Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
HMS Onyx (S21)
The HMS Onyx was an Oberon class submarine of the Royal Navy. Originally ordered for the Royal Canadian Navy, Onyx was transferred to the Royal Navy whilst under construction at Cammel Laird shipbuilders in Birkenhead, England. She was launched on August 1966 and commissioned into the Royal Navy in September 1967.
The first commission of the Onyx saw her visit Swansea in South Wales for the investure of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. She also attended the bicentennial celebrations of the United States of America in 1976.
HMS Onyx was the only non-nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy to take part in the Falklands War. The smaller displacement of Onyx compared to the nuclear submarines made her ideal for landing SAS and SBS troops close to the islands in shallow waters.
Defence cuts in the UK saw the Royal Navy dispend with its diesel-powered submarines to concentrate on nuclear attack submarines. In 1991, the Onyx was decommissioned from the navy. She is now on public display alongside HMS Plymouth at Birkenhead.
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