Sea mines

[Retired old guy]

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."

I have been reading this site for quite some time, and find it to be one of the most informative on the web.
So when I saw the reference to an out of print book, I wanted to share one of the assets that I have found very useful for finding out of print books.

If ABEBOOKS has been mentioned before, I apologize, but there are several copies of this book available for purchase here....

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... e&x=42&y=7

[Sturm78]

Thank you very much, Schorschl.

Here, a new image from Bundesarchive. Any idea?

Regards Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

the picture shows a Russian M 26 mine (0,9 m diameter, 240 kg TNT charge, inertia pendulum impact fuze, 120 m mooring wire).

Regards,
Schorschl

[Sturm78]

Thank you very much for your help, again, Schorschl.

Main Soviet mine at the start of World War II, therefore.
Can you translate the text on the mine?

Regards Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

"Entschärft und entladen" stands for "defused and discharged". Imho with it the shown mine is meant.
"Durch Sprengung vernichtet" stands for "destroyed by blasting", probably the result of the whole mine sweeping flottilla up to this time.

Regards,
Schorschl

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Other two images from Ebay:

Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

the first picture is probably a French submarine mine of the type Sautter Harlè HS4AR. The fuzes are implemented as switch horns, which cause the explosion of the mine in connection with the water pressure in the mooring depth. At the surface this pressure doesn’t work any longer and the mine therefore should no more be able to detonate. To defusing first holes had to be shot into the mine shell with an infantry rifle from a safe distance, so that a pressure balance could take place. Such a hole is good to recognize in your photo.

To the comparison still another photo from the M.Dv. 454 “Anleitung zur Bergung und Entschärfung deutscher und fremder Sperrwaffen” (Guidance for saving and defusing German and foreign under water ordnance)



The second photo You had already shown. (Look at this! )

Regards,
Schorschl

[Luftflotte2]

New from ebay.de.

[Luftflotte2]

Another from ebay.de

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Another image from Ebay

Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

I guess EMC mines

Image from Ebay
Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

imho no EMC-mines are to be seen in your picture. The number of fuzes isn’t correct and the cover plate at one of the mine bodies is much too large in relation to the mine.
The company name in the background suggests the Netherlands are the photograph place. The Dutch navy possessed dummy mines without explosive charge, which should destroy searching or sweeping equipment as mocks with cutting grippers (Reißgreifer) in the mooring chain. I assume that in the photo such mocks are to be seen.


dummy mine


Reißgreifer

Regards,
Schorschl

[Sturm78]

Thanks again, Schorschl.

So, dutch dummy seamines.

Here, another image from Ebay:
US seamines. Any idea?

Regards Sturm78

[Sturm78]

No ideas about my last image??

Here a new image from Ebay

Sturm78

[Schorschl]

Hello Sturm78,

No ideas about my last image??

…nope, sorry!

The new picture shows an EMC-Mine. Note the twisted Herz horns. The fact that the mine still exists proves that the mooring safety switch (in German: Auftriebsentschärfer) has functioned.

Regards,
Schorschl