The Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC), nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, was an

underwater vehicle An underwater vehicle is any member of the class of watercraft that is intended to operate in the underwater environment, as opposed to surface vessels that only stay afloat on top of water. This article lists the types of underwater vehicle, wit ...

built by the British

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

(SOE) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was designed to enable a single

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater. The term often applies more to professional rather than recreational divers, especially those working in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some Europea ...

to sabotage enemy ships, though it would also be used for short-range

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

. They were replaced by the

diver propulsion vehicle A diver propulsion vehicle (DPV), also known as an underwater propulsion vehicle, sea scooter, underwater scooter, or swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV) by armed forces, is an item of diving equipment used by scuba divers to increase range underwa ...

after the end of the war.

Design

History

MSCs were initially conceived of in an attempt to create an improved version of the simplistic

folboat A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin m ...

. It was created by the Allied Inter-Services Research Bureau and designed by Major

Hugh Reeves Hugh Quentin Alleyne Reeves (1909 – 25 October 1955) was a British inventor and engineer. He was one of the most productive and creative engineers attached to Station IX the SOE research station during World War II. Reeves was born at Seafo ...

, R.E., who was also given the task of designing an 'unspecified device' for an underwater approach at the confidential research area

Station IX Station IX (formerly known as the Inter-Services Research Bureau) was a secret British Special Operations Executive factory making special weapons and equipment during World War II. The small Welbike paratrooper's motorcycle and the Welrod assa ...

. based on an idea from Lt Col "Blondie" Hasler which he called the 'underwater glider' and developed at Aston House to Hasler's specifications. The design process began in 1942 and had all but finished by the end of 1943. It was originally called the "Underwater Glider", but nicknamed the "Sleeping Beauty" before finally being officially named the Motorised Submersible Canoe. According to one story, the craft became known as "Sleeping Beauty" after Reeves was discovered sleeping in it by a passing officer. Although originally commissioned for naval battles, Reeves believed that the craft could be sold to civilians to use for pearl-diving and

salvage diving Salvage diving is the diving work associated with the recovery of all or part of ships, their cargoes, aircraft, and other vehicles and structures which have sunk or fallen into water. In the case of ships it may also refer to repair work done to ...

Specifications

Built from

mild steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt ...

, the

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

was long with a beam of . A 5 hp

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

batteries gave the craft a maximum possible speed of . At a crusing speed of , it could travel . Its maximum operating depth was .Rees, 2008 The Sleeping Beauty was designed to carry up to of

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

. Located near the pilot's legs were ballast tanks that could either be filled with water or compressed air. Although the Sleeping Beauty was designed to accommodate only one pilot, a later model did attempt to produce a two-man version post war.

Operation

The MSC moved in several different manners. One of these was nicknamed "porpoising". When "porpoising", the pilot would allow the craft to briefly rise to the surface, re-orientate themselves, then fully re-enter the water in order to move. Alternatively, the pilot would submerge the craft and, guided only by a compass, travel completely underwater. Movement was controlled by means of a joystick attached the two

ballast Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within ...

tanks. Upon nearing a target, the pilot would exit the craft and swim the rest of the way. They would then attach one of the nine magnetic limpet mines to the side of the enemy ship. The MSC could also be used for reconnaissance, although its main purpose was for sabotage and attacks.

Operational service

Following

Operation Jaywick Operation Jaywick was a special operation undertaken in World War II. In September 1943, 14 commandos and sailors from the Allied Z Special Unit raided Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, sinking three ships and damaging three ships. B ...

, a successful 1943 Allied raid in Singapore which used folboats to destroy several Japanese ships, the leader of the raid,

Ivan Lyon Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Lyon, (17 August 1915 – 16 October 1944) was a British soldier and military intelligence agent during the Second World War. As a member of Z Special Unit Lyon took part in a number of commando operations against the Ja ...

, a British Lieutenant Colonel and member of the

Z Special Unit Z Special Unit () was a joint Allied special forces unit formed during the Second World War to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia. Predominantly Australian, Z Special Unit was a specialist clandestine operation, direct action, lo ...

, was brought to view and train on the Sleeping Beauties. Lyon planned to use the canoes during

Operation Rimau Operation Rimau was an attack on Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, carried out by an Allied commando unit Z Special Unit, during World War II using Australian built Hoehn military MKIII folboats. It was a follow-up to the successful Op ...

in an attempt to sabotage Japanese ships. However, after being found by a Japanese patrol boat during the raid, the canoes were scuttled and Ivan Lyon and his men were killed, captured, and executed. Operatives at

Careening Bay Coronation Island, also known as Garlinju, is located off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. It encompasses an area of . It is located off Port Nelson in the Bonaparte Archipelago, as a part of the group of islands known as the Coronatio ...

continued to be trained on MSCs, but few men were ever able to use them effectively and they never entered into widespread usage. During the summer of 1944, "Sleeping Beauty Number 72" was delivered to the United States

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

(OSS). It was used for training until August 1945.

Gallery

File:Gal soe sleeping beauty.jpg File:Sleeping beauty underwater.jpg File:Modified Sleeping Beauty.jpg

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * . *

External links

Report on background and maritime archaeological survey for a Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC) or ‘Sleeping Beauty’ lost 1945, HMAS Stirling, Careening Bay, Cockburn Sound
Maritime Archaeology Databases
Sleeping Beauty Exhibit
at the

International Spy Museum The International Spy Museum is an independent non-profit history museum which documents the tradecraft, history, and contemporary role of the intelligence field and espionage. It holds the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ...

{{Underwater diving, divequ Midget submarines World War II submarines of the United Kingdom Wet subs British inventions