The K XI-class boats were mid-1920s colonial submarines with enough surface range for distant East Indies operations. K XII attacked Japanese shipping, landed Dutch intelligence agents on Java, and later became a public attraction in Sydney before a storm drove her ashore and led to scrapping. Their armament mixed 21-inch and 17.7-inch torpedo tubes. Reload choices created a real stowage tradeoff because additional large torpedoes displaced several smaller weapons. The design therefore joins operational endurance to the logistical complication of carrying two torpedo calibers.
Notable Point · 1:38:43-1:44:04
K XI class: colonial range, intelligence work, and mixed torpedoes
The K XI class combined long East Indies range with mixed-caliber torpedoes, while its wartime service extended from attacks on Japanese shipping to intelligence landings.