Editing HMCS Onondaga

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Expand French|NCSM Onondaga|date=May 2011|topic=mil}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Onondaga S73.jpg
|Ship caption=The museum submarine HMCS ''Onondaga'' on display in 2009
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Canada
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval}}
|Ship name=''Onondaga''
|Ship namesake=[[Onondaga (tribe)|Onondaga]] First Nations people
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Chatham Dockyard]], [[England]]
|Ship laid down=18 June 1964
|Ship launched=25 September 1965
|Ship acquired=
|Ship original cost=[[Canadian dollar|CAN$]]16,000,000<ref name=gazette1>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19670704&id=MrEtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BaAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7229,294083&hl=en |title=U.K. Commissioning Doubles Canada's Submarine Squadron |work=[[Montreal Gazette]] |agency=[[Canadian Press]] |pages=17 |date=4 July 1967 |accessdate=16 April 2016}}</ref>
|Ship commissioned=22 June 1967
|Ship decommissioned=28 July 2000
|Ship motto=*''Invicta''
*("Unconquered")
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship status=Preserved as museum vessel since 2008
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=Blazon Azure, within a representation of the wampum of the Iroquois nation, another of the head of the mace used at the sitting of the first Parliament of Upper Canada in 1792, both proper.<ref>Arbuckle, p. 79</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship class={{sclass|Oberon|submarine}}
|Ship displacement=*Surfaced: {{convert|1610|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 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}}
|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=
}}
|}
[[File:Canadian Oberon-class boat alongside in the Caribbean.jpg|thumb|A Canadian {{sclass|Oberon|submarine|1}} alongside in [[Roosevelt Roads Naval Station|Roosey Roads]] for Operation Springboard, January 1969]]
'''HMCS ''Onondaga'' (S73)''' is an {{sclass|Oberon|submarine}} that served in the [[Royal Canadian Navy]] and later the [[Canadian Forces]]. Built in the mid-1960s, ''Onondaga'' operated primarily with the [[Maritime Forces Atlantic]] until her decommissioning in 2000 as the last Canadian ''Oberon''.

Several plans for the disposal of the submarine were made and cancelled before the [[Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père]] in [[Rimouski, Quebec|Rimouski]] purchased the boat for preservation as a [[museum vessel]]. The submarine was moved into location during 2008, and is open to the public.

==Design and construction==
{{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=cocker108/><ref name=gardiner530/> 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 Mk 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 torpedo]]es, 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 operating until the end of the 1990s when they were replaced by the British {{sclass|Upholder|submarine|1}}s.<ref>Gimblett, p. 192</ref>

==Acquisition==
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>

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==
The submarine, built at [[Chatham Dockyard]] in England, was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 18 June 1964, and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 25 September 1965.<ref name=Moore63>Moore, p. 63</ref><ref name=mac2>Macpherson and Barrie, p. 269</ref> She was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] at Chatham on 22 June 1967.<ref name=Moore63/><ref name=mac2/> The submarine was named after the [[Onondaga (tribe)|Onondaga]] First Nations people, and was assigned the [[pennant number]] S 73.<ref name=Moore63/> The submarine cost C$16,000,000.<ref name=gazette1/>

''Onondaga'' was assigned to [[Maritime Forces Atlantic]] (MARLANT) as part of the [[First Canadian Submarine Squadron]] and served nearly her entire career in the [[North Atlantic]].<ref name=mac1/><ref>Ferguson, p. 265</ref> ''Onondoga'' 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 a [[Canadair CP-107 Argus]] or [[Lockheed CP-140 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>

''Onondoga'' arrived at [[HMC Dockyard]] at [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] on 18 January 1982 in preparation for her SOUP refit. The refit began on 25 June 1983 and was completed on 27 April 1984.<ref name=mac2/> 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 Maritime Command.<ref name=craven/>

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.<ref name=craven/> For six months in 1994, the submarine served on the west coast.<ref name=mac1/> 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>

''Onondaga'' was decommissioned by [[Canadian Forces Maritime Command|Maritime Command]] on 28 July 2000.<ref name=mac1/> She was the last ''Oberon''-class submarine operational in Canadian service.<ref name=mac1/> On decommissioning, ''Onondaga'' and her sister boats were left to await disposal in Halifax harbour.<ref name=Massarella114>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', p. 114</ref>

==Preservation==
In 2001, it was planned to cut ''Onondaga'' into pieces and reassemble her inside the [[Canadian War Museum]].<ref name=CBCInDepth>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnsubs/ |title=In Depth: Canada's Submarines |work=[[CBC News]] |accessdate=26 June 2013 |date=1 November 2005<!-- despite being updated during/after 2006 --> |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060404220221/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnsubs/ |archivedate=4 April 2006 }}</ref> This plan was cancelled before the end of the year, because of the excessive cost.<ref name=CBCInDepth/> In May 2005 the ''[[Halifax Chronicle-Herald]]'' announced that Maritime Command was looking to sell ''Onondaga'' for scrap metal, along with three other Canadian ''Oberon''s.<ref name=4sale/> 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 name=4sale>{{cite news|title=For sale: 4 submarines, not shipshape |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/for-sale-4-submarines-not-shipshape-1.519481 |work=CBC News |date=25 May 2005 |access-date=10 December 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315220222/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/05/25/subs050525.html |archive-date=15 March 2007}}</ref>

