Diagram of an underwater mine. Mine weapons of submarines. Prospects for mining the Strait of Hormuz

Mine weapons in the war at sea

Captain 1st rank Yu. Kravchenko

Naval mines are one of the most important weapons in naval warfare. They are designed to destroy warships and ships, as well as to constrain their actions by creating a mine threat in certain areas (zones) of ocean and sea theaters and on inland waterways.

Mines were widely used by the opposing sides in military operations at sea in armed conflicts of various sizes. Their most massive use took place during the two world wars, which resulted in significant losses in warships and merchant ships.

First world war about 309,000 mines were exhibited at maritime theaters. The losses of the allies and neutral states from German mines (39,000) amounted to more than 50 warships, 225 auxiliary ships of the Navy and about 600 transports. The Entente countries were forced to invest huge amounts of money and make significant efforts to combat the mine threat. By the end of the war, the British Navy alone had over 700 minesweepers. The British fleet fielded 128,000 mines, half of them in German-controlled waters.

During the war, major minefield operations were carried out, including by the joint efforts of the allies in the coalition, in order to block the forces of the German fleet in the North Sea, primarily its submarines. Thus, the large northern barrier, created in 1918, had a length (from the Orkney Islands to the coast of Norway) of about 240 miles and a depth of 15 to 35 miles. Over 70,000 mines were fielded by the United States and Great Britain on it. In total, about 150 enemy warships, including 48 submarines, were lost on the Allied mines (195,000).

The Second World War was marked by an even greater use of mine weapons, both in terms of expanding the area of ​​their use and in terms of increasing the number of mines laid (over 650,000). New mines appeared according to the principle of operation, their power increased, the depth of setting increased from 400 to 600 m, the resistance of mines against trawling increased significantly. Only as a result of setting 263,000 mines by Great Britain in European waters (186,000 in its coastal and 76,000 in enemy waters), 1,050 ships and vessels were lost and about 540 were damaged. Germany fielded 126,000 mines in this war, mostly in European waters. Allied losses amounted to about 300 warships up to and including the destroyer, as well as over 500 merchant ships.

Submarines and especially aviation were widely involved in laying minefields. The increased capabilities of aviation have significantly expanded the scope of the use of these weapons. An example of the massive use of mines is Operation Starvation, when from the end of March 1945, US aircraft laid 12,000 mines on Japan's sea lanes in less than five months. On the night of March 27 alone, 99 B-29 aircraft from the 20th Bomber Command laid about 1,000 mines in the Shimonoseki Strait. This was the first time that such a massive staging of them by aviation was carried out. As a result, up to 670 Japanese ships were sunk or damaged, that is, almost 75 percent. the entire merchant tonnage available by the end of March 1945. During the operation, strategic bombers made 1529 sorties, while losing 15 aircraft. Minefields practically paralyzed merchant shipping in the coastal waters of Japan, which significantly affected the state of the country's economy. In total, in the Second World War, on 25,000 mines exposed by the United States, the Japanese lost 1,075 warships and ships with a total tonnage of 2,289,146 tons sunk and damaged. This type of weapon was widely used in subsequent local wars and conflicts.

There are many types of mines, but their design is basically the same. The mine consists of a body, an explosive charge (BB), a fuse, special devices (urgency, multiplicity, self-destruction and others), a power source, devices that ensure the installation of a mine on a given recess from the surface of the water or on the ground, and also for some types - her movement. The carriers (setters) of mines are surface ships, submarines (Fig. 1), and aviation. According to the principle of operation of the fuse, they are divided into contact and non-contact, according to the method of maintaining the setting place - into anchor (Fig. 2), bottom and floating, according to the degree of mobility - into self-propelled and stationary. Once laid, mines (minefields) may be unguided or guided.

Most of the modern sea mines in the arsenal of the fleets of the capitalist states have proximity fuses. They are triggered when a ship or ship passes at a certain distance from the mine under the influence of one or more physical fields (acoustic, magnetic, hydrodynamic, and others). According to this principle, non-contact mines are divided into acoustic, magnetic, induction, hydrodynamic.

At present, sea mines of various designs and purposes are being produced in the USA, Great Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and Yes. research institutes and a number of other countries (Fig. 3). One of the most modern American mines is the Mk60 Captor. It is a combination of the Mk46 torpedo mod. 4 with a mine device and can be installed at depths up to 800 m; the range of the detection system is 1000-1500 m. An example of a self-transporting mine is the Mk67 SLMM (Submarine - Launched Mobile Mine), developed in the USA based on the Mk37 torpedo. After firing from the submarine's torpedo tube, it independently reaches the intended setting point, which can be located at a distance of up to 20 km from the carrier.

