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Operation Source
Operation Source was a series of attacks to neutralise the heavy German warships – ''Tirpitz'', ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Lützow'' – based in northern Norway, using X-class midget submarines. The attacks took place in September 1943 at Kaafjord and succeeded in keeping ''Tirpitz'' out of action for at least six months. The concept for the attack was developed by Commander Cromwell-Varley, with support of Max Horton, Flag Officer Submarines, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The operation was directed from HMS ''Varbel'', located in Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute. ''Varbel'' (named after Commanders Varley and Bell, designers of the X-Craft prototype) was the on-shore headquarters for the 12th Submarine Flotilla (midget submarines). It had been a luxury 88-bedroom hotel (the Kyles Hydropathic Hotel) requisitioned by the Admiralty to serve as the flotilla’s headquarters. All X-craft training and preparation for X-craft attacks (including that on ''Tirpitz'') was c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Langfjorden (Alta)
Langfjorden is a fjord in the municipitality of Alta in Troms og Finnmark, Norway. It is a 30 kilometre long westward branch of Altafjorden Altafjord ( en, Alta Fjord;Koop, Gerhard, & Klaus-Peter Schmolke. 2000. ''Heavy Cruisers of the Admiral Hipper Class: Warships of the Kriegsmarine''. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing, p. 55. no, Altafjorden; fkv, Alattionvuono) is a fjord in A .... At the bottom of the fjord is the village Langfjordbotn. References Fjords of Troms og Finnmark Alta, Norway {{Norway-fjord-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era. The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a medium bomber for "world-wide use" which could carry a torpedo internally, and make shallow dive-bombing attacks. Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one of the versions, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arado Ar 196
The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance low-wing monoplane aircraft built by the German firm of Arado starting in 1936. The next year it was selected as the winner of a design contest and became the standard aircraft of the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German Navy) throughout World War II. Design and development In 1933, the ''Kriegsmarine'' looked for a standardized shipboard observation floatplane. After a brief selection period, the ''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' (German Air Ministry, RLM) decided on the Heinkel He 60 biplane. This was one of a line of developments of a basic biplane airframe that appeared as a number of floatplanes, trainers, and fighters. Deliveries started in a matter of months. By 1935, it was found that the He 60's performance was lacking and the RLM asked Heinkel to design its replacement. The result was the He 114. The first prototype was powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 600 inline engine, but it was clear that supplies of this engine would be limited ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List (watercraft)
The angle of list is the degree to which a vessel heels (leans or tilts) to either port or starboard at equilibrium—with no external forces acting upon it. If a listing ship goes beyond the point where a righting moment will keep it afloat, it will capsize and potentially sink. Listing is caused by the off-centerline distribution of weight aboard due to uneven loading or to flooding. By contrast, roll is the dynamic movement from side to side caused by waves. See also *Angle of loll *Heeling (sailing) *Capsizing *Metacentric height *Ship stability *Ship motions Ship motions are defined by the six degrees of freedom that a ship, boat or any other craft can experience. Reference axes The '' vertical/Z axis'', or ''yaw axis'', is an imaginary line running vertically through the ship and through its ... References {{Ship measurements Engineering concepts Naval architecture Ship measurements ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Bottom
A double hull is a ship Hull (watercraft), hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is some distance inboard, typically by a few feet, which forms a redundant barrier to seawater in case the outer hull is damaged and leaks. The space between the two hulls is sometimes used for storage of ballast water. Double hulls are a more extensive safety measure than double bottoms, which have two hull layers only in the bottom of the ship but not the sides. In low-energy collisions, double hulls can prevent flooding beyond the penetrated compartment. In high-energy collisions, however, the distance to the inner hull is not sufficient and the inner compartment is penetrated as well. Double hulls or double bottoms have been required in all passenger ships for decades as part of the International Convention for the Safety of L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Royal Navy During The Second World War A19637
