HMAS Ovens

HMAS Ovens (S 70) was an Oberon-class submarine of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The vessel was named for Irishman and Australian explorer John Ovens (1788-1825) and for whom the Victorian river Ovens was named. Ovens was the first RAN submarine to deploy with the ANZUK force.

Ovens became the first RAN submarine to fire an armed Mark 48 torpedo when she sank the decommissioned Bathurst-class corvette HMAS Colac in 1987. On her return to port, Ovens flew a ‘Jolly Roger’ to indicate a successful mission. The first time a RAN submarine had done so.

HMAS Ovens

Name: HMAS Ovens
Builder: Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Launched: 1967
Decommissioned: 1995
Status: Museum ship
Class and type: Oberon-class submarine
Displacement: 2,030 tons surfaced: 2,410 tons submerged
Length: 295.2 ft (90.0 m)
Beam: 26.5 ft (8.1 m)
Draught: 18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion:
- 2 × Admiralty Standard Range supercharged V16 diesel generators
- 2 × English Electric motors 3,500 bhp, 4,500 shp
- 2 shafts
Speed:
- 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
- 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) submerged
Range: 9k nautical mi (17k km; 10k mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Test depth: 200 meters (660 ft)
Complement: 8 officers, 56 sailors
Torpedo tubes:
- 6 × 21-inch (53 cm) bow tubes
- 2 × short-length 21-inch (53 cm) stern tubes (later removed)
1996 payload: Mix of 20: Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes & UGM-84 Sub Harpoon missiles
Museum: WA Maritime Museum