Rice. 1. Loading mines on the submarine of the French Navy

Fig. 2. Modern Swedish anchor mine K11 (explosive weight 80 kg, setting depth from 20 to 200 m)

Rice. 3. Tests of the ground mine G-2 jointly developed by Germany and Denmark

Rice. 4. Italian bottom mine MRP, created on the basis of the MR-80 mine (explosive weight 780 kg, length 2096 mm, diameter 533 mm)

Rice. 5. Setting mines from a military transport aircraft C-130N (can take on board up to 16 mines weighing about 1000 kg)

In the UK, bottom non-contact mines "Sea Uchin" and "Stone Fish" were created. The first is designed to destroy both underwater and surface targets. Its fuse can respond to changes in the magnetic, acoustic and hydrodynamic (or combinations thereof) zeros that occur in the mine installation area as a result of a ship passing over it. Depending on the size and nature of the targets against which these mines are exposed, they can be equipped with explosive charges of 250, 500 and 750 kg. The mine laying depth is up to 90 m, its carriers are surface ships, submarines and aircraft. The mass of "Stonefish", depending on the number of explosives, is 205-900 kg.

In Italy, the development and production of modern bottom mines is carried out by MISAR (MANTA, MR-80, Fig. 4), Voltek (VS SMG00) and Whitehead Motofides (MP900 / 1, TAR6, TAR16). A typical example of an anchor mine designed and manufactured in Sweden by Bofors is the K11, also known as the MM180. It is designed to combat surface ships and submarines of small and medium displacement. The mass of explosives is 80 kg, the depth of setting is from 20 to 200 m. The same company developed the original ROCAN bottom mine, which, due to special hydrodynamic shapes, can, after being dropped from the carrier, move away from it in a horizontal plane at a distance equal to twice the depth of the sea at this point (hull mines are designed for a depth of up to 100 m, the minimum setting depth is 5 m).

Recently, a mine was created in Denmark, similar in principle to the American Mk60 Captor. Its main elements are: a container with a small-sized torpedo, an anchor device and equipment for a target detection and classification system that responds to changes in acoustic and magnetic fields. After the detection and classification of the target (the main purpose of the mine is the fight against anti-mine ships), a torpedo is launched, which is aimed at the target by the radiation of the operating mine detection sonar. The adoption of such a mine by the fleets of the capitalist states can significantly increase the anti-sweep resistance of the minefields they have set up.
Along with the creation of new types of mines, considerable attention is paid to the improvement of outdated types of naval mines (installation of new fuses, the use of more powerful explosives). So, in the UK, old Mk12 mines were equipped with fuses similar to those on the modern Sea Uchin bottom mines. All this allows the previously accumulated stocks of mines to be maintained at a modern level * .

Mine weapons have an important combat property - they have a long-term effect on the enemy, creating a constant threat to the navigation of his ships and vessels in mined areas of the sea. It allows the release of forces for solving other problems, can reduce the size of the zone blocked by other forces, or temporarily completely close it. Mines dramatically change the operational situation in the theater of operations and give the side that used them an advantage in gaining and maintaining dominance at sea.

Mines are a universal weapon and are capable of hitting not only military targets, but also effectively influencing the country's economy and military production. The massive use of mine weapons can significantly disrupt or completely interrupt maritime and ocean transportation. Mine weapons can be an instrument of precisely calculated military pressure (in a certain situation, it is possible to block a naval base or a port for a certain period of time in order to demonstrate to the enemy the effect of a possible blockade).

Mines are quite "flexible" in terms of their use as a type of weapon. The side that lays mines can either openly announce this in order to exert a psychological impact on the enemy, or organize the laying of a minefield covertly to achieve surprise and cause maximum damage to enemy forces.

Foreign military experts believe that any issues related to mine laying should be considered in the context of the general views of the NATO command on the conduct of war, and in particular on the conduct of naval operations. With regard to the Atlantic theater of war, the main task that will be solved with the start of hostilities of the Allied Forces of the bloc in the theater will be to gain dominance at sea in the interests of ensuring the protection of transatlantic communications linking the United States of America with Europe. Violation of them will have the most serious impact on the possibility of waging war in Europe. As emphasized in the foreign press, without the timely transfer of reinforcement forces, weapons, military equipment and logistics to the continent, the NATO Allied Forces group will be able to conduct combat operations for no more than 30 days. It is also noted that during the first six months of the conflict in Western Europe, ocean transportation should ensure the delivery from the United States of more than 1.5 million personnel, about 8.5 million tons of weapons, military equipment and supplies, as well as 15 million. tons of fuels and lubricants. According to NATO experts, to achieve this goal, it is necessary that between 800 and 1,000 ships with military cargo and 1,500 with economic cargo (mineral raw materials, food, etc.) arrive in European ports every month.

