Odin-class submarine

Oxley and Otway
Class overview
Name	Odin class or O class
Operators	Royal Navy   Royal Australian Navy
Preceded by	L class
Succeeded by	Parthian class
Subclasses	Capitan O'Brien class
In commission	22 July 1927–1945
Completed	9
Lost	6
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	Group 1: 1,311 long tons (1,332  t) surfaced 1,892 long tons (1,922 t) submerged Group 2: 1,781 long tons (1,810 t) surfaced 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged
Length	Group 1: 275 ft (83.8 m) Group 2: 283 ft 6 in (86.4 m)
Beam	Group 1: 28 ft (8.5 m) Group 2: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines, 4,600 hp (3,400 kW) 2 × electric motors, 350 hp (260 kW) 2 screws
Speed	Group 1: 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged Group 2: 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range	8,400  nmi (15,600 km; 9,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	300 ft (91.4 m)
Complement	54
Sensors and processing systems	ASDIC
Armament	8 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) with 16 reloads 1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk XII deck gun 2 × Lewis machine guns

The Odin-class submarine (or "O class") was a class of nine submarines developed and built for the Royal Navy (RN) in the 1920s. The prototype, Oberon, was followed by two boats originally ordered for the Royal Australian Navy, but transferred to the RN in 1931 because of the poor economic situation in Australia, and six modified boats ordered for the RN. Three modified boats were built for the Chilean Navy as the Capitan O'Brien-class submarines in 1929.

Design

The class was built to replace the ageing L-class submarines which did not have adequate endurance for use in the Pacific Ocean. These boats were theoretically able to dive to 500 feet (150 m), though none were formally tested beyond 300 feet (91 m). Armament consisted of eight 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) and one 4-inch (102 mm) gun. The boats were of a saddle tank type with fuel carried in riveted external tanks. These external tanks proved vulnerable to leaking after depth charge damage, thus betraying the position of the submarine. These boats were the first British submarines fitted with Asdic and VLF radio which could be used at periscope depth.

Boats

Construction data for prototype boat

Boat	Builder	Launched	Fate
Oberon (ex-O1)	Chatham Dockyard	24 September 1926	Scrapped, 1945

Construction data for Oxley-class submarines

Boat	Builder	Launched	Fate
Otway	Vickers, Barrow	7 September 1926	Scrapped, 1945
Oxley	Vickers, Barrow	29 September 1926	Sunk in a friendly fire incident by Triton near Norway, 10 September 1939

Construction data for Odin-class submarines

Boat	Builder	Launched	Fate
Odin	Chatham Dockyard	5 May 1928	Sunk by Italian destroyer Strale in the Gulf of Taranto, 14 June 1940
Olympus	William Beardmore and Company	11 December 1928	Mined off Malta, 8 May 1942
Orpheus	William Beardmore and Company	26 February 1929	Sunk by Italian destroyer Turbine in the Mediterranean, 19 June 1940
Osiris	Vickers, Barrow	19 May 1928	Scrapped, September 1946, Durban.
Oswald	Vickers, Barrow	19 June 1928	Sunk by Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi off Calabria, 1 August 1940
Otus	Vickers, Barrow	31 August 1928	Scuttled, September 1946, off Durban.

References

• Akermann, Paul (2002). Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955 (reprint of the 1989 ed.). Penzance, Cornwall: Periscope Publishing. ISBN   1-904381-05-7.
• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-87021-962-6.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   978-1-86176-281-8.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-146-7.
• McCartney, Innes (2006). British Submarines 1939–1945. New Vanguard. Vol. 129. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN   1-84603-007-2.

External links

• RN Subs 1925 - 1946: Odin Class
• Battleships-cruisers.co.uk: Odin Class
• Uboat.net