HMS Onslaught (S14): From Devonport to Classified Baltic Patrols

The Build: Chatham

HMS Onslaught was built at Chatham Dockyard, launched on 24 September 1960 and commissioned on 14 August 1962, an Oberon-class attack submarine displacing 2,410 tons submerged, capable of 17 knots underwater, armed with eight 21-inch torpedo tubes and crewed by 68 officers and ratings.

From Devonport to Singapore

Onslaught was initially assigned to the 2nd Submarine Squadron at Devonport, before transferring to the 7th Squadron based in Singapore in 1966, part of the Royal Navy's substantial East of Suez commitment during the 1960s. Following a major refit between 1970 and 1972, she moved to the 1st Squadron.

Classified Patrols in the Baltic

Between 1986 and 1988, Onslaught conducted classified patrols in the Mediterranean and the Baltic, precisely the kind of sensitive Cold War intelligence work that Oberon-class boats were prized for, their exceptional quietness making them ideal for operating close to Warsaw Pact waters undetected in the years just before the Cold War drew to its close.

The End of Her Service

HMS Onslaught was decommissioned in 1990 and broken up at Aliaga in Turkey the following year, bringing to a close the career of a submarine whose service had taken her from the Far East to the very edge of Soviet waters.