Sleeping Beauty (canoe)
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Motorised Submersible Canoe |
| Operators: |
 United Kingdom Special Operations Executive
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| Succeeded by: | Swimmer Delivery Vehicle |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Wet sub |
| Displacement: | 600 pounds (270 kg) |
| Length: | 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m) |
| Beam: | 2 ft 3 in (0.69 m) |
| Propulsion: | One 24v electric motor (0.5 hp), powered by four 6v batteries |
| Speed: | 4.4 knots (8.1 km/h) maximum, 3.5 knots (6.5 km/h) cruise |
| Range: | 40 nautical miles (74 km) |
| Test depth: | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Crew: | 1 |
| Armament: | Nine limpet mines, 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) of explosives |
The Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC), nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, was built by British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II as an underwater vehicle for a single frogman to perform clandestine reconnaissance or attacks against enemy vessels.
The MSC was designed by Major Hugh Alleyne Reeves to attack ships anchored in harbours. The craft got its nickname "Sleeping Beauty" when Reeves was found sleeping in it by a passing officer.
Constructed of mild steel, the canoe is 12 feet 8 inches (3.86 m) long with a beam of 27 inches (0.69 m), used a 5 hp electric motor powered by four 6-volt batteries, had a top speed of 4.4 knots (8.1 km/h; 5.1 mph), and could travel 30 to 40 nautical miles (56 to 74 km) at a cruising speed of 3.1 knots (5.7 km/h). Its maximum operating depth was 50 feet (15 m).
The Sleeping Beauty was designed to carry up to 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg) of explosives as well as being able to be dropped near its target by a heavy bomber. Fore and central trimming tanks within the hull can be flooded to sink the craft underwater or have compressed air blown in them to surface the craft. The pilot controlled the craft by a joystick that is connected to the rudder and hydroplanes, breathed through a Siebe Gorman Salvus MkII Amphibian rebreather or Dunlop Underwater Swimming Breathing Apparatus (UWSBA), and would have to come close to the surface to establish his whereabouts. The canoe can also be paddled or moved by raising the mast and setting a sail. Although the Sleeping Beauty was designed to accommodate only one pilot, sometimes a second frogman was carried lying on the bow. Different configurations were tried on the MSC such as the positioning of the hydroplanes; these were positioned aft, but sometimes moved forward during experimental work. The High Pressure air tanks (H.P.) could afford four blows to the surface from 40 ft and up to 20 blows to the surface from 15 ft.
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