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II—Navigatim a Midget Submarine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2010

B. C. G. Place
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Extract

Although an X-craft is a complete submarine in miniature, it does not fire torpedoes but carries two large mines which are dropped under the enemy ship at anchor in its harbour and time-fused to explode when the X-craft has retired to a safe distance. Each mine—or side-charge, as they are called—carries a heavy weight of explosive, but is fitted with internal buoyancy tanks so that its weight on the boat in water is negligible. Each side-charge is faired nicely to the hull to avoid catching nets or wires and well streamlined to keep its effect on the boat's performance to a minimum. In this article I will illustrate some of the navigational problems which arise in operating X-craft by giving an account of the attack we made on the Tirpitz in 1943

Type
Off the Beaten Track
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , January 1955 , pp. 31 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 1955

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