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun ''thee'') when followed by a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scuttling
Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self destruct, self-destruction to prevent the ship from being captured by an enemy force (or, in the case of a vessel engaged in illegal activities, by the authorities); as a blockship to restrict navigation through a Channel (geography), channel or within a harbor; to provide an artificial reef for divers and marine life; or to alter the flow of rivers. Notable historical examples Skuldelev ships (around 1070) The Skuldelev ships, five Viking ships, were sunk to prevent attacks from the sea on the Danish city of Roskilde. The scuttling blocked a major waterway, redirecting ships to a smaller one that required considerable local knowledge. Cog near Kampen (early 15th century) In 2012, a Cog (ship), cog preserved from the keel up to the decks in the silt was discovered alongside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Elliott Smart
Lieutenant Commander John Elliott Smart (1 March 1916 – 3 February 2008) was an officer in the Royal Navy, who commanded one of the midget submarines that attacked the German cruiser ''Lützow'' and the Japanese cruiser ''Takao'' during the Second World War. Early life Smart was born on 1 March 1916 in Northumberland in England and joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in 1938, his commission as a sub-lieutenant was confirmed on 3 October 1939. He served the first part of the war in minesweepers in the eastern Mediterranean. He was promoted lieutenant on 1 March 1941, then joined HMS Varbel, the midget submarine training depot, in 1943. Operation Source Six midget submarines were to take part in the attack on the German cruiser ''Lützow'' in Altenfjord, Norway. During the tow over to the attack, ''X8'' lost contact with her towing submarine HMS ''Sea Nymph'', but after 37 hours they regained contact. Unfortunately ''X8'' developed leaks and was unable to d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Sceptre (P215)
HMS ''Sceptre'' (P215) was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in April 1943, she spent the majority of her career in the North Sea, off Norway. After an uneventful patrol, the submarine participated in Operation Source, an attack on German battleships in Norway using small midget submarines to penetrate their anchorages and place explosive charges. However, the midget submarine that she was assigned to tow experienced technical difficulties and the mission was aborted. During her next four patrols, ''Sceptre'' attacked several ships, but only succeeded in severely damaging one. She was then ordered to tow the submarine ''X24'', which was to attack a floating dry dock in Bergen. The operation, codenamed Guidance, encountered difficulties with the attacking submarine's charts, and the explosives were laid on a merchant ship close to the dock instead. The dock was damaged and the ship sunk, and ''X24'' was towed back to Engla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Stubborn
HMS ''Stubborn'' was an S-class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 11 November 1942. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name ''Stubborn''. Career ''Stubborn'' spent the war in home waters, operating off the Scandinavian coast, and in the Pacific Far East. Home waters While on patrol in the Bay of Biscay, she fired torpedoes at a group of three German submarines (, , ) escorted by two destroyers. The torpedoes however missed their targets and the attack was not observed by the Germans. The two escorts were identified by ''Stubborn'' as s. The German submarines were returning from patrol and were bound for Bordeaux. ''Stubborn'' also made an unsuccessful attack on a German convoy off the Follafjord, west of Namsos, Norway, and on 11 February 1944, she sank the German merchant ''Makki Faulbaum'' and torpedoed and damaged the German merchant ''Felix D.'' some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Thrasher (N37)
HMS ''Thrasher'' (N37) was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead, launched in November 1940, and had an active career in the Mediterranean and Pacific Far East. Mediterranean ''Thrasher'' began her service by heavily damaging the French fishing vessel ''Virgo Fidelis'' in the Bay of Biscay, while in transit to the Mediterranean. The ''Virgo Fidelis'' was beached, but declared a total loss. Once in the Mediterranean she sank a number of ships, including three Greek sailing vessels, one of which was the ''San Stefano''; the Italian sailing vessel ''Esperia''; the Italian merchants ''Attilio Deffenu'', ''Fedora'', ''Gala'', ''Penelope'', ''Lero'', ''Sant'Antonio'' and ''Padenna''; the German army cargo ship ''Atlas''; the Italian tugs ''Pilo'' and ''Roma''; and the . She also unsuccessfully attacked the German transport ''Ankara'' and the German merchant ''Arkadia''. She also attacked the German barge ''F 184'', b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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