The XE Class, with air-conditioning and extra stowage space, were designed for employment in the Far East. Spring-loaded legs made it easier for these midget submarines to rest on the sea-bed, and an air-lock allowed a diver to leave the submarine and place limpet mines on the hulls of enemy ships.
Vickers built the first six vessels of the class, the most famous and successful of which was HMS Midget Submarine XE3, commanded by Lieut. Ian Fraser, RNR, which attacked the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao on 31st July, 1945.
After being released from the towing submarine, XE3 spent more than 24 hours getting into a position to attack the Takao, which was moored in the Johore Strait, Singapore. After his first attempt failed, Fraser circled the target and put his boat under the great ship's hull. Despite being hampered by weed and barnacles and a leak in his diving equipment, the boat's diver, Leading Seaman James Magennis, swam along the cruiser's hull placing limpet mines. Exhausted he re-entered the submarine and XE3 pulled clear.
During the next stage of the attack, a jammed empty limpet container prevented the jettisoning of the side cargoes of explosives, which gave the submarine an uncontrollable list. Magennis volunteered to go back outside, and spent 15 minutes freeing the load. All this time the submarine and the diver were vulnerable, lying in the crystal clear water. XE3 eventually made her escape and, whilst returning to base unscathed, the charges detonated - sinking the 11 000-ton vessel. Lieutenant Fraser and Leading Seaman Magennis were both awarded the Victoria Cross for their bravery in performing this operation.
Five additional XE-craft were built - four were scrapped in 1952, and XE11 was lost in a collision with the boom defence vessel Loch Striven in March 1945.
WELMAN TYPE MIDGET
The 'Welman'-type midget was a Royal Navy-built submarine that was never particularly successful, and never saw action. It is not known how many Welmans were produced, but the prototype was built at Welwyn Garden City. A one-man. submarine, it had no periscope, and vision was through armoured glass segments in the small 'conning tower'. Designed to fix a 560-pound charge to its target by means of magnetic clips, the Welman could never be made to work properly and was finally abandoned.
Other underwater assault craft were tested towards the end of the war, including submersible canoes and supply craft for clandestine operations. An X-craft with a conning tower was designed but never built.
Midget submarines were used to reconnoitre landing beaches, etc prior to the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and on D-Day itself XE20 and 23 acted as navigation beacons well inshore to guide the first assault wave in operations Juno and Sword. In the Far East, XE1-6 were used to cut submarine cables, sabotage telephone lines and sink Japanese Naval ships. At best, the secretive operations of midget submarines were hazardous, but many feats of skill and bravery were performed by their crews.
The design of X-craft midget submarine classes varied considerably, but for an indication of the details, the main particulars of the prototype (X3) and the X5 Class are listed below.
