Editing HMCS Okanagan

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=3 Oberon Subs Halifax Harbour Dartmouth 2010 April 21.JPG
|Ship image size=300px
|Ship caption=HMCS ''Ojibwa'', HMCS ''Okanagan'' and ex-HMS ''Olympus'' docked in Halifax
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Canada
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval}}
|Ship name=''Okanagan''
|Ship namesake=[[Okanagan people|Okanagan]] First Nations people
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Chatham Dockyard]], [[Chatham, Kent|Chatham]]
|Ship laid down=25 March 1965
|Ship launched=17 September 1966
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=22 June 1968
|Ship decommissioned=14 September 1998
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Scrapped in 2011
|Ship motto=*''Ex imo mari ad victoriam''
*("From the depths of the sea to victory")
|Ship badge=Blazon Or, issuing out of a base barry wavy of four azure and argent, a marine monster "Ogopogo" gules, langued of the second. the first Parliament of Upper Canada in 1792, both proper.<ref>Arbuckle, p. 78</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Oberon|submarine}}
|Ship displacement=*Surfaced: {{convert|2030|t|LT|abbr=on}}
*Submerged: {{convert|2410|t|LT|abbr=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|295.25|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|26.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship propulsion=2 diesel electric engines
|Ship speed=*Surfaced: {{convert|12|kn|abbr=on}}
*Submerged: {{convert|17.5|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship range={{convert|9000|nmi}}
|Ship endurance=56 days
|Ship test depth={{convert|120|-|180|m|ft}}
|Ship complement=69
|Ship sensors=*Type 187 Active-Passive sonar
*Type 2007 passive sonar
|Ship EW=MEL Manta UAL or UA4 radar warning
|Ship armament=8 × [[British 21-inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}]] tubes (6 bow, 2 stern), 18 torpedoes
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMCS ''Okanagan'' (S74)''' was an {{sclass|Oberon|submarine}} that served in the [[Canadian Forces]] (CF).<!--Note that she was commissioned after the CF was formed on 1 February 1968, therefore she never served with the RCN.--> She entered service in 1968 and spent the majority of her career on the east coast. The ship was [[Ship decommissioning|paid off]] in 1998 and sold for [[Ship breaking|scrap]] in 2011.

==Design==
{{main|Oberon-class submarine}}

The ''Oberon'' class were considered an improved version of the preceding [[British Porpoise-class submarine|''Porpoise''-class submarines]], with a different frame of the pressure hull<ref name=cocker108>Cocker, p. 108</ref> and constructed from a better grade of steel.<ref name=brown285>Brown, p. 285</ref><ref name=gardiner530>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 530</ref> These build differences allowed the ''Oberon''s to have a deeper diving depth at roughly {{convert|1000|ft|m}}.<ref name=gardiner530/>

The submarines [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|2030|t|LT}} surfaced and {{convert|2410|t|LT}} submerged.<ref name=gardiner530/><ref name=cocker108/> They measured {{convert|295|ft|1/4|in|m|abbr=on}} [[length overall|long]] with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|26|ft|1/2|in|m|abbr=on}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name=cocker108/><ref group=note>Gardiner and Chumbley state that the dimensions were {{convert|241|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]], {{convert|290|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}} long overall with a beam of {{convert|26|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} and a draught of {{convert|18|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}</ref>

The boats were powered by a two shaft diesel-electric system. The ''Oberon''s were equipped with two ASR 1 16-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s creating {{convert|3680|bhp|lk=in}} and two English Electric motors creating {{convert|6000|shp|lk=in}}. This gave the submarines a maximum surface speed of {{convert|12|kn|lk=in}} and a submerged speed of {{convert|17|kn}}. The boats carried 258 tons of oil giving them a range of {{convert|9000|nmi|lk=in}} at 12 knots.<ref name=cocker108/><ref name=gardiner529>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 529</ref>

The design was armed with eight [[British 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s, six in the [[Bow (ship)|bow]] and two in the stern. They carried 24 reloads for a total of 30 torpedoes.<ref name=cocker108/><ref>Gardiner and Chumbley, pp. 529–530</ref> Canadian boats differed from the original design by being equipped for the US [[Mark 37 torpedo|Mark 37C torpedo]].<ref name=gardiner48>Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 48</ref> The longer, wire-guided Mod 2 version was carried in the forward tubes and the non-guided Mod 0 for the rear tubes.<ref>Perkins, p. 148</ref>

