubes
  • 2 × short-length 21-inch (53 cm) stern tubes (later removed)
  • 1996 payload:Mix of 20:
  • Mark 48 Mod 4torpedoes
  • UGM-84 Sub Harpoonmissiles

HMASOtama(SS 62/SSG 62)was anOberon-classsubmarine,formerly of theRoyal Australian Navy(RAN). Built in Scotland, the submarine was the last of the class to enter service when commissioned into the RAN in 1978.Otamawas a specialist, one of two "Mystery Boats", fitted with additional surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment.Otamawas routinely deployed on classified operations to obtain intelligence onSoviet Pacific Fleetvessels andChinese Navyvessels, and conducted associated coastal surveillance, throughout Asia.

The submarine was part of the RAN's largestflag-showing cruisein the Indian Ocean during 1980. From 1983 to 1985, she underwent an extensive upgrade. In August 1987, two submariners died whenOtamasubmerged while they were still working in thefin.Otamaremained in service until late 2000; a delay from her original planned decommissioning date to help attenuate the problems with the replacementCollins-class submarines.

Otamawas sold to the Western Port Oberon Association in 2001, which planned to preserve her as amuseum vesselas part of the proposedVictorian Maritime Centre.Submissions to build themaritime museumat various locations on theMornington Peninsulawere repeatedly rebuffed. In late 2008, the submarine was listed for sale oneBay,but despite several expressions of interest,Otamawas not sold. In-principle approval to build the Victorian Maritime Centre onreclaimed landadjacent to the Western Port Marina atHastingswas granted in 2013 but planning permits were not issued

In September 2022Otamaarrived in Western Australia for scrapping after all attempts to keep her as a museum failed.

Design and construction

[edit]
Main article:Oberon-class submarine

TheOberonclass was based heavily on the precedingPorpoiseclassof submarines, with changes made to improve the vessels' hull integrity, sensor systems, and stealth capabilities.[1]Eight submarines were ordered by the RAN, in two batches of four.[2]The first batch was approved in 1963, and the second batch (includingOtama) was approved during the late 1960s, although two of these were cancelled before construction started in 1969, with the funding redirected to theFleet Air Arm.[3][4]This was the fourth time the RAN had attempted to establish asubmarine branch.[5]

The submarine was 295.2 feet (90.0 m) long, with abeamof 26.5 feet (8.1 m), and adraughtof 18 feet (5.5 m) when surfaced.[6]At full loaddisplacement,she displaced 2,030 tons when surfaced, and 2,410 tons when submerged.[6]The two propeller shafts were each driven by an English Electric motor providing 3,500brake horsepower(2,610 kW) and 4,500shaft horsepower(3,356 kW); the electricity for these was generated by two Admiralty Standard Range supercharged V16 diesel generators.[7]The submarine could travel at up to 12knots(22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface, and up to 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) when submerged, had a maximum range of 9,000nautical miles(16,668 km; 10,357 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and atest depthof 200 metres (656 ft) below sea level.[6][7]Whenlaunched,the boat had acompanyof eight officers and 56 sailors, but by the time shedecommissioned,the number of sailors had increased to 60.[6][7]In addition, up to 16 trainees could be carried.[7]

The main armament of theOberons consisted of six 21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes.[1]TheBritish Mark 8 torpedowas initially carried by the submarine; this was later replaced by thewire-guidedMark 23.[8]After a multi-year refit was completed in 1985 byCockatoo Docks & Engineering Company,Otamawas upgraded to carryUnited States NavyMark 48 torpedoesandUGM-84 Sub Harpoonanti-ship missiles;the last AustralianOberonto undergo the Submarine Weapon Update Program.[5][9][10]As of 1996, the standard payload of an AustralianOberonwas a mix of 20 Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and Sub Harpoon missiles.[6]Some or all of the torpedo payload could be replaced byMark 5 Stonefishsea mines,which were deployed through the torpedo tubes.[8]On entering service, two stern-mounted, short-length 21-inch (53 cm) torpedo tubes for Mark 20 anti-submarine torpedoes.[11]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.[11]

