The museum submarine HMCS Onondaga on display in 2009 |
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| Career (Canada) | |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Onondaga people |
| Builder: | Chatham Dockyard, England |
| Laid down: | 18 June 1964 |
| Launched: | 25 September 1965 |
| Commissioned: | 22 June 1967 |
| Decommissioned: | 28 July 2000 |
| Motto: | Invicta ("Unconquered") |
| Status: | Preserved as museum vessel |
| Badge: | Blazon Azure, within a representation of the wampum of the Iroquois nation, another of the head of the mace used at the sitting of the first Parliament of Upper Canada in 1792, both proper. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Oberon-class submarine |
| Displacement: | Surfaced: 1,610 t (1,580 long tons) Submerged: 2,410 t (2,370 long tons) |
| Length: | 295.25 ft (89.99 m) |
| Beam: | 26.5 ft (8.1 m) |
| Draught: | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 diesel electric engines |
| Speed: | Surfaced: 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) Submerged: 17.5 kn (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) |
| Range: | 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) |
| Endurance: | 56 days |
| Test depth: | 120–180 metres (390–590 ft) |
| Complement: | 69 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Type 187 Active-Passive sonar Type 2007 passive sonar |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
MEL Manta UAL or UA4 radar warning |
| Armament: | 8 × 21 in (530 mm) tubes (6 bow, 2 stern), 18 torpedoes |
HMCS Onondaga (S73) is an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. Built in the mid 1960s, Onodaga operated primarily with the Maritime Forces Atlantic until her decommissioning in 2000 as the last Canadian Oberon.
Several plans for the disposal of the submarine were made and cancelled before the Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père in Rimouski purchased the boat for preservation as a museum vessel. The submarine was moved into location during 2008, and is open to the public.
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Onondaga was laid down on 18 June 1964 at Chatham Dockyard, Chatham and launched on 25 September 1965. She was commissioned into the RCN on 22 June 1967 with pennant number 73.
Onondaga was assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) and served her entire career in the North Atlantic.
Onodaga was decommissioned by Maritime Command on 28 July 2000. She was the last Oberon class submarine operational in Canadian service.
In 2001, it was planned to cut Onondaga into pieces and reassemble her inside the Canadian War Museum.[1] This plan was cancelled before the end of the year, because of the excessive cost.[1]
In May 2005 the Halifax Chronicle-Herald announced that Maritime Command was looking to sell Onondaga for scrap metal, along with three other Canadian Oberons.[2] MARCOM stated that the submarines were not in suitable condition to be used as museum ships, and predicted that each submarine would sell for between C$50,000 and C$60,000.[2]
Instead of being scrapped, the submarine was purchased by the Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père, Rimouski in 2006, for C$4 plus tax.[1][3] Onondaga was towed from Halifax to Rimouski by way of the Canso Canal in July 2008. The transportation was featured in the 'Supersize Submarine' episode of the Monster Moves documentary series.
After delays encountered bringing Onondaga ashore due to the ship rolling off of the ramp which had been built for it,[4] she was finally secured at the end of November 2008 and modifications began to convert her into a museum ship.[5] As of June 2009[update] she is now open to the public for viewing,[6] and is described as the only publicly accessible submarine in Canada.[7]
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