2828 http://www.britainatwar.comwww.britainatwar.com
(itself a technical innovation of its
time). QT28 was not only simpler
to produce, but – crucially – it was
stronger, allowing the new submarines
to dive even deeper and better avoid
detection. This material also gave it
better soundproofing, adding further to
its stealth. The Oberons were enhanced
with updated technology, including the
latest sonar and radar equipment. The
submarines were famed for its high
speed and doggedness underwater,
adding to its all-round advantages.‘CONVENTIONAL’
versus NUCLEAR
Significantly, the Oberons and its
predecessors were ‘conventional’
submarines, relying on the customary
diesel-electric system to provide power
and propulsion. This distinguished
them from the nuclear submarines,
which by the 1950s were already under
development – initially by the US
and then subsequently the Soviets.
Technologically advanced in many
ways, nuclear subs have some clear
operational advantages. While by
design conventional types need to
surface regularly to refuel, today’sABOVE
Royal Navy crewmen
on the deck of
HMS Ocelot as
she passes the
Miraflores Locks
during her October
1989 transit of the
Panama Canal.
(J ELLIOTT/US NAVY)Oberons had considerable benefits
that largely offset the issue. The
silent assassin was far stealthier than
many of its contemporaries while still
being able to dive to great depths for
comparatively long periods of time,
making it a fearsome war machine.EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONRY
Like the Porpoise boats, the Oberons
are easily distinguished by the
characteristic bulbous dome at the
bow, housing the sonar equipment
(no doubt a feature that helped give
it its original name). The cupola was
upgraded in later variants and you can
tell the difference between versions
when moored side by side. The earlier
sonar dome housing is notably boxier
compared with the more fluid and
streamlined ‘half teardrop’ design of the
later Triton sonar.
From its inception, the Oberon boats
were intended as attack submarines,
with anti-surface and anti-submarine
capabilities. Just as important as
tracking down (or evading) the
enemy was its ability to strike when
necessary. The class was armed with
eight 21in (533mm) torpedo tubes, two
of these in the stern. The subs were
equipped with up to 20 torpedoes fornuclear counterparts could (in theory)
remain under water indefinitely,
without ever needing to surface.
Aside from general maintenance,
they are only limited by human needs
such as fresh food supplies and other
perishables, and, of course, daylight.
But nuclear technology has its
drawbacks. First, it’s phenomenally
(often prohibitively) expensive, putting
such machines out of the reach of
most navies. To date, only six nations
have successfully deployed them: the
US, Soviet Union/Russia, France,
UK, China and India. Secondly,
considering that stealth is integral to
the very concept of the sub, the need
to cool the nuclear reactors can leave a
‘thermal scar’ revealing its location. In
the cooling process, heat is dissipated
into the water surrounding the sub,
which has proved detectable through
thermal imaging. What’s more, the
reactor itself generates a noise that can
be picked up on sonar, unlike the more
silent battery-powered conventional
vessels.
This is pivotal to the Oberon-class
story. While most conventional
submarines couldn’t hope to compete
with their nuclear counterparts in
terms of underwater duration, the“The silent assassin was far stealthier
than many of its contemporaries while
still being able to dive to great depths for
comparatively long periods of time, making
it a fearsome war machine”