The ''Oberon''s were equipped with Type 187 active-passive [[sonar]], Type 2007 passive sonar and Type 2019 sonar.<ref name=gardiner530/>

===Submarine Operational Update Program (SOUP)===
By the late 1970s, the ''Oberon''s in Canadian service had become obsolete and were in need of an update. Planning was done in 1978 and the program approved in February 1979.<ref name=ferguson298>Ferguson, p. 298</ref> In an effort to take the subs from anti-submarine warfare training to frontline service, Maritime Command developed a refit program that included new sonars, periscopes, communications and fire-control systems. They also had their armament upgraded with the fitting of torpedo tubes capable of firing the [[Mark 48 torpedo]]. This would allow the submarines to be deployed by [[NATO]] in the North Atlantic to monitor Soviet submarines.<ref>Gimblett, p .179</ref><ref>Milner, p. 273</ref>

The SOUP refits comprised a new US fire control system, a digital Singer Librascope Mark I, and new Sperry passive ranging sonar with the Type 719 short range sonar removed. The new sonar was placed in the upper casing on the pressure hull. New communications and navigational systems were installed.<ref name=ferguson298/> The submarines were fitted with new torpedo tubes for Mark 48 torpedoes, however the torpedoes themselves were considered a separate procurement program, which was only finalized in 1985.<ref>Ferguson, pp. 298–299</ref>

Between 1980 and 1986, one of the Canadian ''Oberon''s was out of service undergoing the refit. SOUP came in on time and on its budget of [[Canadian dollar|C$]]45 million in 1986.<ref>Ferguson, p. 299</ref><ref>Milner, p. 287</ref> SOUP kept the Canadian ''Oberon''s operational until the end of the 1990s when they were replaced by the British {{sclass|Upholder|submarine|1}}s.<ref>Gimblett, p. 192</ref>

==Acquisition==
[[File:Canadian Oberon-class boat alongside in the Caribbean.jpg|thumb|A Canadian ''Oberon''-class submarine alongside in [[Roosevelt Roads Naval Station|Roosey Roads]] for Operation Springboard; Jan 1969]]
In March 1962, the [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] recommended the purchase of three ''Oberon''s and eight frigates, on the condition that the cost of acquiring the submarines from the United Kingdom would be offset by British defence purchases in Canada.<ref>Ferguson, p. 249</ref><ref>Hadley et al., p. 150</ref> On 11 April 1962, the purchase was announced in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] by the [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]], [[Douglas Harkness]].<ref>Ferguson, p. 250</ref><ref>Hadley et al., p. 152</ref>

However, the Conservative government postponed the acquisition of the ''Oberon''s due to the slow speed of the United Kingdom's attempt to offset the acquisition.<ref>Ferguson, p. 251</ref> The Conservative government was defeated in 1963 and the incoming Liberal government suspended all major defence procurement projects upon taking power.<ref>Ferguson, p. 259</ref><ref>Milner, p. 237</ref> The final price of C$40 million for the entire contract was agreed upon in 1963.<ref name=ferguson260>Ferguson, p. 260</ref> However, due to Canadian modifications to the design, that number climbed to C$51.4 million.<ref>Ferguson, p. 264</ref>

Since ''Onyx'' was already under construction, the boat was finished to Royal Navy specifications. All three boats received modifications to the original ''Oberon'' design, which included the enlargement of the snort de-icer, a different weapons fit, a larger air conditioning unit, active sonar and different communications equipment.<ref name=ferguson260/> The second and third hulls were built to Canadian specifications, which moved the galley forward of the control room to make room for the sonar equipment. This led to the removal of three crew bunks, a problem that was never rectified in the submarines and led to an accommodation issue for the crew.<ref>Ferguson, p. 263</ref> The three submarines were acquired for service as "clockwork mice", submarines used to train surface vessels in anti-submarine warfare.<ref name=mac1>Macpherson and Barrie, p. 268</ref><ref>Milner, p. 265</ref>

