British Ships Involved
Submarines
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| X5 |
| X-Craft (Midget Submarine) | |
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| Length | 15,76 meter (51,7 feet) |
| Beam | 1,8 meter (5,9 feet) |
| Draught | 1,62 meter (5,3 feet) |
| Displacement surface | 27 tons |
| Displacement dived | 29,7 tons |
| Weight of side cargo | 4 tons |
| Explosive Charge | 2.032 kg (4.480 lb) (explosive = Amatex) |
| Speed surface (max) | 6,25 knots |
| Range at 4,5 knots | 1.860 nm |
| Speed dived (max) | 5,75 knots |
| Range at 2 knots | 82 nm |
| Pressure Hull | 4,54 kg (10 lb) "S" steel |
| Operational Diving Depth | 91,44 meter (300 feet) |
| Number of Hatches | 1 |
| Builders | Vickers, Barrow, UK |
| Diesel Engine Manufacturer | Gardner |
| BHP at 1.800 rpm | 42 |
| Main Engine Manufacturer | Keith Blackman |
| HP at 1.650 rpm | 30 |
| Type of Battery Cell | Exide J380 |
| Number of Cells | 112 |
| Capacity at 5 Hours Rate | 440 amp per hour |
| Gyro Compass | Browns A |
| Auto Helmsman | Browns |
| Magnetic Compass | ACO Mk.XX |
| Direction Indicator | AFV 6A/602 |
| Complement | 4 |
| Notes | |
| Armament was two 2 ton side cargoes of HE that was attached to the submarine by a threaded bolt. This was released from inside the hull by turning a hand wheel. The craft would manouevre close to its target, release the side cargoes and move away before the charge exploded.
The X-Craft were also fitted with a wet-and-dry compartment that allowed a diver to swim from the boat to attatch limpet mines to enemy vessels. The X-Craft used conventional diesel propulsion when on the surface, and electric drive when dived. The X-Craft had a crew of four: commanding officer, first lieutenant, engineer and diver. The passage crews used during Operation "Source" consisted of three men only as it was not necessary to have a diver onboard while the X-Craft was under tow. The X-Craft could be towed to within a few miles of the target by conventional submarines, suspended underneath surface vessels or launched from the deck of other submarines or surface ships. The X-Craft were designed for use against the Tirpitz and Scharnhorst. The targets for the X-Craft was: X-5: Tirpitz; X-6: Tirpitz; X-7: Tirpitz; X-8: Lützow; X-9: Scharnhorst; X-10: Scharnhorst |
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| X-Craft (Midget Submarine) - Crew List | |||
| X-5 - Crew | |||
| Towed by | Thrasher | Commanding officer | Lt. A. R. Hezlet |
| Passage | Commanding officer | J. H. Terry-Lloyd | |
| Crew | B. W. Element | ||
| N. Garrity | |||
| Operation | Commanding officer | H. Henty-Creer | |
| Crew | T. J. Nelson | ||
| D. J. Malcolm | |||
| R. J. Mortiboys | |||
| X-6 - Crew | |||
| Towed by | Truculent | Commanding officer | R. L. Alexander |
| Passage | Commanding officer | A. Wilson | |
| Crew | J. J. McGregor | ||
| W. Oxley | |||
| Operation | Commanding officer | D. Cameron | |
| Crew | J. T. Lorimer | ||
| R. H. Kendall | |||
| E. Goddard | |||
| X-7 - Crew | |||
| Towed by | Stubborn | Commanding officer | A. A. Duff |
| Passage | Commanding officer | P. H. Philip | |
| Crew | J. Magennis | ||
| F. Luck | |||
| Operation | Commanding officer | B. C. G. Place | |
| Crew | L. B. C. Whittam | ||
| R. Aitken | |||
| W. M. Whitley | |||
| X-8 - Crew | |||
| Towed by | Sea Nymph | Commanding officer | J. P. H. Oakley |
| Passage | Commanding officer | J. Smart | |
| Crew | W. H. Pomeroy | ||
| J. G. Robinson | |||
| Operation | Commanding officer | B. M. McFarlane | |
| Crew | W. Y. Marsden | ||
| R. X. Hindmarsh | |||
| J. B. Murray | |||
| X-9 - Crew | |||
| Towed by | Syrtis | Commanding officer | M. H. Jupp |
| Passage | Commanding officer | E. A. Kearon | |
| Crew | A. H. Harte | ||
| G. H. Hollett | |||
| Operation | Commanding officer | T. L. Martin | |
| Crew | J. Brooks | ||
| V. Coles | |||
| M. Shean | |||
| X-10 - Crew | |||
| Towed by | Sceptre | Commanding officer | I. S. McIntosh |
| Passage | Commanding officer | E. V. Page | |
| Crew | J. Fishleigh | ||
| A. Brookes | |||
| Operation | Commanding officer | K. R. Hudspeth | |
| Crew | B. Enzer | ||
| Geoffrey George Harding (passed away 01.08.2006, age 83) | |||
| L. Tilley | |||
| British losses: 9 men killed (names written in red above) and 6 men captured (names written in blue above) and all 6 X-Craft. | |||
| X-Craft (Midget Submarine) Fate X-5 to X-10 | |
| X-5 | Sunk 22 September 1943 during Operation "Source" (disappeared, wreck never found) |
| X-6 | Scuttled 22 September 1943 during Operation "Source", after placing side cargoes beneath the battleship Tirpitz. |
| X-7 | Scuttled 22 September 1943 during Operation "Source", after placing side cargoes beneath the battleship Tirpitz. |
| X-8 | Abandoned 16 September 1943 during outward passage on Operation "Source" |
| X-9 | Foundered 16 September 1943 as a result of broken tow rope during outward passage on Operation "Source" |
| X-10 | Scuttled 23 September 1943 after Operation "Source" |
| X-Craft (Midget Submarine) - Gallery | |
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| Photos | |
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| X-Craft while under construction. | |
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| View of one of the side cargoes containing the explosives (Amatex). The side cargo was screwed on the craft and released by unscrewing the holding bolt by turning a wheel in the control room of the X-Craft. | |
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| An X-Craft seen from below. The two side cargoes contain the explosives. | Port side of an X-Craft. To the left the air induction mast can be seen. |
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| X-5 (X-Craft) onboard the depot ship, HMS Bonaventure. | |
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| The control room of an X-Craft. | |
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| Use of the periscope of an X-Craft. | |
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| The control room of an X-Craft looking aft. The helmsman can be see to the left. | |
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| The control room of an X-Craft looking forward. The helmsman can be see to the right. | |
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| X-5 being towed out of Loch Cairnbawn by HMS Thrasher (to the left) at the beginning of Operation "Source" 11 September 1943. X-5 disappeared during the attack against the German battleship Tirpitz, 22 September 1943 | |
| British Ships Involved - Submarines |
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