Chariot manned torpedo
Chariots were British "manned torpedoes" deployed in World War II on which two frogmen rode into action after launching from a submarine. They then attached an explosive charge beneath an enemy ship and returned to the submarine.
Design
- Chariot Mark 1, 6.8 m (22 feet 4 inches) long, 0.9 m (2 feet 11 inches) wide, 1.2 m (3 feet 11 inches) high, speed 2.5 knots (4.6 km/h), weight: 1.6 tonnes, maximum diving depth: 27 m. Endurance 5 hours (distance depended on water current). Its control handle was -shaped. 34 were made.[1]
- Chariot Mark II, 30 ft 6 in (9.3 m) long, 2 ft 6 in (0.8 m) diameter, 3 ft 3 in (1 m) maximum height, weight 5200 pounds (2359 kg), max speed 4.5 knots, range 5-6 hours at full speed, had two riders, who sat back to back. 30 were made.[2]
- Both types were made by Stothert & Pitt (crane makers) at Bath, Somerset.
Use in action
"The only completely successful British Chariot operation"[3] occurred on 28-29 October 1944. Two crews on Mk II Chariots, commanded by Lieutenant Tony Eldridge RNVR, were launched from the submarine HMS Trenchant and sank two ships in Japanese-occupied Phuket Harbour, Siam.
See also
- For information on British manned torpedo operations, see British commando frogmen.
Notes and references
- ↑ O'Neill, Richard (1981). Suicide Squads: Axis and Allied Special Attack Weapons of World War II: their Development and and their Missions. London: Salamander Books. p. 296. ISBN 0 861 01098 1.
- ↑ pp 61 & 62, Chariots of War, by Robert W. Hobson, publ. Ulric Publishing, Church Stretton, Shropshire, England, 2004, ISBN 0-9541997-1-5
- ↑ As described by Lieutenant Eldridge in his description of the attack. Quoted in "The Imperial War Museum Book of the War at Sea . The Royal Navy in the Second World War" by Julian Thompson, published by Sidgwick & Jackson and Imperial War Museum, 1996, Page 245-246.
External links
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