This extremely important task for the Alliance must be solved by conducting a strategic operation in the oceanic theater of war. It will include a series of NATO operations interrelated in terms of goals, place and time to gain dominance in the Norwegian and Barents Seas (destruction of enemy fleet forces and prevent them from entering the Atlantic to disrupt communications), in coastal European waters (ensuring the arrival of ships with forces on the continent reinforcements), in the central part of the ocean (destruction of enemy force groups that have broken through) and in the waters adjacent to the US Atlantic coast (covering coastal communications, protecting ports, areas of loading and formation of convoys). In all these operations important role must play mine weapons. In addition, it will be widely used in solving other problems - the blockade of ports and naval bases of the enemy, strait zones and bottlenecks in order to disrupt the operational deployment of his forces, and primarily strategic ones; blocking enemy fleets in closed seas (Black and Baltic); violation of its sea and river communications; the creation of a regime unfavorable for the enemy in the theater, which makes it difficult for him to carry out not only operations, but also everyday combat activities and causes significant strain on forces and means, additional expenditure of material and human resources due to the need for constant implementation of mine defense measures; preventing the enemy from entering certain areas of the maritime theater, covering their ports and naval bases, landing-prone sections of the coast from strikes from the sea, and a number of others.

Minefields can be placed in the course of daily combat activities and during various maritime operations. If it is necessary to lay large minefields in a relatively short period of time, special minefield operations are organized and carried out.

According to the NATO classification, minefields depending on the areas of setting, they can be active (placed in waters controlled by the enemy), barrier (in neutral waters) and defensive (in their own waters), according to the tasks being solved - operational and tactical scale, according to the number of mines in the barrier - minefields and mines banks. Depending on the depths of the sea available for minelaying, there are shallow water areas (20-20.0 m), with an average depth (200-400 m) and deep water areas (over 400 m).

The role of mine weapons in the conquest of dominance by the combined NATO navies in the Barents and Norwegian Seas is highly appreciated. The laying of active minefields is supposed to be carried out 1-3 days before the start of hostilities in order to destroy the forces of the enemy fleet, primarily submarines, prevent the deployment of its ship groups to the Atlantic, disrupt coastal communications, create an unfavorable regime in the theater, and ensure landing operations. Anti-submarine minefields (active and barrier) will be deployed at the naval base and base points, at anti-submarine lines (cape North Cape - Bear Island, Greenland Island - Iceland Island - Faroe Islands - Shetland Islands - coast of Norway), as well as in SSBN combat patrol areas. Defensive minefields are planned to be used to protect coastal sea lanes, cover landing-accessible coastal areas in Northern Norway, unloading areas for convoys arriving at the North European theater of operations with reinforcement troops, weapons, military equipment and means of MTO.

Foreign military experts believe that the enemy will widely use mine weapons in coastal European waters: in the North Sea, the Baltic strait zone, the English Channel, primarily with the aim of disrupting ocean transportation to Europe. The fight against the mine threat in these areas will be one of the main tasks for the joint NATO navies. At the same time, plans are being developed at NATO headquarters for the active use of mine weapons in operations and combat operations to disrupt the enemy’s sea lanes in the Baltic Sea, destroy fleet groupings of the Warsaw Pact countries, blockade the strait zone, and protect their lanes. For mine laying, it is planned to widely involve submarines capable of secretly laying mines in the immediate vicinity of the enemy's coast, as well as aircraft. Light surface forces (minesweepers, missile and torpedo boats), minelayers will be used to lay defensive minefields in order to block the strait zone to prevent the breakthrough of the Warsaw Pact fleets from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic, to protect ports and coastal communications and cover the landing accessible coastlines. As emphasized in the Western press, in the conduct of hostilities in the Baltic and North Seas, "mine laying plays an important role as an effective element of the war at sea against the threat from a potential enemy."

The use of mine weapons in the Mediterranean Sea will be determined by the tasks solved by the strike and joint NATO naval forces in the theater of operations, the main of which will be the following: gaining and maintaining dominance in certain areas of the sea, establishing a blockade of the Black Sea and Gibraltar straits, ensuring the escort of convoys with reinforcement troops and various items MTO, conducting amphibious operations, protecting their communications. Taking into account the tasks to be solved, as well as the physical and geographical conditions of the Mediterranean Sea, the most likely areas for laying minefields are the Gibraltar, Tunisian, Maltese, Messinian and Black Sea straits, the Aegean Sea, coastal zones on the approaches to the naval base, ports and landing-accessible sections of the coast.

The laying of minefields can be carried out by aircraft, submarines and surface ships. Each kind of forces involved for these purposes has both positive and negative properties. That is why the laying of minefields should be carried out depending on the goals, tasks, place and time, either by one branch of forces or by several.