Otamawaslaid downbyScotts Shipbuilding & Engineering CompanyatGreenock, Scotlandon 25 May 1973, launched on 3 December 1975, andcommissionedinto the RAN on 27 April 1978.[9]The submarine was due to enter service in 1976, but faulty high-power electrical cabling had been installed inOtamaandsister boatOrion;stripping out and replacing the cabling delayed each submarine's construction by two years.[12]The delay meant that the two boats could be fitted withMicropuffsrangefindingsonarduring construction that the earlier built boats were due to receive as an upgrade.[13]

Otamawas the sixth and finalOberon-class submarine to enter service with the RAN.[14]The boat's name comes from aNorth QueenslandAboriginalword meaningdolphin;this was a break in RAN tradition, which had used the names of explorers and pioneers for previous submarines.[15][16]Otamawas assigned thepennant number62.[17]The high standard of internal fittings compared to the rest of the class led to the "GucciBoat "nickname.[18]

Otamareceived a special electronic surveillance fit afterOrionhad been fitted with this during construction.[13][19]

Operational history

[edit]

After a delivery voyage via ports in Denmark,Florida,and Mexico,Otamaarrived atHMASPlatypusinSydneyon 15 December 1978.[20]

During theCold War,OtamaandOrionregularly deployed on surveillance and spying operations using their specialist intelligence-gathering equipment, earning them the nickname "Mystery Boats".[19][21][22][23]These activities starting in 1978 were part of the broader Western nations' intelligence-gathering apparatus, and included surveillance off the coasts of Vietnam, China, India and Indonesia. Obtaining intelligence onSovietand Chinese made vessels in operations in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.[19][21][22]Observation off the Soviet base atVladivostok.[23]These activities continued until 1992 after an incident withOrion,and most ofOtama's activities and deployments during this period remain classified.[23][19][21][22]

In April 1980,Otamaand thedestroyerHobartwere sent toFijias part of Australia's response toTropical Cyclone Wally.[24]On 8 September 1980,Otamajoined five other RAN vessels to form the Australia Squadron.[25]The Squadron, which included HMA ShipsMelbourne,Perth,Derwent,Stalwart,andSupplyspent two months in the Indian Ocean as part of a flag-showing cruise; the largest RAN deployment sinceWorld War II.[18][25]

In July 1983,Otamawas docked for modernisation by theCockatoo Docks & Engineering Company.[26]The Submarine Weapon Update Program refit lasted until 1985.[26]

Commemorative plaque atRockingham Naval Memorial Parkfor the three sailors killed on board of AustralianOberons

On 3 August 1987, two sailors were killed aboardOtama.At 09:00, the submarine left HMASPlatypusto test a new towedhydrophonearray.[27]Extreme weather forced the cancellation of the test, and two sailors were sent into thefinat around 10:20 to retrieve and stow the array.[27]At 10:35, the submarine was prepared for diving, and she submerged four minutes later, with the two men still in the fin.[27]The submariners, on noticing their vessel diving underneath them, climbed up the fin to thebridgeand opened thevoicepipein an unsuccessful attempt to contact the control room before being washed overboard.[28]Their absence was not noticed until around 11:00, despite post-dive checks and a rotation of duty stations in the interim, and was not confirmed for at least another half-hour.[27]A search for the submariners was conducted, and one of the bodies was spotted, but could not be recovered.[28]Estimated survival time in the prevailing conditions was only five minutes, and the submariners were not required to wearlifebelts.[28]A naval board of inquiry recommended that action be taken against two officers, although the Navy Office did not take action, as there were multiple factors leading into the incident, andcourt martialingthe two officers could find one or both held solely responsible for the deaths.[29]In addition to the rejection of the board's findings, several officers involved in the incident (including the two singled out by the inquiry), were promoted.[30]Acoronial inquiryfollowed (one of the first heard by the new office of theState Coroner of New South Wales), to which there was some opposition by the RAN, including advising personnel not to cooperate with the task force gathering evidence for the inquiry, and attempting to fend off a request by the coroner for a trip on the submarine replicating the events of the day.[29]Following two separate weeks of hearings in October and November 1988, the state coroner concluded that the incident was the sum of multiple moderate-to-minor breaches of operating procedure and careless negligence (including that notices indicating personnel were outside the submarine were not posted, and key personnel were not informed) aboard a submarine operating in non-standard conditions (such as the testing of new equipment, along with observers and trainees aboard, and a high rotation of personnel between stations in a short period of time).[31]The coroner singled outOtama's commanding officer for allowing so many rules and procedures to be ignored under his command, but did not find sufficient cause to recommend charges against any individual.[32]Several changes were made to casing operational procedures at sea, including making lifebelts compulsory and requiring the senior petty officer on duty to sign out and sign back in personnel working outside.[33]The fatalities aboardOtamawere two of the only three deaths aboard AustralianOberons.[34]

