An interesting approach to ship mines

[kriegerfaust]

------Deployment-----

There were many approaches two of these are anchored and free-floating sea mines.  Anchored are attached to the sea floor and free-floating are not anchored to anything.  Approach one would be to anchor them to the sea floor and set depth so as how close they are to the surface.  Low or destroyer depth, medium or cruiser depth and deep or battleship depth. 

Setting them too low would mean that shallow draft ships can sail right over them.  Setting them too high would mean hitting the sides of the ship doing reduced damage to heavier ships.  Approach two is free-floating mines these over time would drift apart meaning fewer mines would hit a ship traveling through a field.  This would be a risk reward between setting a field early and waiting to the last moment as to get a dense field. 

-----Detection-----

First mines detected by acoustic would mean that a mine field would be revealed when they are a certain distance from the ship and stay visible as long as they are close enough.  Or a burst in which if any mines in a field are revealed they will all become visible for a limited time than all become invisible again until they are again revealed or detonated.  Another option would be to let ship planes reveal mine fields as they fly over them giving them more purpose than they currently have in the game.  There are two options the spotted or all revealed or the spotting in which all mines are seen or visible as long as the plane is within range.

-----Deterrents-----

Just like main guns of destroyers and secondaries of Battleships and Cruisers can be used as anti-ship anti-aircraft why not AA.  AA guns have a decent range and could be of course used to detonate mine that have been revealed to the player.  Simply travel close enough to the mine field and watch as you slowly chip away leaving you free to use your main guns to engage any enemies.  The second option would be diffusing the mines less fun to watch but the same approach.  Sail close enough to the mine field and watch as you slowly remove the minefield making the mine a deterrent to rushing head long into battle.

 

Edited April 1 by kriegerfaust

[Admiral_Karasu]

'Free floating mines'.. what the heck?

[Project45_Opytny]

1 minute ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

'Free floating mines'.. what the heck?

Drifting mine. They do exist.

[Admiral_Karasu]

8 minutes ago, Project45_Opytny said:

Drifting mine. They do exist.

I doubt they do on purpose. Would get a little too interesting for everyone.

[Wulf_Ace]

Players cant avoid things they see let alone things they dont see.

[invicta2012]

Some interesting mine-related stuff:

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/how-britain-beat-germanys-wwii-magnetic-sea-mines-bfec5558704c

I had never come across this type of ship until mentioned in that article...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybele-class_mine_destructor_vessel

[Snargfargle]

The name Cybele caught my eye. Most probably see it as another vaguely Greek-sounding name that's been attached to a ship class. However, Cybele is one of the old gods, a goddess worshiped when saber-tooth tigers and mammoths still roamed the earth.

[Admiral_Karasu]

21 minutes ago, Snargfargle said:

The name Cybele caught my eye. Most probably see it as another vaguely Greek-sounding name that's been attached to a ship class. However, Cybele is one of the old gods, a goddess worshiped when saber-tooth tigers and mammoths still roamed the earth.

How is that we know her name, though...

[Justin_Simpleton]

I was checking the name of the minesweeper I visited in St. Louis many years ago to offer up a suggestion for a coal ship when I found this article about the ship which is no longer. 

WWII minesweeper sunk at St. Louis 20 years ago today - Missourinet

My heart sank; I'm getting old.

[Snargfargle]

27 minutes ago, Admiral_Karasu said:

How is that we know her name, though...

Some words get passed down through time. Take the proto-Indo-European word "mus," which has come down through proto-Germanic, Old English, Middle English, and finally modern English as the word "mouse." Thus, the Phyrigian Kubileya becomes the Greek Kybele and then the English Cybele.

My cousin was a linguist. He's dead now but I could sit and listen to him trace words back through time for hours. It's a lot more interesting than one would think.

 

[Unlooky]

nvm

Edited April 1 by Unlooky
nvm

[kriegerfaust]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_mine#:~:text=After World War I the,same damage to both sides.

