New-look submarine HMAS Onslow surfaces after facelift

IT is no longer playing a part in defending Australia from the Soviet Union, but HMAS Onslow is back on public display after restoration.

HMAS Onslow

IT is no longer playing a part in defending Australia from the Soviet Union, but HMAS Onslow is back on public display after being partly restored to its former glory.

After a spruce-up at Garden Island's dry dock, the Oberon-class submarine - long since retired from duty - is once again on show at the National Maritime Museum.

Onslow was one of six submarines that defended our shores from beneath the waterline during the height of the Cold War. In its day it was considered one of the advanced submarines of its era.

The 90m vessel was decommissioned in 1999 after 31 years of service before going on display at the museum in Darling Harbour.

The submarine was towed to Garden Island last month to undergo repairs.

Over the past few weeks the sub's hull was blasted with a high-pressure hose to remove four years of accumulated growth and treated for rust, while the rear torpedo tubes were also repaired.

The submarine was given a new coat of black paint, before being towed back to Darling Harbour this week and put on display.