Weapon for use in waters, triggered by the target's approach
"Naval mining" redirects here. For civilian resource extraction, see deep sea mining.
Polish wz. 08/39 contact mine. The protuberances near the top of the mine, here with their protective covers, are called Hertz horns, and these trigger the mine's detonation when a ship bumps into them.An explosion of a naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any vessel or a particular vessel type, akin to anti-infantry or anti-vehicle mines. Naval mines can be used offensively, to hamper enemy shipping movements or lock vessels into a harbour; or defensively, to protect friendly vessels and create "safe" zones. Mines allow the minelaying force commander to concentrate warships or defensive assets in mine-free areas giving the adversary three choices: undertake an expensive and time-consuming minesweeping effort, accept the casualties of challenging the minefield, or use the unmined waters where the greatest concentration of enemy firepower will be encountered.[1]
Although international law requires signatory nations to declare mined areas, precise locations remain secret, and non-complying individuals might not disclose minelaying. While mines threaten only those who choose to traverse waters that may be mined, the possibility of activating a mine is a powerful disincentive to shipping. In the absence of effective measures to limit each mine's lifespan, the hazard to shipping can remain long after the war in which the mines were laid is over. Unless detonated by a parallel time fuze at the end of their useful life, naval mines need to be found and dismantled after the end of hostilities; an often prolonged, costly, and hazardous task.
Modern mines containing high explosives detonated by complex electronic fuze mechanisms are much more effective than early gunpowder mines requiring physical ignition. Mines may be placed by aircraft, ships, submarines, or individual swimmers and boatmen. Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpose. There are also mines that release a homing torpedo rather than explode themselves.
^McDonald, Wesley (1985). "Mine Warfare: A Pillar of Maritime Strategy". Proceedings. 111 (10). United States Naval Institute: 48.
A navalmine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited...
designed to remove or detonate navalmines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by navalmines, minesweepers keep waterways clear...
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device the mines will explode, sending pieces of iron flying in all directions and shooting up flames towards the sky. For the use of navalmines, he wrote...
The NavalMine 2000 (Finnish: Merimiina 2000) is an advanced navalmine developed by Patria for the Finnish Navy. It has stealth and advanced target-recognition...
proponent of the metric system. In 1853, Jacobi developed the Jacobi navalmine. The mine was tied to the sea bottom by an anchor, a cable connected it to...
ships and boats as well as the weapons used by British naval forces such as torpedoes and navalmines. BL 14-inch Mk VII BL 15-inch Mk I BL 16-inch Mk I BL...
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deep-water anti-submarine navalmine. It uses a Mark 46 torpedo contained in an aluminum shell that is anchored to the ocean floor. The mine can be placed by either...
submunitions, which often act as mines Land mine, explosive mines placed under or on the ground Navalmine, or sea mine, a mine at sea, either floating or on...
disable or destroy vehicles Minelaying, deployment of explosive mines at sea Navalmine, a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy ships...
deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying navalmines. "Mine planting" was the...
initially the torpedo and the navalmine, and later attack aircraft and the guided missile. The growing range of naval engagements led to the aircraft...
Korean War, the Soviet Union had shipped navalmines to North Korea for use in coastal defense, with Soviet navalmine warfare experts providing technical...
without the need for air bases on land. Aircraft may be used to conduct navalmine clearance, the aircraft tows a sled through the water but is itself at...
The Mark XVII naval contact mine, triggered through contact with a ship, was the standard British contact navalmine during World War II. The Mark XVII...
self-propelled explosive, but historically, the term also applied to primitive navalmines and spar torpedoes. These were used on an ad hoc basis during the early...
target itself is moving in making contact. Navalmines Relevant design factors in navalmine fuzes are that the mine may be static or moving downward through...
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