Contact mines[edit]

The earliest mines were usually of this type. They are still used today, as they are extremely low cost compared to any other anti-ship weapon and are effective, both as a psychological weapon and as a method to sink enemy ships. Contact mines need to be touched by the target before they detonate, limiting the damage to the direct effects of the explosion and usually affecting only the vessel that triggers them.

Limpet mines[edit]

Limpet mines are a special form of contact mine that are manually attached to the target by magnets and remain in place. They are named because of the similarity to the limpet, a mollusk.

Drifting contact mines[edit]

Drifting mines were occasionally used during World War I and World War II. However, they were more feared than effective. Sometimes floating mines break from their moorings and become drifting mines; modern mines are designed to deactivate in this event. After several years at sea, the deactivation mechanism might not function as intended and the mines may remain live. Admiral Jellicoe's British fleet did not pursue and destroy the outnumbered German High Seas Fleet when it turned away at the Battle of Jutland because he thought they were leading him into a trap: he believed it possible that the Germans were either leaving floating mines in their wake, or were drawing him towards submarines, although neither of these was the case.

Remotely controlled mines[edit]

Frequently used in combination with coastal artillery and hydrophones, controlled mines (or command detonation mines) can be in place in peacetime, which is a huge advantage in blocking important shipping routes. The mines can usually be turned into "normal" mines with a switch (which prevents the enemy from simply capturing the controlling station and deactivating the mines), detonated on a signal or be allowed to detonate on their own. The earliest ones were developed around 1812 by Robert Fulton. The first remotely controlled mines were moored mines used in the American Civil War, detonated electrically from shore. They were considered superior to contact mines because they did not put friendly shipping at risk.^[54] The extensive American fortifications program initiated by the Board of Fortifications in 1885 included remotely controlled mines, which were emplaced or in reserve from the 1890s until the end of World War II.^[55]

Influence mines[edit]

These mines are triggered by the influence of a ship or submarine, rather than direct contact. Such mines incorporate electronic sensors designed to detect the presence of a vessel and detonate when it comes within the blast range of the warhead. The fuses on such mines may incorporate one or more of the following sensors: magnetic, passive acoustic or water pressure displacement caused by the proximity of a vessel.^[56]

Moored mines[edit]

The moored mine is the backbone of modern mine systems. They are deployed where water is too deep for bottom mines. They can use several kinds of instruments to detect an enemy, usually a combination of acoustic, magnetic and pressure sensors, or more sophisticated optical shadows or electro potential sensors. These cost many times more than contact mines. Moored mines are effective against most kinds of ships. As they are cheaper than other anti-ship weapons they can be deployed in large numbers, making them useful area denial or "channelizing" weapons. Moored mines usually have lifetimes of more than 10 years, and some almost unlimited. These mines usually weigh 200 kg (440 lb), including 80 kg (180 lb) of explosives (RDX). In excess of 150 kg (330 lb) of explosives the mine becomes inefficient, as it becomes too large to handle and the extra explosives add little to the mine's effectiveness.^{[citation needed]}

Bottom mines[edit]

Bottom mines (sometimes called ground mines) are used when the water is no more than 60 meters (200 feet) deep or when mining for submarines down to around 200 meters (660 feet). They are much harder to detect and sweep, and can carry a much larger warhead than a moored mine. Bottom mines commonly use multiple types of sensors, which are less sensitive to sweeping.^[58][59]

Bouquet mine[edit]

The bouquet mine is a single anchor attached to several floating mines. It is designed so that when one mine is swept or detonated, another takes its place. It is a very sensitive construction and lacks reliability.

Anti-sweep mine[edit]

The anti-sweep mine is a very small mine (40 kg (88 lb) warhead) with as small a floating device as possible. When the wire of a mine sweep hits the anchor wire of the mine, it drags the anchor wire along with it, pulling the mine down into contact with the sweeping wire. That detonates the mine and cuts the sweeping wire. They are very cheap and usually used in combination with other mines in a minefield to make sweeping more difficult. One type is the Mark 23 used by the United States during World War II.

