XE11 was one of the Royal Navy's XE-class midget submarines, a development of the earlier X-craft used against the German battleship Tirpitz during World War II. The XE-class was designed primarily for special operations in the Far East against Japanese targets.
Construction
- Builder: Markham & Co., Derbyshire, England.
- Class: XE-class midget submarine.
- Length: 51 ft 7 in (15.7 m).
- Crew: 4 men.
- Armament: Two 2-ton side charges and limpet mines for sabotage missions.
Loss of XE11
Unlike several of her sister boats that conducted successful operations against Japanese shipping and communications, XE11 never reached operational service in the Far East.
On 6 March 1945, while carrying out training and instrument calibration exercises in Loch Striven, Scotland, XE11 collided with trawler Norina) that was laying buoys. The submarine sank following the collision.
Casualties
Three crew members lost their lives:
- Lieutenant Aubrey Staples (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Southern Rhodesia)
- Able Seaman John Joseph Carroll
- Stoker 1st Class Edwin William Higgins
At least one crew member survived and escaped from the sunken submarine, an event later noted in accounts of X-craft service.
Significance
The loss of XE11 occurred only a few months before the end of the war.