Our Cold War hero - HMAS Ovens

HMAS Ovens, the third of six Oberon Class submarines built for the Royal Australian Navy, was commissioned in April 1969, although it was not until the October of that year that the boat arrived in her home port of Sydney. At the other end of the scale, on 4 August 1995 Ovens departed Sydney under significant media interest, heading for its final destination, Fleet Base West, HMAS Stirling, where it was decommissioned. Ovens is now part of the WA Maritime Museum, open for guided tours. A tour of the ex-HMAS Ovens is quite an experience as the vessel is just as it was when decommissioned. There are oily rags stuck in corners of the engine room, plates, cups and magazines on the mess tables and every other article that you could imagine. If you wonder what the smell is inside, well, it is a combination of grease, oil, sweat, diesel oil, food odours and the rubber soled shoes the crew wore to avoid making noise.

HMAS Ovens, Oberon Class submarine.
Credit: Australian Navy

On watch on the Bridge.
Credit: Submarine Association WA Branch