The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
A Welfreighter four man submarine on trials at Careening Bay camp. Personnel are Sublieutenant P F Williams in hatch and Captain H K Taylor on the side. The Welman one-man submarine was built at Station 1X (a former private hotel) in Welwyn Garden City which was one of the Research Stations of Special Operations Executive (SOE). The commanding officer was Colonel Dolphin, REME. The first two craft were built between June and August 1942. The intention was was that they would be used against shipping in harbour or, in the Welfreighter mode, used for survey and beach reconnaissance, or to carry stores and weapons to resistance movements in occupied territories. The Welfreighter building program commenced in November 1942; trials began at Staines in July 1943 and at Fishguard, Wales, in March 1944. Six craft were ordered with Shevoke and Drewry in June 1944. This was increased to forty but it is not known how many were completed. Twelve were shipped to Australia in mid 1945.
DRAWING OF THREE SUBMERSIBLE CRAFT USED BY Z SPECIAL UNIT OF THE SERVICE RECONNAISSANCE DEPARTMENT (SRD) OF AUSTRALIA IN 1944 AND 1945. FROM TOP: WELFREIGHTER 4 MAN SUBMARINE; WELMAN 1 MAN SUBMARINE;
GARDEN ISLAND, WA, 1945-05. Z SPECIAL UNIT OFFICERS TRAINING AT CAREENING BAY CAMP. L TO R: SUBLIEUTENANT J.M. BROOKE, ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE (RNVR), "SLEEPING BEAUTY" (ONE MAN SUBMARINE) CHIEF
CAREENING BAY, WA. 1945. A ONE-MAN WELMAN MIDGET SUBMARINE ON THE SURFACE ABOUT TO UNDERTAKE A TRAINING DIVE AT THE SERVICES RECONNAISSANCE DEPARTMENT (SRD) TRAINING BASE. WELMAN SUBMARINES ARRIVED TO
CAREENING BAY, WA. 1945. A ONE-MAN WELMAN MIDGET SUBMARINE IS TOWED OUT OF A SHED AT THE SERVICES RECONNAISSANCE DEPARTMENT (SRD) TRAINING BASE. WELMAN SUBMARINES ARRIVED TOO LATE IN AUSTRALIA FOR ANY
CAREENING BAY, WA. 1945. A ONE-MAN WELMAN MIDGET SUBMARINE IS PREPARED FOR LAUNCHING ON THE JETTY AT THE SERVICES RECONNAISSANCE DEPARTMENT (SRD) TRAINING BASE. WELMAN SUBMARINES ARRIVED TOO LATE IN A
Group portrait of British and Australian Army, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy members of Welfreighter Section, Z Special Unit, Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) on Morotai in September 19
