HMS OCELOT

Built at Chatham Dockyard and launched in 1963, Ocelot was the last of the 'O' class submarines completed for the Royal Navy.  She remained in service until 1992 when she was decommissioned and moved to Chatham where she is on display

TOUR OF OCELOT - entry to the submarine is gained via steps through the forrard torpedo loading hatch.  This takes you down into the Torpedo compartment where you can see the six bow torpedo tubes facing you.

Hanging on the port side is an escape suit which would be used to ascend to the surface should the submarine sink - assuming the boat hadn't reached 'crush' depth and that the water wasn't too deep for a successful ascent!  Crew would don their escape suits, hook their air lines to the nearest valve on an air pipe running around the deckhead of the compartment and take their turn in passing through the escape hatch -  through which the water would have been allowed to fill up the compartent, equalising the pressure with the water pressure outside, before the escape hatch cover could be opened.  The door to the top starboard torpedo tube is open and it is possible to see inside to the bow cap.  When in service Ocelot could carry six torpedo's in the tubes and a further 12 reloads stored in the Torpedo compartment.  A 'typical' torpedo can be seen in one of the storage racks (see left). 


Moving astern brings you into the junior rates mess.  Crew accommodation was distinctly cramped although  compared to earlier submarines would probably have been regarded as spacious - although hardly palatial!   22 men would have shared this space with bunks arranged in tiers of three.  Personal privacy could be obtained by pulling a curtain across the bunk - something which was necessary to sleep with crew members rotating watches continuously.

This small space was essentially the 'living' quarters for the crew where they eat, slept and spent any leisure time they had. 

Moving further astern (along the passageway you can just make out on the right of the picture) you pass the radio and sonar compartments on your left (the boat's starboard side) and captain's cabin on your right (the boat's port side).  The captain was the only person who had the luxury of a cabin although at approximately 2 metres by 1 metre, and containing a pull down sink, it could hardly be called luxury.  It was positioned directly opposite the sonar and radio compartments and immediately forward of the control room - so the captain could be immediately on hand to deal with anything.   Much of the equipment in both sonar and radio compartments was removed by the navy when the submarine was decommissioned as it would have still been on the secret list!


Next stop is the Control Room from where the boat was commanded by either the captain or the officer of the watch.  The photograph to the left is taking facing astern.  You can see to the left the plotting table (used for navigation) and in the middle the attack periscope.  This was a slim periscope used as it's name suggests, for sightings when making torpedo attacks on enemy vessels.  It could also be used when avoiding detection was necessary.

The much more powerful search periscope is immediately astern and would be used for normal activities and navigation.  Both persicopes retract into wells approximately 3 metres deep - the wells are both covered now to prevent accidents!

The picture on the right shows the helmsman's or steering position.  The boat was steered from here via a control very similar to that found on aircraft.  Bear in mind that underwater a submarine could be steered to port or starboard but also up and down.  This was achieved by altering the angle of both the rudder and hydroplanes - the latter located on the fore and aft of the boat.  Hydroplanes act like mini 'wings.'

Just before reaching the engine room you will pass the 'heads' (WCs) on your right and the galley on your left.

Continue to proceed astern and you will pass through a circular watertight door to the engine compartment.  Climb through and you will find yourself standing on a walkway between the two diesel engines.  These were known as ASR or Admiralty Standard Range engines and were designed and built at Chatham Dockyard.















The engines were used to drive large electric generators which were used, in turn, to charge the submarines batteries which provided power for the electric propulsion engines and all the other equipment on board.  The diesel engines would normally be used when the boat was running on the surface but using a snorkel could be run when the submarine was submerged at perisocpe depth.  However, being noisy, they would not be used when tracking enemy vessels or on surveilance missions during which times, the submarine would have to rely on it's batteries.  WIth a crew of more than 60 men, remaining submerged for any length of time would result in stale air, damp and some rather unpleasant odours - although after a week or more at sea an individuals nose would become desensitised to such things!

Moving astern on the left hand side you will pass an electrical control room and the engineering officers control position.  From the latter the speed of the propulsion engines would be controlled.  To the right are various cabinets housing electrical equipment  - some of it high voltage.  The boats generators produced DC power which would have to be converted to AC power for certain equipement.  Conversion of DC to AC can be effected by either using an 'Inverter' (a piece of electronic equipment) or by using a DC motor to drive and AC Generator (Alternator).






The final compartment you will come to consists of the engineering staffs mess where you can also see a plate leading down to the steering motors and two plates slightly higher which are the rear of the stern torpedo tubes.  When built Ocelot was equipped with two stern torpedo tubes which would have contained two torpedoes but without any facility for reloading at sea.  These tubes were taken out of service at a fairly early stage and the outer torpedo doors (caps) were blanked off.

To leave the boat you ascend some stairs leading through the after torpedo loading hatch.