From 1996,Otamawas given approval to conduct coastal surveillance operations using its specialist intelligence-gathering equipment on Indonesia in particular to obtain information on East Timor.[22]

At the end of March 1999,Otamawas reassigned toHMASStirlingin Western Australia, where theCollins-classsubmarines were operating.[35][36]Within days of leaving Sydney, sister boatOnslowwaspaid off,leavingOtamathe only one of her class in service, and the submarine base at HMASPlatypuswas cleared for closure.[35][36]

Decommissioning and fate

[edit]

Otamapaid off on 15 December 2000: problems with the introduction of theCollins-class submarines keptOtamaand sister boat HMASOnslowin service for several years beyond their planned decommissioning date.[37][38]In the year leading up to her paying off, the pending decommissioning combined with the findings of theMcIntosh-Prescott Reportto cause the "Fast Track" program, A$1 billion of modifications to makeDechaineuxandSheeanfit for service by the end of the year.[38]Otamawas the last AustralianOberonto leave service.[39]

The submarine was sold in 2001 to the Western Port Oberon Association, a community group intending to preserve her as amuseum vesseland building theVictorian Maritime CentreinHastings, Victoria.[40][41]The association beat 32 other tenders for the disposal ofOtama,and received a $500,000 "Centenary of Federation" grant from the federal government to fund the purchase and relocation.[16][42]The grant included the $50,000 purchase price of the submarine, plus $300,000 to towOtamafrom Fremantle toWestern Port Bay,with the balance to be used in bringing the boat ashore once a suitable venue was built.[16][42][43]Otamaarrived inWestern Portin 2002, where she was moored while waiting for the approval and development of the museum.[41]

By late 2008, plans for three separate locations for theVictorian Maritime Centre– Hastings,Crib Point,andStony Point– had all been rejected by theDepartment of Sustainability and Environment.[40][41][44]As the Western Port Oberon Association could no longer afford to maintain the submarine while waiting for a favourable decision,Otamawas listed oneBayfor sale in November 2008.[41][45][46][47]Although no bids were placed by the time the online auction closed in late December, the association received several expressions of interest: including from the St Kilda Marina,Frankston City Council,and one purporting to be a tourism operator but believed by the Western Port Oberon Association to be wanting to restore thesubmarine for drug smuggling(which was referred to theAustralian Federal Policeand theAustralian Security Intelligence Organisation).[40][44][48]No sale was made, and the submarine remained in the possession of the association.

In early 2010,Otama's interior was used to represent a Russian submarine for the short filmDeeper Than Yesterday.[49]The 20-minute film won awards at the2010 Australian Film Institute Awards,the 2010Leeds International Film Festival,and the2011 Sundance Film Festival.[49][50]

In-principle approval to build the Victorian Maritime Centre was given by Victorian environmental ministerRyan Smithin March 2013.[43]The association submitted plans in June for a 2.5-hectare (6.2-acre) site on the seawall of the Western Port Marina at Hastings, to be built on reclaimed land.[43]The proposed site is on the outer edge of the existing seawall, withOtamaenclosed in a semi-recessed concrete pit designed to support the main internal deck at ground level, located between the seawall and the planned site of the maritime centre.[43]As of February 2015, design work has been completed, but the association was awaiting the approval of a planning permit.[51]

HMAS Otama in the advanced state of dismantling at theAustralian Marine Complexin Henderson, Western Australia, in August 2023

In January 2016 it was announced that new mooring cables worth $50,000 were needed if the vessel was to withstand winter storms.[52]By May 2016 difficulties in raising the funds led to the Western Port Oberon Association looking into selling the submarine for scrap if necessary.[53]Pledges of more than $10,000 were received by the end of May.[54]The following month the moorings were repaired byPatrick Ports Hastingsafter being contracted byParks Victoria.[55]In June 2021, the ship listed and was in danger of capsizing.[56][57]

In September 2022 the decision was made to scrap the Otama, withParks Victoriamoving to remove the vessel and scrap it, despite the previous efforts to preserve the vessel, and its heritage value.

