| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | X |
| Fate: | Lost during an attack on on German Battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord Norway on 22 Sept 1943 |
Unofficially named Pdinicchthys
Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place
Lieutenants Place and Cameron were the Commanding Officers of two of His Majesty's Midget Submarines X7 and X6 which on the 22nd September 1943 carried out a most daring and successful attack on the German Battleship Tirpitz, moored in the protected anchorage of Kaa fjord, North Norway.
Lieutenant Donald Cameron. Royal Naval Reserve
Lieutenants Place and Cameron were the Commanding Officers of two of His Majesty's Midget Submarines X7 and X6 which on the 22nd September 1943 carried out a most daring and successful attack on the German Battleship Tirpitz, moored in the protected anchorage of Kaa fjord, North Norway.
Operation Source - September 1943
In September 1943 six in X-Craft were towed by six Submarines to attack German Capital Ships in the Kaa Fjord in Norway. In all (apart from the Towing Submarine Crew) forty-two X- Craft personnel took part in Operation Source, eighteen Passage Crew Members and twenty-four Operational Crew Members.
Robert Aitken was the diver aboard X7 during Operation Source against the German Battleship Tirptiz. This is his story.
Submariner who helped to mortally damage Tirpitz and spent six months in solitary confinement.
Roll of Honour |
3
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| Whitley, William Marriner MID |
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| Engine Room Artificer 4th Class | ||||||
| Lost in Operation Source, raid on Tirpitz | ||||||
| Whittam, Lionel Barnett (RNVR) MID |
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| Sub Lieutenant | ||||||
| Lost in Operation Source, raid on Tirpitz. At birth Barnett, Lionel. Served as Whittam, Lionel Barnett | ||||||
| Locke, David Henry |
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| Sub Lieutenant | ||||||
| Lost in on board accident | ||||||
| 12-01-1943 | Completed |
| 22-09-1943 | Having penetrated the anti-submarine nets at the entrance to Kaa Fjord, X7 manoeuvred to pass under the nearby anti-torpedo nets and placed explosive charges under the Tirpitz funnel and after-turret. On the return journey X7 was hampered by the anti-torpedo nets and had only travelled 400-500 yards from the battleship when the charges exploded. The resulting shock waves severely damaged X7 and rather than compromising the operation by surfacing, the submarine lay on the bottom for over an hour. With the submarine completely out of action, it returned to the surface to face fierce gunfire. The submarine was unable to hold the surface and sank back to the bottom. |
| Length overall | 51 ft 7 inch |
| Beam | 8 ft 6 inch (with charges) |
| 5 ft 9 1/2 inch (without charges) | |
| Displacement | Without Charges: 27 tons (surface) |
| 29 1/2 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 300 ft |
| Speed | With Charges: 6.5 knots (surface) |
| With Charges: 5 knots (submerged) | |
| No. of shafts | 1 |
| Armament | 2 x 2-ton side charges |
| Limpet mines | |
| Endurance | Surface: 1320 miles at 4 knots (with charges) |
| Surface: 1860 miles at 4 knots (without charges) | |
| Submerged: 80 miles at 2 knots (with charges) | |
| Complement | 4 |
From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to The Hunt for Red October, readers the world over have demonstrated an enduring fascination with travel under the sea. Yet the riveting story behind the invention of the submarine—an epic saga of genius, persistence, ruthlessness, and deceit—is almost completely unknown.
Like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, John Philip Holland was completely self-taught, a brilliant man raised in humble circumstances, earning his living as a schoolteacher and choirmaster. But all the while he was obsessed with creating a machine that could successfully cruise beneath the waves. His struggle to unlock the mystery behind controlled undersea navigation would take three decades, during which he endured skepticism, disappointment, and betrayal. But his indestructible belief in himself and his ideas led him to finally succeed where so many others had failed.
Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure at its heart—surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed—this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds.
22 pages added or updated in the last Array month
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If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
| Length overall | 51 ft 7 inch |
| Beam | 8 ft 6 inch (with charges) |
| 5 ft 9 1/2 inch (without charges) | |
| Displacement | Without Charges: 27 tons (surface) |
| 29 1/2 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 300 ft |
| Speed | With Charges: 6.5 knots (surface) |
| With Charges: 5 knots (submerged) | |
| No. of shafts | 1 |
| Armament | 2 x 2-ton side charges |
| Limpet mines | |
| Endurance | Surface: 1320 miles at 4 knots (with charges) |
| Surface: 1860 miles at 4 knots (without charges) | |
| Submerged: 80 miles at 2 knots (with charges) | |
| Complement | 4 |
From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to The Hunt for Red October, readers the world over have demonstrated an enduring fascination with travel under the sea. Yet the riveting story behind the invention of the submarine—an epic saga of genius, persistence, ruthlessness, and deceit—is almost completely unknown.
Like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, John Philip Holland was completely self-taught, a brilliant man raised in humble circumstances, earning his living as a schoolteacher and choirmaster. But all the while he was obsessed with creating a machine that could successfully cruise beneath the waves. His struggle to unlock the mystery behind controlled undersea navigation would take three decades, during which he endured skepticism, disappointment, and betrayal. But his indestructible belief in himself and his ideas led him to finally succeed where so many others had failed.
Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure at its heart—surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed—this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds.
22 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
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