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Conflict and Change
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Operation Source
X craft attack on ‘Tirpitz'
Nets and minefields protected battleships anchored in port from submarine attack at the outbreak of World War Two. Several countries became interested in submarines that could breach harbour defences and secretly attack the ships lying within.
In December 1941, Italian divers using an underwater vehicle based on a torpedo exploded mines under two British warships anchored inside the heavily protected harbour of Alexandria. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, urged the Royal Navy to develop their own version.
The Navy's response to this new form of warfare were 'Human Torpedoes' or Chariots, and also midget submarines called X craft. These undertook several missions over the next two years, although they did not fulfil the high expectations of them. This was partly due to the lack of suitable targets to go after.
2 crew members steering human torpedo at sea, WW2 (RNSM)
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