Engineering:Odin-class submarine

Short description: Type of British submarines in service after WWI and during WWII

Oxley and Otway
Class overview
Name:	Odin class or O class
Operators:	Royal Navy Royal Australian Navy
Preceded by:	L class
Succeeded by:
In commission:	22 July 1927—1945
Completed:	9
Lost:	6
Retired:	3
General characteristics
Type:	Submarine
Displacement:	Group 1: 1,311 long tons (1,332 t) surfaced 1,892 long tons (1,922 t) submerged Group 2: 1,781 long tons (1,810 t) surfaced 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged
Length:	Group 1: 275 ft (83.8 m) Group 2: 283 ft 6 in (86.4 m)
Beam:	Group 1: 28 ft (8.5 m) Group 2: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines, 4,600 hp 2 × electric motors, 350 hp 2 screws
Speed:	Group 1: 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged Group 2: 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range:	8,400 nmi (15,600 km; 9,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	300 ft (91.4 m)
Complement:	54
Sensors and processing systems:	ASDIC
Armament:	8 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) with 16 reloads 1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk XII deck gun 2 × Lewis machine guns

The Odin-class submarine (or "O class") was a class of nine submarines developed and built for the Royal Navy (RN) in the 1920s. The prototype, , was followed by two boats originally ordered for the Royal Australian Navy, but transferred to the RN in 1931 because of the poor economic situation in Australia, and six modified boats ordered for the RN. Three modified boats were built for the Chilean Navy as the s in 1929.

Design

The class was built to replace the ageing L-class submarines which did not have adequate endurance for use in the Pacific Ocean. These boats were theoretically able to dive to 500 feet (150 m), though none were formally tested beyond 300 feet (91 m). Armament consisted of eight 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) and one 4-inch (102 mm) gun. The boats were of a saddle tank type with fuel carried in riveted external tanks. These external tanks proved vulnerable to leaking after depth charge damage, thus betraying the position of the submarine. These boats were the first British submarines fitted with Asdic and VLF radio which could be used at periscope depth.

Boats

Construction data for prototype boat

Boat	Builder	Launched	Fate
(ex-O1)	Chatham Dockyard	24 September 1926	Scrapped, 1945

Construction data for Oxley-class submarines

Boat	Builder	Launched	Fate
	Vickers, Barrow	7 September 1926	Scrapped, 1945
	Vickers, Barrow	29 September 1926	Sunk in a friendly fire incident by near Norway, 10 September 1939

Construction data for Odin-class submarines

Boat	Builder	Launched	Fate
	Chatham Dockyard	5 May 1928	Sunk by in the Gulf of Taranto, 14 June 1940
	William Beardmore and Company	11 December 1928	Mined off Malta, 8 May 1942
	William Beardmore and Company	26 February 1929	Sunk by in the Mediterranean, 19 June 1940
	Vickers, Barrow	19 May 1928	Scrapped, September 1946, Durban.
	Vickers, Barrow	19 June 1928	Sunk by Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi off Calabria, 1 August 1940
	Vickers, Barrow	31 August 1928	Scuttled, September 1946, off Durban.

References

• Akermann, Paul (2002). Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955 (reprint of the 1989 ed.). Penzance, Cornwall: Periscope Publishing. ISBN 1-904381-05-7. 
• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6. 
• Chesneau, Roger, ed (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7. 
• McCartney, Innes (2006). British Submarines 1939–1945. New Vanguard. 129. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN 1-84603-007-2. 

External links

• RN Subs 1925 - 1946: Odin Class
• Battleships-cruisers.co.uk: Odin Class
• Uboat.net