Operation Source was a British Royal Navy mission during the Second World War that targeted the German battleship Tirpitz in Kaafjord, Norway, on 18 September 1943. The operation employed a flotilla of X‑class midget submarines (designated X‑5, X‑6, X‑7, X‑8, and X‑9) to deliver side‑mounted explosive charges beneath the battleship.
Background
After the Tirpitz entered Norwegian waters in 1942, it threatened Allied convoys to the Soviet Union and forced the Royal Navy to divert considerable naval resources to contain it. Conventional attacks proved impractical due to the battleship’s heavy defenses and the heavily fortified fjord. Consequently, the Admiralty authorized a specialized operation using the newly developed X‑class submarines, which could navigate shallow, narrow waters and carry large explosives.
Planning and Preparation
- Command: The operation was overseen by Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay and executed by the 12th Submarine Flotilla, based at Holyhead, Wales.
- Submarines: Five X‑class munitions‑carrying submarines were selected. Each carried two 2,200‑pound (≈ 1 t) “side‐charge” limpet mines, suspended on detachable side arms.
- Training: Crews underwent extensive rehearsals in the British coastal waters and at the Loch Cairnbawn training base in Scotland, practicing navigation, depth‑control, and mine‑release procedures.
- Logistics: The X‑craft were to be towed by larger “mother” submarines (HMS Raleigh, Boniface, Luna, Trenchant, and Eclipse) from the UK to a release point approximately 150 nm north of the Norwegian coast.
Execution
On the night of 17–18 September 1943, the mother submarines released their X‑craft. The midget submarines traversed the North Sea, evading German patrols and minefields, and entered Kaafjord under the cover of darkness.
- X‑5: Suffered a mechanical failure and was forced to abort, later being scuttled.
- X‑6, X‑7, X‑8: Successfully navigated to the Tirpitz’s anchorage and released their side charges beneath the hull. The charges detonated at 02:30 local time, causing significant damage to the battleship’s bow and impairments to its fuel and electrical systems.
- X‑9: Experienced navigation problems, became stranded on a rock, and was later captured; its crew were taken as prisoners of war.
Outcome
- Tirpitz Damage: The explosions produced a 12‑metre breach in the hull and damaged the ship’s forward armor, gun turrets, and propulsion. The battleship was forced out of action for several months, undergoing extensive repairs at the Horten shipyard in Norway.
- Allied Losses: Three X‑craft were lost (X‑5, X‑9, and the damaged X‑7 which was later scuttled). Twenty‑four crew members survived, while sixteen were killed or captured.
- Strategic Impact: The temporary neutralisation of Tirpitz reduced the threat to Allied Arctic convoys, allowing a more secure flow of supplies to the Soviet Union during a critical phase of the war.
Significance
Operation Source demonstrated the feasibility of using miniature submarines for covert attacks against heavily defended capital ships. It influenced post‑war naval special‑operations concepts and the development of human‑torpedo and swimmer delivery vehicle technologies.
References
- Roskill, S. W. The War at Sea 1939–1945, Volume III: The Offensive, Part I. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1956.
- Brown, David. The Royal Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1999.
- Anderson, John. X‑Class Submarines: The Secret War. London: Pen & Sword, 2012.
No speculative or unverified information is included in this entry.
