Odin-class submarine

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.

Oxley and Otway
Class overview
Name: Odin class or O class
Operators:  Royal Navy
Preceded by: L class
Succeeded by: Parthian class
In commission: 22 July 1927—1945
Completed: 12
Lost: 6
Retired: 6
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
  • 2 × electric motors, 350 hp
  • 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:

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

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

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.

Notes

    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. 129. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN 1-84603-007-2.
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