 HMS Opossum returning to RN submarine base HMS Dolphin, Gosport, following combat operations in the Gulf War (1990-91) |
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Opossum |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
| Laid down: | 21 December 1961 |
| Launched: | 23 May 1963 |
| Commissioned: | 5 June 1964 |
| Decommissioned: | June 1993 |
| Fate: | Paid off for disposal |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Oberon-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 2,030 tons surfaced 2,400 tons submerged |
| Length: | 295 feet 3 inches (90. The seventeenth Royal Navy 'ship' to be named HMS ''Dolphin'' was the the RN shore establishment sited at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport. Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British Shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries came about following the merger of Laird Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Events in June Madaraka Day June 1 to commemorate when Kenya gained internal self-rule Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Design and construction The Oberon class was based heavily on the preceeding ''Porpoise'' class of submarines Glass-reinforced plastic was used in A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability 0 m) |
| Beam: | 26 feet 6 inches (8. 1 m) |
| Draught: | 18 feet (5. 5 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 diesels 3,680 bhp (2744 kW) 2 electric motors of 6,000 shp 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h) surfaced 17 knots (31 km/h) submerged |
| Range: | 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 68 (6 officers, 62 petty officers and ratings) |
| Armament: | 8 × 21 inch torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) |
HMS Opossum (S19) was an Oberon-class submarine in service with the Royal Navy from 1964 to 1993. Design and construction The Oberon class was based heavily on the preceeding ''Porpoise'' class of submarines Glass-reinforced plastic was used in A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service)
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Service
Opossum was the eleventh Oberon-class boat commissioned by the Royal Navy. In Music or Music theory an eleventh is the Note eleven Scale degrees from the Root of a chord and also the interval Design and construction The Oberon class was based heavily on the preceeding ''Porpoise'' class of submarines Glass-reinforced plastic was used in Commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service She was built by Cammell Laird shipbuilder at Birkenhead and launched on 23 May 1963. Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British Shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries came about following the merger of Laird See also Shipbuilding (song. Shipbuilding is the construction of Ships It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. She was commissioned on 5 June 1964. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar.
Opossum was originally armed with Mk 8 torpedoes and later with Mark 24 Tigerfish torpedoes. The list of torpedoes includes all Torpedoes operated in the past or present listed alphabetically The Mk 24 Tigerfish torpedo is a heavy Acoustic homing Torpedo used by the Royal Navy for several years The class was also capable of firing the Harpoon anti-ship missile. The Harpoon is an all-weather over-the-horizon, Anti-ship missile system developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Integrated
In 1990, Opossum took part in the bicentennial celebrations at Pitcairn Island, marking the occasion with a 2-day visit in September. [1]
Opossum served during the Gulf War and inserted SBS special forces teams into Iraq and occupied Kuwait. The Special Boat Service ( SBS) is the Special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. In most countries special forces (SF is a generic term for highly-trained Military teams/units that conduct specialized operations such as Reconnaissance For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed In May 1991 she returned to HMS Dolphin in traditional Far East camouflage colours (black and duck egg blue). The seventeenth Royal Navy 'ship' to be named HMS ''Dolphin'' was the the RN shore establishment sited at Fort Blockhouse in Gosport. Black is the Color of objects that do not emit or Reflect Light in any part of the Visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of She was seen to be flying the Jolly Roger, the RN submariner's symbol of a successful war patrol. The Jolly Roger is the name given to any of various Flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates The flag most usually identified as the Jolly Roger today [2][3]
On paying off in 1993, the nameplate from HMS Opossum was given to St Edmundsbury council in commemoration of the submarine's association with the town of Bury St. Edmunds. Bury St Edmunds is a town in the county of Suffolk, England and formerly the County town of West Suffolk. [4]
HMS Opossum Association
The HMS Opossum Association is the veterans association for those who served on HMS Opossum. The association's members include submariners from the S19, and earlier veterans who served on the sloop/frigate HMS Opossum (1943-1960). For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project. For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship
See also
References
External links
The Royal Navy Submarine Service is the collective name given to the Submarine element of the Royal Navy. Operation Granby was the name given to the British military operations during the Gulf War in 1991Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic