HMAS Onslow, 1968 Oberon-class submarine
HMAS Onslow is an Oberon-class submarine built in Scotland, now on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. The dark hull features a small tower with antennas and stretches about 90 meters in length.
The submarine was built in the 1960s and served in the Royal Australian Navy for about 30 years. After being decommissioned in 1999, it was given to the museum where it has welcomed visitors since.
Th e name O ns low comes from a town in Western Australia and links the vessel to the country's inland regions. The crew's motto was 'Festina Lente', a Latin phrase that guided their approach to decision-making under pressure.
You can walk through narrow corridors and see spaces like the control room and torpedo storage. Signs and guided tours help explain the purpose of each area.
During exercises, the crew managed to sink a large American aircraft carrier in a mock battle, which was considered a notable achievement. After successful missions, sailors raised a Jolly Roger flag, an old tradition among submarine crews.
Location: New South Wales
GPS coordinates: -33.86925,151.19995
Latest update: December 5, 2025 15:04
These preserved submarines open their hatches to visitors who want to see where sailors lived and fought beneath the ocean surface. From World War II patrol boats that hunted across the Pacific to the first nuclear-powered vessel that changed naval history forever, each submarine reveals the cramped reality of underwater service. You walk through narrow steel corridors, peer into bunks stacked three high, and stand where officers once studied charts and gave orders in near silence. The collection includes vessels from harbors across the United States and around the world, each one a working museum where the instruments, torpedo tubes, and engine rooms remain as they were during active duty. Some of these submarines sank enemy warships and rescued Allied prisoners during the Second World War. Others served through the Cold War, carrying crews on patrols that lasted weeks without seeing daylight. A few pushed the limits of technology, proving that nuclear reactors could power a vessel across thousands of miles and even under the polar ice. Whether docked in a busy port or resting beside a quiet lake, these submarines bring you face to face with the men who descended into the deep, closed the hatch, and did their work in spaces smaller than a city bus.
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