Rice. b. Loading mines on a submarine of project 206 and a container of the MWA-09 device

Rice. 7. Swedish clay layer "Elvsborg"

Rice. 8. Japanese mine layer "Soya" (full displacement of 3050 tons takes on board up to 460 minutes)

Rice. 9. Mining from a US Navy Knox-class frigate

Rice. 10. Setting mines from a boat

Aviation is capable of laying mines in enemy waters and areas of the oceans (seas) remote from bases in short periods of time with sufficiently high accuracy and regardless of meteorological conditions. It will be involved, as a rule, for massive mining of large areas of water.

The United States has the greatest capability among NATO countries for laying mines from the air. For this purpose, it is proposed to use aircraft of various types: strategic bombers B-52 and B-1B, carrier-based attack aircraft A-6E "Intruder" and A-7E "Corsair", anti-submarine aircraft S-3A and B "Viking", base patrol R- ZS "Orion", as well as to attract military transport aircraft C-130 "Hercules" (Fig. 5), C-141 "Starlifter" and C-5 "Galeksi", "modernized under the CAML program (Cargo Aircraft Minelaying).

The largest number of mines can be taken on board by strategic bombers B-52 (from 30 to 51 Mk52 and Mk36 bottom mines, respectively, or 18 deep-water anti-submarine Mk60 Captor, or 18 Mk64 and 65 of the Quickstrike family) and B-1B (84,250 -kg bottom mines MkZ6). The combat radius of such aircraft, taking into account one in-flight refueling, makes it possible to lay mines in almost any area of ​​the World Ocean.

The mine load of the base patrol aircraft R-ZS "Orion" is 18 mines MkZ6, 40 and 62 (weighing 230-260 kg each), or 11 Mk52 (about 500 kg), or seven Mk55, 56, 57, 60, 41, 64 and 65 (up to 1000 kg). The A-6E "Intruder" and A-7E "Corsair" carrier-based attack aircraft on underwing hardpoints deliver five and six mines weighing 900-1000 kg, respectively, to the setting area, and the S-3A "Viking" anti-submarine aircraft in the version of a minelayer takes on board two 1000-kg mines and four weighing up to 250 kg. When evaluating the capabilities of US Navy aircraft carrier aviation in laying minefields, foreign military experts proceed from the following factors: in the air wing based on a multi-purpose aircraft carrier (86 aircraft and helicopters), there are about 40 percent. carriers of mine weapons, including 20 medium attack aircraft A-6E "Intruder" and 10 anti-submarine aircraft S-3A and B "Viking", and the base patrol aviation of the US Navy (regular forces) includes 24 squadrons (216 machines).

Taking into account the long range and flight speed of aircraft, the speed of laying minefields, the ability to lay mines in areas inaccessible for a number of reasons to surface ships and submarines, as well as the ability to reinforce previously set obstacles in a fairly short time, aviation in the conduct of hostilities in modern conditions will be one of the main carriers of mine weapons. Among the shortcomings of aviation as a carrier of mines, foreign experts attribute the relatively low secrecy of its mine laying. To disguise the fact of mining approaches to ports, naval bases, bottlenecks, fairways, communications centers, it is possible to carry out simultaneous missile and bomb strikes against enemy targets located in the same area.

Submarines, due to their inherent qualities, have the ability to carry out covert laying of mines in the most important places, as well as, remaining in the area of ​​​​the minefield, to monitor it in order to determine its effectiveness and build on the success achieved by using torpedo weapons. Acting alone, they can be effectively used to lay small active minefields (cans) on the approaches to naval bases, ports, at enemy communications nodes, in narrow places, on anti-submarine lines.

For these purposes, it is planned to involve both nuclear multi-purpose and diesel submarines. They expose mines mainly with the help of torpedo tubes, it is also possible to use external attachments for this. American nuclear multi-purpose submarines (with the exception of Los Angeles-class submarines) can be used as minelayers, taking on board instead of part of the torpedoes, SABROK PLUR or Harpoon anti-ship missiles Mk60 Captor, Mk67 SLMM, Mk52, 55 and 56.

The main disadvantages of submarines as carriers of mine weapons is that they are capable of taking on board only a limited number of mines. To eliminate this drawback to some extent, special attachments have been created for some types of submarines. So, in the German Navy for submarines of project 206 there is a similar device, which received the designation MWA-09 (Fig. 6). It consists of two containers, with a capacity of 12 minutes each, which, if necessary, are attached by the crew to the base on the side of the boat's hull in its bow. The setting of mines can be carried out in a submerged position at speeds up to 12 knots. Using the MWA-09 device, the ammunition load of mines for submarines of this project should increase from 16 to 40 units, that is, by 2.5 times (provided that the mines are loaded into torpedo tubes instead of torpedoes).

Historically, surface ships have been the main carriers of mine weapons. According to the experience of armed conflicts, they put up primarily defensive minefields. This was due to the fact that the involvement of surface ships to lay mines in the waters controlled by the enemy required the allocation of special forces to provide cover, as well as the organization of navigation support.