Oscillating mine[edit]

The mine is hydrostatically controlled to maintain a pre-set depth below the water's surface independently of the rise and fall of the tide.

Ascending mine[edit]

The ascending mine is a floating distance mine that may cut its mooring or in some other way float higher when it detects a target. It lets a single floating mine cover a much larger depth range.

Homing mines

These are mines containing a moving weapon as a warhead, either a torpedo or a rocket.

 

Rocket mine[edit]

A Russian invention, the rocket mine is a bottom distance mine that fires a homing high-speed rocket (not torpedo) upwards towards the target. It is intended to allow a bottom mine to attack surface ships as well as submarines from a greater depth. One type is the Te-1 rocket propelled mine.

Torpedo mine[edit]

A torpedo mine is a self-propelled variety, able to lie in wait for a target and then pursue it e.g. the Mark 60 CAPTOR. Generally, torpedo mines incorporate computerised acoustic and magnetic fuzes. The U.S. Mark 24 "mine", code-named Fido, was actually an ASW homing torpedo. The mine designation was disinformation to conceal its function.

Mobile mine[edit]

The mine is propelled to its intended position by propulsion equipment such as a torpedo. After reaching its destination, it sinks to the seabed and operates like a standard mine. It differs from the homing mine in that its mobile stage is set before it lies in wait, rather than as part of the attacking phase.

One such design is the Mk 67 submarine-launched mobile mine^[61] (which is based on a Mark 37 torpedo), capable of traveling as far as 16 km (10 mi) through or into a channel, harbour, shallow water area, and other zones which would normally be inaccessible to craft laying the device. After reaching the target area they sink to the sea bed and act like conventionally laid influence mines.

Nuclear mine[edit]

During the Cold War, a test was conducted with a naval mine fitted with tactical nuclear warheads for the "Baker" shot of Operation Crossroads. This weapon was experimental and never went into production.^[62] There have been some reports that North Korea may be developing a nuclear mine.^[63] The Seabed Arms Control Treaty prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons on the seabed beyond a 12-mile coast zone.

Daisy-chained mine[edit]

This comprises two moored, floating contact mines which are tethered together by a length of steel cable or chain. Typically, each mine is situated approximately 18 m (60 ft) away from its neighbor, and each floats a few meters below the surface of the ocean. When the target ship hits the steel cable, the mines on either side are drawn down the side of the ship's hull, exploding on contact. In this manner it is almost impossible for target ships to pass safely between two individually moored mines. Daisy-chained mines are a very simple concept which was used during World War II. The first prototype of the Daisy-chained mine and the first combat use came in Finland, 1939.^[64]

Dummy mine[edit]

Plastic drums filled with sand or concrete are periodically rolled off the side of ships as real mines are laid in large mine-fields. These inexpensive false targets (designed to be of a similar shape and size as genuine mines) are intended to slow down the process of mine clearance: a mine-hunter is forced to investigate each suspicious sonar contact on the sea bed, whether it is real or not. Often a maker of naval mines will provide both training and dummy versions of their mines.^[65]

[ArIskandir]

2 hours ago, Snargfargle said:

Some words get passed down through time. Take the proto-Indo-European word "mus," which has come down through proto-Germanic, Old English, Middle English, and finally modern English as the word "mouse." Thus, the Phyrigian Kubileya becomes the Greek Kybele and then the English Cybele.

My cousin was a linguist. He's dead now but I could sit and listen to him trace words back through time for hours. It's a lot more interesting than one would think.

 

In Spanish it became Cibeles and the name endures today in common language, having some notoriety as in La Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid or even in my town we have a mall called Plaza Cibeles. I've known of at least one girl called Cibeles too... so the chain is long and enduring.