==Construction and career==
[[File:HMCS Okanagan crest IMG 9328.jpg|thumb|The badge of ''Okanagan'']]
The submarine, built at [[Chatham Dockyard]] in England, was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 25 March 1965, and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 17 September 1966 by Monique Cadieux, the wife of the Associate Minister of Canadian National Defence.<ref name=Moore63>Moore, p. 63</ref><ref name= Boniface >{{Citation |last= Boniface |first= Patrick |title= A Century of Submarines at Chatham Dockyard |journal= Ships Monthly |volume= |pages= 48–52 |date= April 2021}}</ref> She was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 June 1968 at Chatham.<ref name=Moore63/><ref name=mac1/> She was also the final submarine constructed at Chatham Dockyard.<ref>Perkins, p. 143</ref> The submarine was named after the [[Okanagan people|Okanagan]] First Nations people, and was assigned the [[pennant number]] S 74.<ref name=Moore63/>

''Okanagan'' was assigned to the First Canadian Submarine Squadron, joined by her [[Sister ship|sister boats]] and served her entire career with [[Maritime Forces Atlantic]] (MARLANT) in the [[North Atlantic]].<ref name=ferguson265>Ferguson, pp. 265</ref> ''Okanagan'' spent time training with the Royal Navy after an exchange program was instituted in the 1960s that would see submarines from both the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy spend time with each other's forces. This allowed Canadian submarines on intelligence-gathering missions. Beginning in the 1970s, Canada began underwater surveillance patrols in the western Atlantic, tracking Soviet sub and surface fleet vessels, especially the [[ballistic missile submarine]]s, usually in concert with an [[Canadair CP-107 Argus|Argus]] or [[Lockheed CP-140 Aurora|Aurora]] patrol aircraft.<ref name=craven>{{cite journal |url=http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo7/no4/craven-eng.asp |title=A Rational Choice Revisited – Submarine Capability in a Transformational Era |journal=Canada Military Journal |last=Craven |first=Michael |volume=7 |number=4 |date=Winter 2006 |issn=1492-0786}}</ref>

In July 1973, ''Okanagan'' collided with the [[Royal Fleet Auxiliary]] vessel {{ship|RFA|Grey Rover||2}} while exercising in British waters off the coast of [[Scotland]]. The submarine was running submerged off the mouth of the [[River Clyde]] when the tanker hit ''Okanagan''. There were no injuries to the submarine's complement. However, the submarine suffered damaged to her fin and mast. The submarine returned to [[Faslane]] to effect repairs.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1696&dat=19730729&id=d9EdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pkYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4042,3225040&hl=en |title=Tanker, submarine collide |work=Daily News |agency=Associated Press |date=29 July 1973 |accessdate=17 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19730728&id=GTpYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=WvcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5015,2546882&hl=en |title=Tanker Rams Canadian Submarine |agency=Associated Press |work=The Bulletin |date=28 July 1973 |accessdate=17 April 2016}}</ref>

On 30 June 1983, ''Okanagan'' was deployed on a 19-day anti-Soviet submarine patrol.<ref>Tracy, p. 175</ref> ''Okanagan'' underwent her SOUP refit beginning in 1984, being handed over to [[HMC Dockyard]] at [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] on 2 April. The refit began on 12 June 1985 and lasted until 7 April 1986.<ref>Macpherson and Barrie, p. 269</ref> Following the SOUP refit and the introduction of the Mark 48 torpedoes, the ''Oberon''s were considered fully operational and counted the same as other offensive fleet units in [[Canadian Forces Maritime Command|Maritime Command]] (MARCOM).<ref name=craven/>

In October–November 1990, ''Okanagan'' cruised the [[Great Lakes]], the first Canadian submarine to do so.<ref name=mac1/> Following the end of the [[Cold War]], the ''Oberon''s were retasked, performing patrols on behalf of federal institutions such as the [[Department of Fisheries and Oceans]] and the [[Solicitor General of Canada]] between 1991 and 1994. The delay of the introduction of the ''Victoria''-class submarines led to the ''Oberon''s working past their life expectancy.<ref name=craven/> During the [[Turbot War]], the ''Oberon''s were tasked with monitoring European fishing fleets off the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]]. Their presence served as a deterrent in the escalating crisis.<ref>Tracy, p. 249</ref>