Instead of being scrapped, the submarine was purchased by the [[Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père]], [[Rimouski, Quebec|Rimouski]] in 2006, for C$4 plus tax {{Interlanguage link multi|Onondaga project|fr|3=Projet Onondaga|lt=to become a museum ship|vertical-align=sup}}.<ref name=CBCInDepth/> The submarine was towed from Halifax to Rimouski during the summer of 2008, floated onto a temporary [[marine railway]], then hauled up the shore into the final position.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', pp. 116, 119</ref> Getting the submarine onto the marine railway required a high tide of {{convert|4.6|m}}, which would only occur during a 2-hour window on 2 August.<ref name=Massarella117>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', p. 117</ref> The removal of torpedoes and batteries following decommissioning had significantly affected ''Onondaga''{{'}}s displacement, and {{convert|180,000|L}} of water had to be pumped into the ballast tanks before the submarine could be safely towed.<ref name=Massarella117/> Originally due to leave Halifax on 9 July, the tow was delayed by two days due to foul weather.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', pp. 118, 120</ref> One of the tow bridles snapped before the tugboat and submarine left the harbour, causing a half-day delay.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', pp. 120–121</ref> On 12 July, submarine and tugboat were forced to divert via the [[Canso Canal]] to avoid [[Hurricane Bertha (2008)|Hurricane Bertha]]; a second tugboat was called in to help ''Onondaga'' traverse the locks.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', p. 122</ref>

[[File:5 septembre 2008 184.jpg|thumb|left|Following the second attempt to pull ''Onondaga'' out of the water, the submarine rolled off the marine railway]]
''Onondaga'' arrived in Rimouski harbour on time for the 2 August high tide, but a heavy storm prevented the operation from occurring.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', pp. 124–125</ref> The marine railway was extended further into the water to permit an attempt in September{{when|date=June 2013}} with a {{convert|4.3|m|adj=on}} tide.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', p. 125</ref> The second attempt succeeded in half-removing ''Onondaga'' from the water, but the submarine was not properly aligned with the support cradles.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', pp. 125, 127</ref> As the water receded overnight, the submarine rolled to the right and off the railway, puncturing the outer casing on a nearby boulder.<ref>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', pp. 127–128</ref> A third attempt was made two weeks later, after the submarine was shored up and the cradles were replaced.<ref name=Massarella128>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', p. 128</ref> Two tugboats were used to help position the submarine over the railway, but as the pull from shore started, one of the tugboats applied too much tension and pulled ''Onondaga'' back off.<ref name=Massarella128/> A fourth and final attempt was made on 28 November; after this, there were no more opportunities before winter struck and froze Rimouski harbour, further damaging the submarine.<ref name=Massarella128/> ''Onondaga'' was successfully removed clear of the water.<ref name=Massarella128/> The transportation and removal of ''Onondaga'' from the water was featured in the 'Supersize Submarine' episode of the ''[[Monster Moves]]'' documentary series.

After repairs and refurbishment, ''Onondaga'' and her attached museum, as a publicly accessible submarine, opened on 29 May 2009, with over 100,000 visitors in the first year.<ref name=Massarella129>Massarella, ''Monster Moves'', p. 129</ref><ref name=officialSiteHome>{{cite web |url=http://www.shmp.qc.ca/index-en.html |title=Onondaga Museum – Homepage}}</ref>
{{clear left}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==Citations==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{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 |url=https://archive.org/details/throughcanadianp0000ferg |url-access=registration |publisher=Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |isbn=1-55002-217-2}}
* {{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=Massarella |first=Carlo |title=Monster Moves: Adventures in Moving the Impossible |year=2011 |publisher=Quercus Publishing |location=London |isbn=9780857386335 |oclc=751789641}}
* {{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=Moore, 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}}

==External links==
{{commons category|HMCS Onondaga (S73)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060224050708/http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=1808 Rimouski Museum Acquires HMCS Onondaga]
* [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rimouski-museum-buys-surplus-sub-for-4-1.578920 Rimouski museum buys surplus sub for $4]

{{Oberon class submarine}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Onondaga (S73)}}
[[Category:Oberon-class submarines of Canada]]
[[Category:Ships built in Chatham]]
[[Category:1965 ships]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Canada]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Quebec]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Bas-Saint-Laurent]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Rimouski]]
[[Category:Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père]]
[[Category:Canadian submarine accidents]]