HMCS Ojibwa (S72) was an that served in the Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

 (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces Maritime Command

Canadian Forces Maritime Command

The Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...

 (MARCOM). Originally intended for service with the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 as HMS Onyx (S72), the submarine was transferred to Canadian ownership before completion, and entered RCN service in 1965. Ojibwa operated primarily with Maritime Forces Atlantic

Maritime Forces Atlantic

In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic is responsible for the fleet and operations of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. The Commander of MARLANT is a two-star Rear Admiral....

 until her decommissioning in 1998. As of 2010, Ojibwa is laid up at CFB Halifax

CFB Halifax

Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....

 awaiting disposal, with the Elgin Military Museum

Elgin Military Museum

The Elgin Military Museum is located in St. Thomas, Ontario. Its mandate is to preserve the local historical record of military service from the War of 1812 to present day peace keeping missions of the Canadian Forces.-History:...

 planning to preserve her as a museum vessel

Museum ship

A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...

.

Construction

Ojibwa was laid down on 27 September 1962 at Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard

Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...

, Chatham and launched on 29 February 1964. She was commissioned into the RCN on 23 September 1965 with pennant number

Pennant number

In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...

 72. She was originally ordered for the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 as HMS Onyx (S72), but the hull was transferred to the RCN prior to completion.

Operational history

She served virtually her entire career with Maritime Forces Atlantic

Maritime Forces Atlantic

In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic is responsible for the fleet and operations of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. The Commander of MARLANT is a two-star Rear Admiral....

 (MARLANT) in the North Atlantic, except for a short deployment to British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 with Maritime Forces Pacific

Maritime Forces Pacific

In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Pacific is responsible for the fleet and operations of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Pacific Ocean...

 (MARPAC) in 1997.

Decommissioning and fate

She was decommissioned from MARCOM in May 1998.

In May 2005, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald

Halifax Chronicle-Herald

The Chronicle Herald is a broadsheet published in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The largest newspaper company in Nova Scotia, The Chronicle Herald is also the highest circulation newspaper in the Atlantic provinces and is currently the largest independently owned newspaper company in Canada...

announced that MARCOM was looking to sell Ojibwa for scrap metal, along with three other Canadian Oberons. MARCOM stated that the submarines were not in suitable condition to be used as museum ship

Museum ship

A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...

s and predicted that each submarine would sell for between C$

Canadian dollar

The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

50,000 and C$60,000. Ojibwa is laid up at CFB Halifax

CFB Halifax

Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....

 awaiting disposal.

On 11 June 2010, it was reported that the Ojibwa would be moved by BMT Fleet Technology Ltd

BMT Limited

Established in 1985, BMT Group Ltd is an international multi-disciplinary engineering, science and technology consultancy offering a broad range of services, particularly in the defence, energy, environment, maritime transport, marine risk and insurance, shipping and general transportation sectors...

 to become part of the collection of the Elgin Military Museum

Elgin Military Museum

The Elgin Military Museum is located in St. Thomas, Ontario. Its mandate is to preserve the local historical record of military service from the War of 1812 to present day peace keeping missions of the Canadian Forces.-History:...

 at St. Thomas, Ontario

St. Thomas, Ontario

St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...

. If so, it will be the tenth boat from a class of 27 to be preserved as a museum ship

Museum ship

A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...

. Concerns regarding the cost of the project to the community have been expressed by Bayham, Ontario

Bayham, Ontario

Bayham is a municipality in the southeast corner of Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. It is south of the town of Tillsonburg and Oxford County.-History:...

 locals at a public meeting; although the museum plans to independently raise the money to convert and display the submarine, the need to dredge out the harbour to accommodate the boat may be passed on as higher rates

Rates (tax)

Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government...

.