X-Craft Midget Submarines
Claudio Paschoa
July 12, 2013
There were a number of different midget submarines employed during World War II with their main objectives being to infiltrate ports and lay explosives on or under enemy ships and coastal reconnaissance and hydrography. One of the most successful midget submarine programs was the X-class developed by the Royal Navy. The X-class was specifically developed to attack and sink Nazi battleships KMS Tripitz, KMS Sharnhorst and pocket battleship Lutzow which were frequently docked in Norwegian ports. The X-Craft was about 51 feet (15.5 m) long, 5.5 feet (1.68 m) in maximum diameter and displaced 27 tons surfaced and 30 tons submerged. Its propulsion system was governed by a 4-cylinder Gardner 42 hp diesel engine…