| Built By: | Marshall (Tyne) |
| Build Group: | X |
| Fate: | Preserved as part of the RN submarine Musuem Fort Block house Gosport |
Unofficially named Expeditious.
The only remaining example of an X-Craft which can be found in the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.
A flotilla of mini-submarines set off to sink or cripple the mighty German battleship Tirpitz. Among the men behind this attack was Max Shean from Perth, a volunteer for one of World War II's most daring and hazardous naval missions. Shean's courage in command of the X-craft submarines in Europe and the Pacific earned him an unrivalled reputation as a leader whose aggressive instincts were always tempered by concern for his crew. He died on June 15, 2009, aged 90.
Roll of Honour |
3
|
| Brammer, Alfred James |
|
|||||
| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Lost while training 21/11/1944 | ||||||
| Hunt, Peter James (RNVR) |
|
|||||
| Acting Sub Lieutenant | ||||||
| ‘X’ Craft submariner reported to have been lost overboard. | ||||||
| Purdy, Derek Norman (RNZNVR) |
|
|||||
| Sub Lieutenant | ||||||
| He was the son of Norman Henry and Elsie Mary Purdy. Whilst on tow, by HM Submarine Sceptre, for the attack on shipping at Bergen (Operation Heckle) one Officer of the Operational Crew was lost overboard from the X Craft X-24. He was replaced by one of the Passage Crew to allow the attack to go ahead. | ||||||
| 15-04-1944 | The Royal Navy midget submarine X-24 carried out a successful attack on a floating dock at Bergen, Norway. This was the second attack on the harbour by X-24, she had survived a previous operation on 14 April 1944, when she had sunk a large merchantman and put the coaling wharf out of use for the rest of the war. Once again towed to the area by the HMS Sceptre, Lt. H. P. Westmacott then skippered the four-man craft as it slipped through 30 miles of islands offshore and a minefield and into a fjord to sail at periscope depth to the harbour. After diving to 35 feet to avoid collision with a merchant ship, Westmacott attached delayed-action charges to the target and escaped. X-24 laid two mines under the dock, which broke it in two and damaged two ships moored alongside |
| 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 |
Groton - When the USS Virginia goes to sea in 2004, it will represent perhaps the most radical change in submarine design since the Navy's first underwater Fighting vessel in 1900.
The true story of loss of His Majesty's Submarine Thetis is still shrouded in mystery. As a result of media coverage at the time, a number of conspiracy theories were spawned, some gaining more credence than others, in light of the inconclusive findings of the official reports. In Thetis: Submarine Disaster,
David Paul, having studied the events surrounding the tragedy of HMS Thetis for many years, examines the issues which led to the disaster, and draws some conclusions.
12 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.
| 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 |
Groton - When the USS Virginia goes to sea in 2004, it will represent perhaps the most radical change in submarine design since the Navy's first underwater Fighting vessel in 1900.
The true story of loss of His Majesty's Submarine Thetis is still shrouded in mystery. As a result of media coverage at the time, a number of conspiracy theories were spawned, some gaining more credence than others, in light of the inconclusive findings of the official reports. In Thetis: Submarine Disaster,
David Paul, having studied the events surrounding the tragedy of HMS Thetis for many years, examines the issues which led to the disaster, and draws some conclusions.
12 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.
This form is for you to comment on, or add additional information to this page. Any questions will be deleted. If you wish to ask a question contact the Branch or the Webmaster using the Contact Us page or ask your question on our Facebook Page