On 13 September 2022 the semi-submersible vessel,Rolldock Sunhired by the Department of Defence arrived in Western Port Bay to upliftOtamafor transfer to Henderson, WA and breaking up. Passage to WA commenced on 19 September 2022.

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^abChant,A Compedium of Armaments and Military Hardware,pp. 167–8
  2. ^Cooper, in Stevens,The Royal Australian Navy,p. 188
  3. ^Cooper, in Stevens,The Royal Australian Navy,p. 194
  4. ^Bastock,Australia's Ships of War,pp. 394–5
  5. ^abDennis et al.,The Oxford Companion to Australian Military history,p. 399
  6. ^abcdeSharpe (ed.),Jane's Fighting Ships,1996–1997,p. 23
  7. ^abcdShaw,HMAS Onslow,p. 15
  8. ^abShaw,HMAS Onslow,p. 21
  9. ^abSharped (ed.),Jane's Fighting Ships 1992–93,p. 22
  10. ^Owen, in Mitchell,Australian Maritime Issues 2010,p. 32
  11. ^abShaw,HMAS Onslow,p. 19
  12. ^Owen, in Mitchell,Australian Maritime Issues 2010,p. 31
  13. ^abOwen, in Mitchell,Australian Maritime Issues 2010,pp. 32–3
  14. ^Stevens, in Stevens,The Royal Australian Navy,opp. p. 32
  15. ^Bastock,Australia's Ships of War,p. 394
  16. ^abcNelson,Australian Submarine History Lands at Hastings with $500 000 Centenary of Federation Grant(press release)
  17. ^Gillett,Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946,p. 77
  18. ^abSeal & Blake,Century of Silent Service,p. 83
  19. ^abcdBarker,The Mystery Boats
  20. ^'HMAS Otama Comes HomeCanberra Times18 December 1978 page 3
  21. ^abcCat and Mouse,Reveille – The Voice of New South Wales Serving and Ex-Service Men and Women
  22. ^abcdBarker,Cold War exploits of Australia's secret submarines
  23. ^abcOwens, inCentenary of Australian Submarines,pp. 103-5
  24. ^Cyclone Damage: Fiji's PM appeals to nation for helpCanberra Times9 April 1980 page 4
  25. ^abLind,The Royal Australian Navy,p. 297
  26. ^abGillett,Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946,p. 76
  27. ^abcdWaller,Suddenly Dead,p. 6
  28. ^abcWaller,Suddenly Dead,p. 7
  29. ^abWaller,Suddenly Dead,pp. 3–4
  30. ^Waller,Suddenly Dead,p. 10
  31. ^Waller,Suddenly Dead,pp. 5-10
  32. ^Waller,Suddenly Dead,pp. 8-9
  33. ^Waller,Suddenly Dead,pp. 7, 10
  34. ^Owen, inCentenary of Australian Submarines,p. 105
  35. ^abOwens, inCentenary of Australian Submarines,pp. 103-4
  36. ^abSubs leave harbour behind,Daily Telegraph,p. 4
  37. ^Jones, in Stevens,The Royal Australian Navy,pp. 276–7
  38. ^abYule & Woolner,The Collins Class Submarine Story,pp. 288–9
  39. ^Owen, inCentenary of Australian Submarines,p. 93
  40. ^abcStewart,ASIO eyes mystery group after attempt to buy sub
  41. ^abcdCogdon,Submarine for sale on internet auction website eBay
  42. ^abSilkstone,Sub group fights battle of Hastings
  43. ^abcdHast,Sub ashore in 18 months
  44. ^abStewart,Submarine for sale as group's dream sinks in a sea of red tape
  45. ^Seal & Blake,Century of Silent Service,p. 84
  46. ^Clifton-Evans,Is eBay the answer?
  47. ^College & Warlow,Ships of the Royal Navy,p. 291
  48. ^Submarine fails to sell on Ebay,inThe Shipping Times
  49. ^abBodey,Red carpet unrolls, but Cannes gives local filmmakers short shrift
  50. ^Tourtellotte,Sundance's unheralded short film and grant winners
  51. ^Taylor,Wyuna heads to Docklands
  52. ^Marine history all at seaMornington Peninsula News12 January 2016
  53. ^Distress signals from sub’s ownersMornington Peninsula News3 May 2016
  54. ^Pledges flow in wake of sub’s moorings maydayMornington Peninsula News31 May 2016
  55. ^Sub safe as moorings take holdMornington Peninsula News21 June 2016
  56. ^Emergency direction: Keep your distance from listing submarine ex-HMAS OtamaMaritime Safety Victoria 23 June 2021
  57. ^Otama listing, at ‘imminent’ risk of capsizing or sinkingMornington Peninsula News24 June 2021

