Stickleback-class submarine
Military vessel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Stickleback-class submarines were midget submarines of the British Royal Navy initially ordered as improved versions of the older XE-class submarines. They were designed to allow British defences to practice defending against midget submarines since it was theorised the Soviet Union had or could develop such craft.[1]
NameStickleback class
TypeMidget submarine
Displacement
- 35.2 tons surfaced
- 39.27 tons submerged
Length
- 50 ft 8 in (15.44 m) (pp)
- 53 ft 10 in (16.41 m) (oa)
X51 Stickleback at Imperial War Museum Duxford | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Stickleback class |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Midget submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
| Draught | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Propulsion | 1 shaft diesel electric, 1 Perkins P6 6 cyl diesel, 1 electric motor, 50 bhp/44 shp |
| Speed |
|
| Complement | 5 |
| Armament | 2 detachable 2-ton side charges |
The Royal Navy developed plans to use these craft to carry a 15-kiloton nuclear naval mine (based on the Red Beard weapon) codenamed Cudgel into Soviet harbours.[1] The project was unsuccessful as there were problems finding and paying for the necessary fissile material.[2]
Boats
There were four boats, launched 1954–1955:[2]
- X51 Stickleback, launched 1 October 1954, sold to the Royal Swedish Navy in 1958 and was renamed Spiggen (Swedish name for "Stickleback"). After a period on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, and then in storage at Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, X51 was moved to the Scottish Submarine Centre[3] in Helensburgh, where it has been on display since 2018.[4]
- X52 Shrimp, launched October 1954, scrapped 1965
- X53 Sprat, launched 30 December 1954, loaned to US Navy 1958, scrapped 1966
- X54 Minnow, launched 5 May 1955, scrapped 1966