In the fleets of NATO countries, in future conflicts at sea, it is planned to involve both minelayers of a special construction (Germany, Norway, see color insert, Denmark, Turkey, Greece) and warships of various classes, including auxiliary vessels, sometimes transports and ferries . Minelayers are also part of the Swedish Navy (Fig. 7) and Japan (Fig. 8). They are able to take on board a large number of mines, for example, the West German mine transport of the Sachsenwald type, with a total displacement of 3380 tons, can put into the sea from 400 to 800 mines, depending on their type.

However, there are relatively few special minelayers, and therefore high-speed warships (destroyers, frigates), missile and torpedo boats will be involved in large-scale mine laying. Much attention is paid to the preparation of surface ships for their use as minelayers in the navies of European NATO countries. So, almost all warships and boats of the West German fleet are adapted for mine setting. New ships are also being built with this in mind. For example, high-speed minesweepers arriving at the fleet - searchers for mines of the Hameln type can take on board up to 60 minutes. On U.S. Navy surface ships there are no fixed rail tracks designed to receive and lay mines, but devices have been developed that allow you to quickly deploy places on the ship to store and release them (Fig. 9).

During the threatened period and with the outbreak of hostilities, the Naval Commands of the NATO countries plan to involve ships and boats (Fig. 10) of civilian departments and private owners to set up defensive minefields. So, in the USA, for example, activities for the selection of suitable ships (boats) and the training of crews for them are carried out as part of the COOP (Craft of Opportunity Program) program. or installation of mine-sweeping equipment specially designed for them (in the version of a minesweeper - a mine finder). COOP ships are assigned to a specific port, the crews for them are prepared from the reservists. Similar programs exist in a number of European NATO countries.

According to foreign military experts, the importance of mine weapons in military operations at sea will increase and they will be widely used both for offensive and defensive purposes. At the same time, it is emphasized that the greatest effect can be achieved with the massive use of mines in combination with the use of other combat means that are at the disposal of the fleets.

* The main performance characteristics of samples min. in service with the fleets of the capitalist states, see: Foreign military review. - 1989. - No. 8. - S. 48. - Ed.

Foreign military review No. 9 1990 S. 47-55

A sea mine is a self-sufficient one placed in the water for the purpose of damaging or destroying the hulls of ships, submarines, ferries, boats and other watercraft. Unlike mines, they are in a "sleeping" position until the moment of contact with the ship's side. Naval mines can be used both to inflict direct damage on the enemy and to impede his movements in strategic directions. In international law, the rules for conducting mine warfare are established by the 8th Hague Convention of 1907.

Classification

Naval mines are classified according to the following criteria:

• Type of charge - conventional, special (nuclear).
• Degrees of selectivity - ordinary (for any purpose), selective (recognize the characteristics of the ship).
• Manageability - managed (by wire, acoustically, by radio), unmanaged.
• Multiplicity - multiple (a given number of targets), non-multiple.
• Type of fuse - non-contact (induction, hydrodynamic, acoustic, magnetic), contact (antenna, galvanic shock), combined.
• Type of installation - self-guided (torpedo), pop-up, floating, bottom, anchor.

Mines usually have a round or oval shape (with the exception of torpedo mines), sizes from half a meter to 6 m (or more) in diameter. Anchors are characterized by a charge of up to 350 kg, bottom - up to a ton.

Historical reference

Sea mines were first used by the Chinese in the 14th century. Their design was quite simple: there was a tarred barrel of gunpowder under water, to which a wick led, supported on the surface by a float. To use it, it was necessary to set fire to the wick at the right time. The use of such structures is already found in treatises of the 16th century in the same China, but a more technologically advanced flint mechanism was used as a fuse. Improved mines were used against Japanese pirates.

In Europe, the first naval mine was developed in 1574 by the Englishman Ralph Rabbards. A century later, the Dutchman Cornelius Drebbel, who served in the artillery department of England, proposed his own design of ineffective "floating firecrackers".

American developments

A truly formidable design was developed in the United States during the Revolutionary War by David Bushnell (1777). It was still the same powder keg, but equipped with a mechanism that detonated upon collision with the ship's hull.

At the height of the Civil War (1861) in the United States, Alfred Vaud invented a double-hulled floating sea mine. The name for it was chosen appropriate - "infernal machine." The explosive was located in a metal cylinder, which was under water, which was held by a wooden barrel floating on the surface, which simultaneously served as a float and a detonator.

Domestic developments

For the first time, an electric fuse for "infernal machines" was invented by Russian engineer Pavel Schilling in 1812. During the unsuccessful siege of Kronstadt by the Anglo-French fleet (1854) in the Crimean War, a naval mine designed by Jacobi and Nobel proved to be excellent. One and a half thousand exposed "infernal machines" not only fettered the movement of the enemy fleet, but they also damaged three large British steamships.

