Sea mines

[Schorschl]

Hi Sturm78,

the first Picture in this thread shows an ordinary German EMC-mine. A British Mark XIV-mine is to be seen on the second picture. The last picture shows a lot of EMC-mines.

Regards
Schorschl

[Vaeltaja]

Well.. On a glance these seem again EMC II type mines. The Herz horns have not yet been attached - the mines are essentially safe or in 'transport' status. The attachment points for lower pair of horns is well visible as are some of the top horn attachment points. Also the twin lifting hooks/lugs of the mine can be easily identified on each mine.

[Sturm78]

Thank you, Vaeltaja.

Regards Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Three images from Bundesarchive. I guess they're mines type EMC, but I am not sure.

Regards Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

the first picture shows UMB-mines. There are EMC-mines on the second picture and the third photo shows the throwing of a EMD-mine.

Regards Schorschl

[Sturm78]

Thank you for your answer, Schorschl.

It is very difficult to me to differenciate between the various models of german seamines.

UMB ?? I do not know this model.

Regards Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

here some information about the UMB-mines:

UMB = Uboot-Abwehr-Mine Typ B,
mooring mine for ASW laid by surface crafts,
improved UMA, introduced in 1941,
Shell diameter: 0.84 m, shell was made of steel (3 mm or 4.5 mm thick)
Charge: 40 kg of SW 18 or SW 36 (SW = Schießwolle)
Fuze: five Hertz-horns on the upper half of the shell and three switch horns on the lower hemisphere with the possibility of installation of a snagline (25 m long)
Mooring depths: 65 m (12.5 mm cable), 100 m (11 mm cable), 150 m (9.5 mm cable), 200 m (8 mm cable) and 300 m (8 mm cable)
further special features:
- Hochstandsvernichter (H.V.) this means a hydrostatic flooder, which acted if the mine rose above its set depth so that German ships could pass over the minefield,
- Versenkeinrichtung (V.E. = self destroying mechanism by time delay or other reasons)
- Kontaktauslöseeinrichtung (K.A. = anti-sweep device)
- Oberflächenstandsentschärfer (Ob.Ent. = defuses mine, if it floats at the surface)

Sources:
-Anleitung zur Bergung und Entschärfung deutscher und fremder Sperrwaffen, M.Dv. Nr. 454, 1942
-Deutsche Minenräumdienstvorschrift Nr. 13, 1946
-German Underwater Ordnance -Mines-, 19.06.1946
-Albin Günther: Die Entwicklung der Seemine von 1777 bis 1945, 1958
-John Campbell: Naval Weapons of WWII, 1985

Regards Schorschl

[Sturm78]

Hi Schorschl,

Thank you very much for your information.

Regards Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

A curious image from Ebay. Model??

Regards Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

your picture shows an ordinary EMC-mine. The Hertz-horns were not screwed in yet.

Regards,
Schorschl

[Sturm78]

Thank you very much, again, Schorschl.

Regards Sturm78

[Sunbury]

A WW2 book based on the British experience of rendering sea mines safe is "Softly Tread the Brave" by Ivan Southall.
It is detailed in how the Royal Navy defused mines that fell on land ie: magnetic, acoustic mines etc. The Mine Officer was told he had 17 seconds if the mine fuse started to run and in that 17 seconds he needed to be 400 metres away. None ever made that distance, chance saved some, a lot more died. Magnetic Mines meant the defusing Officer had to work with brass tools and remove all metal. Acoustic mines, meant 1 second of pure sound would detonate them (only 1 was ever defused successfully)

I just checked Amazon it is out of print but may be available through a library

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL20906382 ... _the_brave

Taken from the preface, (4th para):
"It is a story of wartime, but not of combat. It is a tribute, however inadequate, to the gigantic stature of the human spirit, to an unparalleled brand of courage and self-sacrifice. In this there is no courage of the moment, no flush of passion; this was self-discipline past belief, courage truly deyond understanding, as ordinary men rendered safe live weapons powerful enough to level a city block and vapourize their own bodies."
Last para of the preface: " It is the modesty of these men that is most moving. They cannot see that their sustained heroism has not grown out of tradition, but has made it."

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Two other images from Ebay:

I think that mine of my first image is similar to the second mine posted on 29 Jul 2010 in this thread (identified by Schorschl as a British Mark XIV-mine)

Regards Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Another image from Ebay

I think EMC but I am not sure.

Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

I think EMC...

You are right, EMC Mine with 20-ft. mooring chain.

Regards,
Schorschl