XE-class submarine

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XE4 in Sydney Harbour, 1945
Class overview
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	X class
Planned	16
Completed	15
Cancelled	1
Retired	13
Preserved	2
General characteristics
Displacement	30.25 long tons (31 t) surfaced 33.5 long tons (34 t) submerged
Length	53.25 ft (16.23 m)
Beam	5.75 ft (1.75 m)
Draught	5.3 ft (1.62 m)
Propulsion	Single shaft One Gardner 4-cyl diesel engine 42 hp (31 kW) at 1,800 rpm One Keith Blackman electric motor 30 hp (22 kW) at 1,650 rpm
Speed	6.5 knots (12.0 km/h) surfaced 5.5 knots (10.2 km/h) submerged
Range	500 nmi (930 km) surfaced 82 nmi (151.9 km) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged
Test depth	300 ft (91 m)
Complement	4–5
Armament	2 × 4,400 lb (1,996 kg) detachable explosive charges 6 × 20 lb (9 kg) limpet mines

The XE-class submarines were a series of twelve midget submarines that were built for the Royal Navy during 1944; four more to a slightly different design were built 1954-5 as the Stickleback class. They were an improved version of the X class used in the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz.

They carried a crew of four, typically a lieutenant in command, with a sub-lieutenant as deputy, an engine room artificer in charge of the mechanical side and a seaman or leading-seaman. At least one of them was qualified as a diver.

In addition to the two side charges (each of which contained two tons of amatol explosive), they carried around six 20-pound (9 kg) limpet mines which were attached to the target by the diver.

They and their depot ship HMS Bonaventure arrived at Labuan in July 1945. Four of them managed to take part in operations before the war ended.