Midget submarine

They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched and recovered and which provide living accommodation for the crew and support staff.

Midget submarines are commonly armed with torpedoes and mines in the form of, for example, detachable side loads and nose sections.

Alternatively they may function as swimmer delivery vehicles to deliver frogmen to the vicinity of their targets, which are then attacked with limpet mines.

Other commercially available submersibles are marketed as novelty tourist attractions and as specialised tenders for wealthy yacht owners.

Most German midget submarines were developed late in World War II in an attempt to stop the Allied invasion of Europe and used later to disrupt its supply lines.

[5][6] The Indian Navy is planning to acquire two midget submarines at an estimated cost of ₹2000 Crores for use as swimmer delivery vehicles.

The decommissioning of the Stickleback class 1958–early 1960s marked the end of midget submarines designed for combat in the Royal Navy.

Some 80 Japanese Type D ("Koryu") Midget Submarines in a dry dock at Kure , 19 October 1945
Crew of a British X-class midget submarine , part of the British Pacific Submarine Fleet
German midget submarine Seehund , with a torpedo
An Italian CB-class submarine in the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb, Croatia
Japanese Type A Midget Submarine recovered in 1960 off Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
DSV Shinkai
Foca I (SA-41) and Foca II (SA-42) at Cartagena
X24 a British X class submarine on display at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum
The US X-1 at sea