LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completing this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

1. Summarize the history of mines and their development.

2. Describe the types of mines and their categories.

3. Describe how mines are actuated.

4. Describe the methods of planting mines and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

5. Describe the types and purposes of minefield.

6. Describe how the mine force fits within the larger structure of the U.S. Navy.

7. Describe how the mine force fits within the administrative organization of the Department of the Navy.

8. Describe how the mine force fits within the operational organization of the Department of the Navy.

A mine is specifically defined in the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, Joint Publication 1-02, as follows:

In naval mine warfare, an explosive device laid in the water with the intention of damaging or sinking ships or of deterring shipping from entering an area. The term does not include devices attached to the bottoms of ships or to harbor installations by personnel operating underwater, nor does it include devices which explode immediately on expiration of a predetermined time after laying.

Mines fill an important role in naval warfare. The mines discussed in this training manual are sea mines. You, as a Mineman, should be thoroughly familiar with the different mines and their uses. Therefore, this chapter provides you with a brief history of mines and their development; information on mine types; the methods of planting and the advantages and disadvantages of each method; and the purposes of defensive, protective, and offensive minefield. This chapter also describes how the mine force fits within the larger structure of the U.S. Navy.

For additional information relating to the mine warfare program, consult the recommended reading list at the end of this chapter.

MINE HISTORY

The Chinese were the first people to use explosives underwater. After they discovered that explosives perform in the same manner underwater as they do underground, they placed charges under enemy riverboats to destroy them. Thus, the idea of mining became associated with underwater explosions.

A forerunner of the naval mine was devised by a Belgian engineer named Geanibelli, who was tasked to destroy the Bridge of Parma. He loaded an old ship with gunpowder and equipped the ship with a clockwork ignition device, thereby making the ship, in effect, a floating mine.

In 1776, the first known sea mine was invented by an American, David Bushnell. Bushnell's mine was a simple, watertight wooden keg, shown in i ure - Loaded with gunpowder and fitted with a gunlock and hammer, it hung from a float and, at that time, was called a torpedo. The device exploded by impact when the keg floated against a ship.

Although numerous incidents proved their destructive force, mines were considered too tricky, dangerous, and hard to handle to win a place with most early navies. The mines often exploded unexpectedly and at the wrong times. American ingenuity, however, found ways to refine the naval mine. Consequently, much of our naval history involves mines.