In early September 1998, ''Okanagan'' was used for a successful search of the ocean floor off the coast of [[Nova Scotia]] for the [[flight recorder]]s of the crashed [[Swissair Flight 111]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19980906&id=bjpHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZukMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3647,1040181&hl=en |title=Search continues for flight recorders |last=Crary |first=David |agency=Associated Press |work=The Daily Gazette |date=6 September 1998 |page=A9 |accessdate=17 April 2016}}</ref> She was [[Ship decommissioning|paid off]] from MARCOM on 12 September 1998.<ref name=mac1/>

In May 2005, the ''[[Halifax Chronicle-Herald]]'' announced that MARCOM was looking to sell ''Okanagan'' for scrap metal, along with three other Canadian ''Oberon''s laid up at [[CFB Halifax]]. MARCOM stated that the submarines were not in suitable condition to be used as [[museum ship]]s and predicted that each submarine would sell for between C$50,000 and C$60,000.<ref>{{cite news |title=For sale: 4 submarines, not shipshape |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/for-sale-4-submarines-not-shipshape-1.519481 |work=[[CBC News]] |date=25 May 2005 |accessdate=15 April 2016}}</ref> ''Okanagan'' was towed to a scrapyard in [[Port Maitland, Ontario]] in August 2011.<ref name=Jeffrey>{{cite news|last=Jeffrey |first=Davene |url=http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1253978.html |title=Former HMS Olympus en route to scrapyard |work=The Chronicle Herald |access-date=20 July 2011 |date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721064115/http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/1253978.html |archive-date=21 July 2011 }}</ref>

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=note}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |last=Arbuckle |first=J. Graeme |date=1987 |title=Badges of the Canadian Navy |publisher=Nimbus Publishing |location=Halifax, Nova Scotia |isbn=0-920852-49-1}}
* {{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=David K. |last2=Moore |first2=George |date=2012 |title=Rebuilding the Royal Navy: Warship Design since 1945 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing  |location=Barnsley, United Kingdom |isbn=978-184832-150-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Cocker |first=Maurice |date=2008 |title=Royal Navy Submarines: 1901 to the Present Day |publisher=Pen and Sword Books Ltd. |location=[[Barnsley]], United Kingdom |isbn=978-1-84415-733-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Ferguson |first=Julie H. |date=1995 |title=Through a Canadian Periscope: The Story of the Canadian Submarine Service |publisher=Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |isbn=1-55002-217-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/throughcanadianp0000ferg }}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Gardiner |editor-first=Robert |editor-last2=Chumbley |editor-first2=Stephen |editor-last3=Budzbon |editor-first3=Przemysław |date=1995 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-132-7}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Gimblett |editor-first=Richard H. |date=2009 |title=The Naval Service of Canada 1910–2010: The Centennial Story |publisher=Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-55488-470-4}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Hadley |editor-first=Michael L. |editor-last2=Huebert |editor-first2=Rob |editor-last3=Crickard |editor-first3=Fred W. |date=1992 |title=A Nation's Navy: In Quest of Canadian Naval Identity |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal, Quebec and Kingston, Ontario |isbn=0-7735-1506-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/nationsnavyinque0000unse }}
* {{cite book |last1=Macpherson |first1=Ken |last2=Barrie |first2=Ron |date=2002 |title=The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002  |edition=Third |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-072-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Milner |first=Marc |date=2010 |title=Canada's Navy: The First Century |edition=Second |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-8020-9604-3}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Moore |editor-first=John |title=Jane's Fighting Ships 1977–78 |edition=80th |year=1977 |series=[[Jane's Fighting Ships]] |publisher=Jane's Yearbooks |location=London |isbn=0531032779 |oclc=18207174}}
* {{cite book |last=Perkins |first=J. David |date=2000 |title=The Canadian Submarine Service in Review |publisher=Vanwell Publishing Limited |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-031-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Tracy |first=Nicholas |date=2012 |title=A Two-Edged Sword: The Navy as an Instrument of Canadian Foreign Policy  |publisher=McGill-Queens University Press |location=Montreal, Quebec and Kingston, Ontario |isbn=978-0-7735-4051-4}}

{{Oberon class submarine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okanagan (S74)}}
[[Category:Oberon-class submarines of Canada]]
[[Category:Ships built in Chatham]]
[[Category:1966 ships]]