HMS Onyx was an Oberon-class submarine serving in the Royal Navy, distinguished by its robust design and active service during the Cold War era. Constructed by Cammell Laird, she was laid down on 16 November 1964 and launched on 18 August 1966, with her commissioning occurring on 20 November 1967. The Oberon-class, a development of the Porpoise class, featured a length of 241 feet (73 m) between perpendiculars and 295.2 feet (90 m) overall, with a beam of 26.5 feet (8.1 m) and a draught of 18 feet (5.5 m). Her displacement was 1,610 tons standard, increasing to 2,030 tons when surfaced and 2,410 tons submerged. Powered by two Admiralty Standard Range 16 VMS diesel generators and two 3,000-shaft-horsepower electric motors, Onyx could reach speeds of 17 knots submerged and 12 knots surfaced. She was armed with eight 21-inch torpedo tubes—six forward and two aft—carrying a total of 24 torpedoes, including Tigerfish and Mk 24 models. Her sonar suite comprised Type 186 and Type 187 systems, complemented by an I-band surface search radar. The crew consisted of 68 personnel, including six officers. Onyx’s notable service included participating in the Falklands War as the only non-nuclear Royal Navy submarine involved. She conducted reconnaissance and special forces insertions in support of British operations, and during one mission, she sustained minor damage after hitting an uncharted underwater pinnacle at 150 feet. Postwar, she notably sank the damaged landing ship RFA Sir Galahad with a Mk 8 torpedo, after the failure of her Tigerfish torpedoes, which were hindered by battery faults. Decommissioned in 1991 due to defense budget reductions, Onyx later served as a museum ship at Birkenhead before being sold in 2006 to a private individual and moved to Barrow-in-Furness. Ultimately, she was scrapped in 2014 after failing to be preserved as part of a heritage center. Throughout her service, HMS Onyx played a significant role in Cold War submarine operations and the Falklands conflict, embodying the technological and strategic capabilities of her era.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.