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this reason the mines were "planted" in predetermined locations with electrical connection through cables to the firing location. The complex of mines, cables and junction boxes required maintenance. Specialized vessels to undertake the hazards of planting mines and maintaining the electrical cables were used.
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Robert Fulton invented the word torpedo to describe his underwater explosive device and successfully destroyed a ship in 1805. In the 1840s Samuel Colt began experimenting with underwater mines fired by electric current and in 1842, he blew up an old schooner in the
Potomac River from a shore station
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that are dispersed at sea, the controlled mine field location is chosen so that it could be under observation. The exact location of the mines was required so that they could be fired from the mine casemate when a target vessel was plotted by observers to be within the mine's effective range. For
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was developed, built and deployed in 1904. By 1909 more mine planters were under construction and deployment had reached the San
Francisco fortifications. These were assisted by smaller vessels. In the last stages of such coastal defenses during the Second World War the
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had decided to hand responsibility for the minefields to the
Militia, but several Volunteer units were converted to Electrical Engineer Companies employing their lights for coastal artillery control and, eventually, anti-aircraft defences.
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The terms "mine" and "torpedo" were used interchangeably until modern usage began separating the term with "mine" applied to static explosive devices and "torpedo" to self-propelled or "locomotive torpedo" weapons. Even during the
108:, Inspector-General of Fortifications 1882–86, found that he did not have enough Regular Army engineers to man all the minefields being installed so he decided to utilise the part-time soldiers of the
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William
Belknap to assume responsibility for torpedoes for coastal defense. That responsibility continued through the formation of the U.S. Torpedo Service as part of the
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during both World Wars; the US Navy used a similar strategy in at least World War II. A dozen specialized vessels known as "Indicator Loop Mine Layers"—including three
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became reality, that service and the Corps of
Engineers turned over responsibility to the newly formed coast artillery branch in 1901, which became the
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and nine smaller vessels—much like the U.S. mine planters, were built for the Royal Navy immediately before and during WWII. Similarly in Japan four
112:. After successful trials the system was rolled out to ports around the country, where the Submarine Miners might be drawn from the Regular RE, the
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A controlled mine (at left), with the distribution box that connected it and the other mines in its group to the mine casemate on shore.
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116:, or the Volunteers. The Submarine Miners were also to the fore in developing searchlights to illuminate the minefields. By 1907 the
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154:(USAMPS) mine flotilla usually consisted of two planters, four Distribution Box Boats and a small fleet of yawls and launches.
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The
California State Military Museum - Forts Under the Sea - Submarine Mine Defense of San Francisco Bay
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The
California State Military Museum - Forts Under the Sea - Submarine Mine Defense of San Francisco Bay
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at Mobile Bay. After that war similar mines were being contemplated or put into use by other nations.
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was a circuit fired weapon used in coastal defenses with ancestry going back to 1805 when
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483:- .pdf from DTIC with technical information and illustrations of equipment of the day.
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Army Ships - The Ghost Fleet - Coast
Artillery Corps Army Mine Planter Service
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Maj O.M. Short, Maj H. Sherlock, Capt L.E.C.M. Perowne and Lt M.A. Fraser,
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61:. In the United States, modern naval mine development began in 1869 at the
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U.S. National Park
Service; Torpedo Defense - COAST DEFENSE OF THE POTOMAC
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The
History of the Tyne Electrical Engineers, Royal Engineers, 1884–1933
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National Park Service: Torpedo Defense: COAST DEFENSE OF THE POTOMAC
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Shore and Underwater Elements - Mine Facilities - Fort Miles, Del.
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Riflemen Form: A study of the Rifle Volunteer Movement 1859–1908
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Controlled Mines: A History of Their Use by the United States
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were built between 1939 and 1941 for mine planting duties.
73:. Eventually, after calls for "rifled cannon" to cover the
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when such devices were made famous with the order given by
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Chester A. Authur - Second Annual Message to Congress
24:termed his underwater explosive device a torpedo:
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191:Submarine mines in United States harbor defense
394:American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide
145:In the United States a type of vessel termed
89:the interchangeable terms caused confusion.
433:, 1933/Uckfield: Naval & Military, nd,
161:controlled mines were often laid alongside
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100:(RE), which formed special companies of
92:In Britain controlled mines were termed
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446:Royal Engineers (Volunteers) 1859–1908
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51:United States Army Corps of Engineers
257:The Use of Mines by the Spanish Navy
106:Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Clarke
38:"Torpedoes" were in use during the
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477:Mine Defense -Today and Tomorrow;
380:, Aldershot: Ogilby Trusts, 1982,
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481:, Vol. 71, No. 3, September 1929
448:, Wembley: R.A. Westlake, 1983,
59:United States' seacoast defenses
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79:U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps
396:(Third ed.). CDSG Press.
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163:anti-submarine indicator loops
152:U.S. Army Mine Planter Service
63:Engineer School of Application
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392:Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2015).
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344:Ft. Miles Army Mine Planters
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411:Bogart, Charles H. (2008).
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215:February 11, 2009, at the
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479:Coast Artillery Journal
362:Indicator loops website
71:Willets Point, New York
512:Coastal fortifications
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292:Westlake, pp. 15–16.
87:Spanish–American War
267:Beckett, pp. 184–5.
236:Berhow, pp. 333-374
376:Ian F.W. Beckett,
349:2012-02-27 at the
320:2011-09-27 at the
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104:to maintain them.
67:Henry Larcom Abbot
40:American Civil War
507:Explosive weapons
502:Anti-ship weapons
422:978-1-4357-5835-3
415:. Merriam Press.
403:978-0-9748167-3-9
170:-class minelayers
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98:Royal Engineers
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18:controlled mine
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139:naval mines
496:Categories
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197:References
186:Naval mine
159:Royal Navy
118:War Office
125:Operation
81:in 1907.
347:Archived
318:Archived
213:Archived
180:See also
157:In the
137:Unlike
114:Militia
34:History
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301:Short
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227:Bogart
168:Linnet
303:et al
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