Author Topic: HM Canadian Submarine Okanagan (1966 - 2011)  (Read 2077 times)

Offline stuartwaters

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HM Canadian Submarine Okanagan (1966 - 2011)
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2021, 10:22:23 PM »

As many of you are probably aware, HMCS Okanagan was the last major combatant vessel to be built at Chatham Dockyard.


HMCS Okanagan was an Oberon Class Patrol Submarine (sister ship to HMS Ocelot) built for the Royal Canadian Navy at Chatham Dockyard. Built on No7 Slip, she was laid down on 25th March 1965, launched onto the Medway on 17th September 1966 and commissioned into the RCN at Chatham on 22nd June 1968 with the pennant number S74.


HMCS Okanagan:





HMCS Okanagan's crest:





She operated out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. She had the motto ex imo mari ad victoriam meaning 'From the depths of the sea to victory'. In July 1973, she was in collision with RFA Grey Rover whilst exercising in UK waters. Fortunately, there were no injuries.


She received a 'SOUP' (Submarine Operational Upgrade Program) refit between 12th June 1985 and 7th April 1986. This work saw her fire control, sonar, communications and optical equipment replaced with new. She was also fitted with new batteries, which increased her endurance.


In October and November 1990, she undertook a tour of the Great Lakes, the first Canadian submarine to do so.


She was decommissioned from the RCN at Halifax on 14th September 1998 and was laid up thereafter awaiting disposal. Of the three Canadian boats built at Chatham, Okanagan was judged to be in the worst condition. The other two, Ojibwa and Onondaga were sold as museums, but the decision was taken by the Canadian Government to sell the Okanagan for scrap. She was towed on a barge to a scrap yard on Maitland, Ontario in August 2011.


Here's a short video of her final journey:


"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.