The Jacobi-Nobel mine had its own buoyancy (thanks to the air chambers) and did not need floats. This made it possible to install it secretly, in the water column, hanging it on chains, or let it go with the flow.

Later, a sphero-conical floating mine was actively used, held at the required depth by a small and inconspicuous buoy or anchor. It was first applied in Russian-Turkish war(1877-1878) and was in service with the fleet with subsequent improvements until the 1960s.

anchor mine

She was held at the required depth by an anchor end - a cable. The melting of the first samples was provided manual setting the length of the cable, which required a lot of time. Lieutenant Azarov proposed a design that allowed automatic installation of sea mines.

The device was equipped with a system of lead cargo and an anchor suspended above the cargo. The anchor end was wound on a drum. Under the action of the load and anchor, the drum was released from the brake, and the end was unwound from the drum. When the load reached the bottom, the pulling force of the end decreased and the drum stopped, due to which the “hellish machine” plunged to a depth corresponding to the distance from the load to the anchor.

Early 20th century

Massively sea mines began to be used in the twentieth century. During the Boxer Rebellion in China (1899-1901), the imperial army mined the Haife River, blocking the way to Beijing. In the Russo-Japanese confrontation in 1905, the first mine war unfolded, when both sides actively used massive barrages and breakthroughs with the help of minesweepers.

This experience was adopted in the First World War. German naval mines prevented British landings and fettered operations. Submarines mined trade routes, bays and straits. The Allies did not remain in debt, practically blocking the exits from the North Sea for Germany (this took 70,000 mines). The total number of "infernal machines" used by experts is estimated at 235,000 pieces.

Naval mines of World War II

During the war years, about a million mines were delivered to naval theaters of operations, including more than 160,000 in the waters of the USSR. Germany installed weapons of death in the seas, lakes, rivers, in the ice and in the lower reaches of the Ob River. Retreating, the enemy mined port moorings, raids, harbors. The mine war in the Baltic was especially cruel, where the Germans delivered more than 70,000 mines in the Gulf of Finland alone.

As a result of mine explosions, approximately 8,000 ships and vessels sank. In addition, thousands of ships were heavily damaged. In European waters, already in the post-war period, 558 ships were blown up by sea mines, 290 of which sank. On the very first day of the start of the war in the Baltic, the destroyer "Angry" and the cruiser "Maxim Gorky" were blown up.

German mines

German engineers at the beginning of the war surprised the Allies with new highly effective types of mines with a magnetic fuse. The sea mine exploded not from contact. It was enough for the ship to sail close enough to the lethal charge. Its shock wave was enough to turn the side. Damaged ships had to abort the mission and return for repairs.

The English fleet suffered more than others. Churchill personally made it his highest priority to develop a similar design and find an effective means of clearing mines, but British specialists could not reveal the secret of the technology. The case helped. One of the mines dropped by the German plane got stuck in the coastal silt. It turned out that the explosive mechanism was quite complex and was based on the Earth. Research has helped create effective

Soviet naval mines were not as technologically advanced, but no less effective. The models of KB "Crab" and AG were mainly used. "Crab" was an anchor mine. KB-1 was put into service in 1931, in 1940 - the modernized KB-3. Intended for mass mine laying, in total, the fleet had about 8,000 units at the start of the war. With a length of 2 meters and a mass of over a ton, the device contained 230 kg of explosives.

Antenna deep-sea mine (AG) was used to flood submarines and ships, as well as to impede the navigation of the enemy fleet. In fact, it was a modification of the design bureau with antenna devices. During combat setting in sea water, the electrical potential was equalized between two copper antennas. When the antenna touched the hull of a submarine or ship, the potential balance was disturbed, which caused the electrical circuit of the fuse to close. One mine "controlled" 60 m of space. General characteristics correspond to the KB model. Later, copper antennas (requiring 30 kg of valuable metal) were replaced with steel ones, the product received the designation AGSB. Few people know the name of the sea mine of the AGSB model: a deep-water antenna mine with steel antennas and equipment assembled into a single unit.

Mine clearance

After 70 years, the sea mines of the Second World War still pose a danger to peaceful shipping. A large number of them still remain somewhere in the depths of the Baltic. Until 1945, only 7% of the mines had been cleared, the rest required decades of dangerous mine clearance work.

The main burden of the fight against the mine danger fell on the personnel of minesweepers in the post-war years. In the USSR alone, about 2,000 minesweepers and up to 100,000 personnel were involved. The degree of risk was exceptionally high due to constantly counteracting factors:

• the uncertainty of the boundaries of minefields;
• different depths of setting mines;
• various types of mines (anchor, antenna, with traps, bottom non-contact mines with urgency and multiplicity devices);
• the possibility of being hit by fragments of exploding mines.

