John Elliott Smart
| John Elliott Smart | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Jack |
| Born |
1 March 1916 Northumberland, England |
| Died | 3 February 2008 (aged 91) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1938–1954 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Commands held |
HMS X8 (1943) HMS XE1 (1945) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire Volunteer Reserve Decoration Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) |
Lieutenant Commander John Elliott "Jack" Smart DSO, OBE, VRD (1 March 1916 – 3 February 2008) was an officer in the Royal Navy, who commanded one of the midget submarines that attacked the German cruiser Lützow and the Japanese cruiser Takao during the Second World War.
Smart was born on 1 March 1916 in Northumberland in England and joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in 1938, his commission as a sub-lieutenant was confirmed on 3 October 1939. He served the first part of the war in minesweepers in the eastern Mediterranean. He was promoted lieutenant on 1 March 1941, then joined HMS Varbel, the midget submarine training depot, in 1943.
Six midget submarines were to take part in the attack on the German cruiser Lützow in Altenfjord, Norway. During the tow over to the attack, X8 lost contact with her towing submarine HMS Sea Nymph, but after 37 hours they regained contact. Unfortunately X8 developed leaks and was unable to dive, eventually leading to the X8 being scuttled. Smart was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his part in the operation.
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Wikipedia