References

[edit]

Books

  • Bastock, John (1975).Australia's Ships of War.Cremorne, NSW:Angus & Robertson.ISBN0-207-12927-4.OCLC2525523.
  • Chant, Christopher (1987).A Compedium of Armaments and Military Hardware.Routledge.ISBN0-7102-0720-4.Retrieved30 July2008.
  • Colledge, J.J.; Warlow, Ben (2010).Ships of the Royal Navy(Revised ed.). Newbury:Casemate Publishers.ISBN9781612000275.OCLC784981062.Retrieved24 April2015.
  • Gillett, Ross (1988).Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946.Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates.ISBN0867772190.OCLC23470364.
  • Lind, Lew (1986).The Royal Australian Navy: Historic Naval Events Year by Year(2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed Books.ISBN0-7301-0071-5.OCLC16922225.
  • Owen, Bill (2011). "Submarines in Australia, 1949–1979". In Mitchell, Rhett (ed.).Australian Maritime Issues 2010(PDF).Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Vol. 35. Sea Power Centre – Australia. pp. 25–33.ISBN978-0-642-29757-0.ISSN1327-5658.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 February 2012.Retrieved6 March2012.
  • Seal, Graham; Blake, Lloyd (2014).Century of Silent Service.Moorooka, QLD: Boolarong Press.ISBN9781922109897.OCLC848305716.Retrieved24 April2015.
  • Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1992).Jane's Fighting Ships 1992–93(95th ed.). Surrey, England:Jane's Information Group.ISBN0-7106-0983-3.OCLC25930144.
  • Sharpe, Richard, ed. (March 1996).Jane's Fighting Ships 1996–97(99th ed.). Surrey: Jane's Information Group.ISBN0-7106-1355-5.OCLC34998928.
  • Shaw, Lindsey (2005).HMAS Onslow: cold war warrior.Sydney: Australian National Maritime Museum.ISBN0-9751428-4-4.OCLC225390609.
  • Stevens, David, ed. (2001).The Royal Australian Navy.The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III).South Melbourne:Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-555542-2.OCLC50418095.
    • Cooper, Alastair. "The Era of Forward Defence".The Royal Australian Navy.
    • Jones, Peter. "A Period of Change and Uncertainty".The Royal Australian Navy.
    • Stevens, David. "World War I".The Royal Australian Navy.
  • Waller, Kevin (1994).Suddenly Dead: Ten famous cases through the eyes of the coroner.Chippendale, NSW: Ironbark. pp. 3–10.ISBN0-330-27258-6.
  • Yule, Peter; Woolner, Derek (2008).The Collins Class Submarine Story: Steel, Spies and Spin.Port Melbourne:Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-86894-5.OCLC213111359.
  • Centenary of Australian Submarines.Martinborough, New Zealand: RnR Publishing (on behalf of the Submarine Institute of Australia and Submarines Association Australia). 2014.ISBN9780473298142.
    • Owen, William. "Oberons in Australia; The Mystery Boats".Centenary of Australian Submarines.

News articles

Press releases

[edit]

38°20′30″S145°13′27″E/ 38.341776°S 145.224100°E/-38.341776; 145.224100

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMAS_Otama&oldid=1178609444"