Trawling technology

The method of trawling was far from perfect and dangerous. At the risk of being blown up by mines, the ships walked along the minefield and pulled the trawl behind them. Hence the constant stressful state of people from the expectation of a deadly explosion.

A mine cut by a trawl and a floating mine (if it did not explode under a ship or in a trawl) must be destroyed. When the sea is rough, fix a subversive cartridge on it. Undermining a mine is more reliable than shooting it out of it, since the projectile often pierced the shell of the mine without hitting the fuse. An unexploded military mine fell on the ground, presenting a new, no longer amenable to liquidation danger.

Conclusion

The sea mine, the photo of which inspires fear with just one look, is still a formidable, deadly, and at the same time cheap weapon. Devices have become even smarter and more powerful. There are developments with an installed nuclear charge. In addition to the listed types, there are towed, pole, throwing, self-propelled and other "hellish machines".

Naval munitions included such weapons as torpedoes, naval mines, and depth charges. A distinctive feature of these ammunition is the environment of their use, i.e. hitting targets on or under water. Like most other ammunition, naval ammunition is divided into main (for hitting targets), special (for lighting, smoke, etc.) and auxiliary (training, blank, for special tests).

Torpedo- a self-propelled underwater weapon, consisting of a cylindrical streamlined body with plumage and propellers. The warhead of the torpedo contains an explosive charge, a detonator, fuel, an engine and control devices. The most common torpedo caliber (hull diameter in its widest part) is 533 mm, samples from 254 to 660 mm are known. Average length - about 7 m, weight - about 2 tons, explosive charge - 200-400 kg. They are in service with surface (torpedo boats, patrol boats, destroyers, etc.) and submarines and torpedo bombers.

Torpedoes were classified as follows:

- by type of engine: combined-cycle (liquid fuel burns in compressed air (oxygen) with the addition of water, and the resulting mixture rotates a turbine or drives a piston engine); powder (gases from slowly burning gunpowder rotate the engine shaft or turbine); electrical.

— according to the method of guidance: unmanaged; rectilinear (with a magnetic compass or a gyroscopic semi-compass); maneuvering according to a given program (circulating); homing passive (according to noise or changes in the properties of water in the wake).

- by appointment: anti-ship; universal; anti-submarine.

The first samples of torpedoes (Whitehead torpedoes) were used by the British in 1877. And already during the First World War, steam-gas torpedoes were used by the warring parties not only in the sea, but also on rivers. The caliber and dimensions of torpedoes tended to grow steadily as they developed. During the First World War, 450 mm and 533 mm caliber torpedoes were standard. Already in 1924, a 550-mm steam-gas torpedo "1924V" was created in France, which became the firstborn of a new generation of this type of weapon. The British and Japanese went even further, designing 609-mm oxygen torpedoes for large ships. Of these, the most famous Japanese type "93". Several models of this torpedo were developed, and on modification “93”, model 2, the charge mass at the expense of range and speed was increased to 780 kg.

The main "combat" characteristic of a torpedo - the charge of explosives - usually not only increased quantitatively, but also improved qualitatively. Already in 1908, instead of pyroxylin, a more powerful TNT (trinitrotoluene, TNT) began to spread. In 1943, in the USA, a new Torpex explosive was created specifically for torpedoes, twice as strong as TNT. Similar work was carried out in the USSR. In general, only during the years of the Second World War, the power of torpedo weapons in terms of TNT coefficient doubled.

One of the disadvantages of steam-gas torpedoes was the presence of a trace (bubbles of exhaust gas) on the surface of the water, unmasking the torpedo and creating an opportunity for the attacked ship to evade it and determine the location of the attackers. To eliminate this, it was supposed to equip the torpedo with an electric motor. However, before the outbreak of World War II, only Germany succeeded. In 1939, the G7e electric torpedo was adopted by the Kriegsmarine. In 1942, Great Britain copied it, but was able to establish production only after the end of the war. In 1943, the electric torpedo "ET-80" was put into service in the USSR. At the same time, only 16 torpedoes were used until the end of the war.

To ensure the explosion of a torpedo under the bottom of the ship, which caused 2-3 times more damage than an explosion at its side, Germany, the USSR and the USA developed magnetic fuses instead of contact fuses. The German TZ-2 fuses, which were put into service in the second half of the war, achieved the greatest efficiency.

During the war, Germany developed devices for maneuvering and guiding torpedoes. So torpedoes equipped with the "FaT" system during the search for a target could move "snake" across the course of the ship, which significantly increased the chances of hitting the target. Most often they were used towards the pursuing escort ship. Torpedoes with the LuT device, produced since the spring of 1944, made it possible to attack an enemy ship from any position. Such torpedoes could not only move like a snake, but also turn around to continue searching for a target. During the war, German submariners fired about 70 LuT-equipped torpedoes.

