Dates: 1961 - 1986
HMS Oberon was the first of the Oberon-class submarines. She was built by HM Dockyard, Chatham and was laid down on 28 November 1957. She was commissioned on 24 February 1961.
Oberon cost ?2.43 million. She was the first of the class to have a deeper casing installed to house the equipment for initial training of SSN crews.
Oberon was paid off in 1986 and sold to the Egyptian Navy in 1987 (and has since been retired).
Several ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Oberon, after the fairy king from William Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
HMS Oberon (1805), a 16-gun brig-sloop launched in 1805 and broken up 1816.
HMS Oberon (1847), an iron paddle sloop launched in 1847, used as a gunnery target after 1870, sunk in 1874 during experiments with naval mines, raised 1875 and sold 1880.
HMS Oberon (1916), an M class destroyer launched in 1916 and sold for scrap in 1921.
HMS Oberon (P21), an Oxley class submarine laid down by HM Dockyard at Chatham in Kent on 22 April 1924, launched on 24 September 1926 and commissioned on 24 August 1927. She served with the 5th Flotilla at Portsmouth from 1927 to 1931, with the 1st Flotilla at Malta from 1931 to 1934, with the Home Fleet in 1934 and 1935, with the 5th Flotilla at Portsmouth from 1935 to 1939, with the 7th Flotilla at Holy Loch from 1940 to March 1944 and with the 6th Flotilla at Blyth, Northumberland. Oberon paid off on 24 August 1945, was sold for scrap to Clayton and Davie and broken up at Dunston, Tyne and Wear.
HMS Oberon (S09), the lead submarine of the class, was laid down by HM Dockyard at Chatham in Kent on 28 November 1957, launched on 18 July 1959 and commissioned on 24 February 1961. Oberon paid off on 10 October 1986, was sold to Seaforth Ship Repairers in 1987 and broken up at Immingham.
