Themes

Conflict and Change

• Introduction

• In Focus: 1900

• In Focus: World War One

• In Focus: Interwar

  • Surface Fleet

  • Submarines

  • Royal Marines

  • Fleet Air Arm

• In Focus: World War Two

• In Focus: Post War Conflict

• In Focus: Cold War Climate

• In Focus: Falklands and Beyond

• Special Exhibition: Falklands 25

Learning

• How To: Understand Propaganda

• Propaganda Image Galleries

• Education Project: Sea With Your Own Eyes

HMS Oberon

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• Development of the O Class

• Specifications

Development of the O Class

The Admiralty agreed to make the building of larger overseas patrol type boat for work in distant waters a top priority in 1922. The internal habitability and arrangements of the boats would need to be of a standard for the tropics. The new class was built to replace the aging L class submarines which did not have the endurance to perform adequately in the Pacific. The well-liked L class had a radius of action of 1700 miles, but it was a distance of 1500 miles from Hong Kong to the Inland Sea of Japan.

This resulted in the development of the O Class, built between 1926 and 1929. These were the first submarines specifically designed for ocean going warfare to protect British interests in the Far East. HMS Oberon was the first submarine of the class to be constructed. Construction began at Chatham Dockyard on 22nd April 1924. Oberon launched on 24th September 1926 and commissioned on 24th August 1927.

Related External Links

• Royal Navy Submarine Museum