Oxley and Otway
Class overview
Name	Odin class or O class
Operators	Royal Navy  Royal Australian Navy
Preceded by	L class
Succeeded by	Parthian class
Subclasses	Capitan O'Brien class
In commission	22 July 1927–1945
Completed	9
Lost	6
Retired	3
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	Group 1: 1,311 long tons (1,332 t) surfaced 1,892 long tons (1,922 t) submerged Group 2: 1,781 long tons (1,810 t) surfaced 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged
Length	Group 1: 275 ft (83.8 m) Group 2: 283 ft 6 in (86.4 m)
Beam	Group 1: 28 ft (8.5 m) Group 2: 30 ft (9.1 m)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines, 4,600 hp (3,400 kW) 2 × electric motors, 350 hp (260 kW) 2 screws
Speed	Group 1: 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged Group 2: 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range	8,400 nmi (15,600 km; 9,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 70 nmi (130 km; 81 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	300 ft (91.4 m)
Complement	54
Sensors and processing systems	ASDIC
Armament	8 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) with 16 reloads 1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk XII deck gun 2 × Lewis machine guns

The Odin-class submarine (or "O class") was a class of nine submarines developed and built for the Royal Navy (RN) in the 1920s. The prototype, Oberon, was followed by two boats originally ordered for the Royal Australian Navy, but transferred to the RN in 1931 because of the poor economic situation in Australia, and six modified boats ordered for the RN. Three modified boats were built for the Chilean Navy as the Capitan O'Brien-class submarines in 1929.

Design

The class was built to replace the ageing L-class submarines which did not have adequate endurance for use in the Pacific Ocean. These boats were theoretically able to dive to 500 feet (150 m), though none were formally tested beyond 300 feet (91 m). Armament consisted of eight 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) and one 4-inch (102 mm) gun. The boats were of a saddle tank type with fuel carried in riveted external tanks. These external tanks proved vulnerable to leaking after depth charge damage, thus betraying the position of the submarine. These boats were the first British submarines fitted with Asdic and VLF radio which could be used at periscope depth.

Boats