British Special Operations Executive (SOE): Tools and Gadgets Gallery
'Sleeping Beauty' canoe
The SOE semi-submersible canoe was nicknamed the 'Sleeping Beauty'. It was battery powered, had a top speed of 4.4 knots, and could travel for some 30 miles at a cruising speed of 3 knots. It was designed to carry up to three and a half pounds of explosives and, if necessary, to be dropped near its target by a heavy bomber. The canoe was used in the disastrous Rimau Operation, which saw the loss of the entire SOE team for no reward.
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