HMCS Onondaga by sandra46

Photography • Military • posted on Jul 05, 2009

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Description

My favorite films with submarines are: First, Das Boot (1981) directed by Wolfgang Petersen, adapted from a novel of the same name by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Hans-Joachim Krug, former first officer on U-219, served as a consultant, as did Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, the captain of the real U-96. Second, K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It is a fact-based fictional movie about the first of many disasters that befell the K-19 Soviet submarine. And I have a soft spot for Operation Petticoat (1959 a comedy, it was remade in 1977, but there was no match with the original film)on a fictional USS Sea Tiger. Submarine films are a subgenre of war films. The danger from the extreme pressure of deep water dives and the claustrophobic, cramped submarine quarters imbues films of the subgenre with a great deal of dramatic tension. A stock scene in the submarine genre film is the depiction of a grim-faced submarine crew waiting in silence as depth charges explode overhead and bolts fly out of bulkheads in the submarine. HMCS Onondaga (S73) is an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. The Oberon class was a 27-ship class of British-built diesel-electric submarines based on the successful British Porpoise class submarine. Thirteen were constructed for the Royal Navy, while another fourteen were built and exported to other countries' navies. The Oberon class was based heavily on the preceding Porpoise class of submarines, which were in service from 1956 to 1988. The submarine normally carried a payload of 20 torpedoes for the forward tubes; a mix of Mark 24 Tigerfish and Mark 8 torpedoes, while only the two pre-loaded torpedoes were carried for the stern tubes. Naval mines could be carried instead of torpedoes: the torpedo payload would be replaced with up to 50 Mark 5 Stonefish or Mark 6 Sea Urchin mines. Changes from the Porpoise design were primarily to improve the strength and stealth of the submarine. Instead of UXW steel, the hull was built from QT28 steel, which was easier to fabricate and stronger, allowing the submarine to dive deeper. Glass-reinforced plastic was used in construction of the casing. Electronics, sonar, and radar systems were also upgraded to the latest standard. The submarines were equipped with a Type 1002 surface search and navigation radar, a Type 187 Active-Passive attack sonar, and a Type 2007 long range passive sonar. The rather distinctive bulge on the bow of the sub is a sonar dome. The three Canadian submarines were built with improved air-conditioning systems, while as many common components as possible were replaced with Canadian equivalents. The Canadian Oberons used United States Navy torpedoes throughout their career: they were initially equipped with Mark 37 torpedo, but were later upgraded for Mark 48 torpedoes. Thank you for your kind comments.

Comments (33)

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drifterlee

5:52PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

Awesome submarine!!!!!!!!

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brycek

6:13PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

Fantastic submarine and information!!

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MOSKETON

7:23PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

UN TRABAJO SENSACIONAL, FELICIDADES. ME ENCANTA.

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cedarwolf

7:31PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

Lovely, just lovely. I haven't seen anything like this since I left Groton and the sub base there.

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bmac62

7:49PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

Fascinating to me. But then I am a submarine book reading junkie too:) Excellent photos and notes. My last book on submarines was "Shadow Divers" concerning finding and identifying U-869 off the coast of New Jersy...plenty of suspense and extremely dangerous diving at 230 feet.

Tamarrion

8:11PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

According to rumour, in later years the aft tubes in the Ojibwa-class boats (as the CDN boats were known) were loaded with beer :) All three were based in Halifax, only a few hours' drive for me. I recall seeing them many times while visiting the city. Good to see one of them preserved!

lucindawind

8:14PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

fantastic captures .. ! !

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Minda

9:06PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

excellent submarine and great info sandra!!

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magnus073

9:12PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

Great images Sandra and the background brought it to life for me so well :)

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Mark@poser

9:50PM | Sun, 05 July 2009

Nice pictures...I recall one of my favorite sub movies was "Ice Station Zebra" Although the sub in it was only a means to an end (get to the North Pole before the Russian do), it was featured predominately in the movie as a example of US superior technology. I think the shots of the conning tower breaking thru the ice were great...Thanks

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