In 1943, the T-IV torpedo with acoustic homing (ASN) was created in Germany. The torpedo homing head, consisting of two spaced hydrophones, captured the target in the 30 ° sector. The capture range depended on the noise level of the target ship; usually it was 300-450 m. The torpedo was created mainly for submarines, but during the war it was also used by torpedo boats. In 1944, the modification "T-V" was released, and then "T-Va" for "schnellboats" with a cruising range of 8000 m at a speed of 23 knots. However, the effectiveness of acoustic torpedoes was low. The overly complex guidance system (and it included 11 lamps, 26 relays, 1760 contacts) was extremely unreliable - out of 640 torpedoes fired during the war years, only 58 hit the target. The percentage of hits by conventional torpedoes in the German fleet was three times higher.

However, the Japanese oxygen torpedoes had the most powerful, fastest and longest range. Neither allies nor adversaries were able to achieve even close results.

Since torpedoes equipped with the maneuvering and guidance devices described above were not available in other countries, and in Germany there were only 50 submarines capable of launching them, a combination of special ship or aircraft maneuvers was used to launch torpedoes to hit the target. Their totality was determined by the concept of a torpedo attack.

A torpedo attack can be carried out: from a submarine against enemy submarines, surface ships and ships; surface ships against surface and underwater targets, as well as coastal torpedo launchers. The elements of a torpedo attack are: assessing the position relative to the detected enemy, identifying the main target and its protection, determining the possibility and method of a torpedo attack, approaching the target and determining the elements of its movement, choosing and taking a position for firing, firing torpedoes. The completion of a torpedo attack is torpedo firing. It consists in the following: the firing data is calculated, then they are entered into the torpedo; the ship performing torpedo firing takes up a calculated position and fires a volley.

Torpedo firing can be combat and practical (training). According to the method of execution, they are divided into volley, aimed, single torpedo, by area, successive shots.

Volley fire consists of simultaneous launching of two or more torpedoes from torpedo tubes to provide an increased probability of hitting the target.

Aimed shooting is carried out in the presence of an accurate knowledge of the elements of the movement of the target and the distance to it. It can be carried out by single torpedo shots or salvo fire.

When torpedo firing at an area, torpedoes overlap the probable target area. This type of shooting is used to cover errors in determining the elements of target movement and distance. Distinguish between shooting with a sector and with a parallel course of torpedoes. Torpedo firing at the area is carried out in one gulp or at time intervals.

By torpedo firing by successive shots is meant firing, in which torpedoes are fired sequentially one after another at specified time intervals to cover errors in determining the elements of the target's movement and distance to it.

When firing at a stationary target, the torpedo is fired in the direction of the target; when firing at a moving target, it is fired at an angle to the direction of the target in the direction of its movement (preemptively). The lead angle is determined taking into account the heading angle of the target, the speed of movement, and the path of the ship and torpedo until they meet at the lead point. The firing distance is limited by the maximum range of the torpedo.

In World War II, about 40 thousand torpedoes were used by submarines, aircraft and surface ships. In the USSR, out of 17.9 thousand torpedoes, 4.9 thousand were used, which sank or damaged 1004 ships. Of the 70,000 torpedoes fired in Germany, the submarines used up about 10,000 torpedoes. US submarines used 14.7 thousand torpedoes, and torpedo-carrying aircraft 4.9 thousand. About 33% of the torpedoes fired hit the target. Of all the sunken ships and vessels during the Second World War, 67% were torpedoes.

naval mines- Munitions hidden in the water and designed to destroy enemy submarines, ships and ships, as well as to make it difficult for them to navigate. The main properties of a sea mine: constant and long-term combat readiness, surprise of combat impact, the complexity of clearing mines. Mines could be installed in enemy waters and off their coast. A sea mine is an explosive charge enclosed in a waterproof case, which also contains instruments and devices that cause the mine to explode and ensure the safety of handling it.

The first successful use of a sea mine took place in 1855 in the Baltic during the Crimean War. The ships of the Anglo-French squadron were blown up on galvanic impact mines, exposed by Russian miners in the Gulf of Finland. These mines were installed under the surface of the water on a cable with an anchor. Later, shock mines with mechanical fuses began to be used. Naval mines were widely used during Russo-Japanese War. In the First World War, 310 thousand sea mines were installed, from which about 400 ships sank, including 9 battleships. In World War II, non-contact mines appeared (mainly magnetic, acoustic and magneto-acoustic). In the design of non-contact mines, urgency and multiplicity devices, new anti-sweep devices were introduced.

Sea mines were installed both by surface ships (minelayers) and from submarines (through torpedo tubes, from special internal compartments / containers, from external trailer containers), or were dropped by aircraft (as a rule, into the waters into the enemy). Antiamphibious mines could be installed from the shore at shallow depths.

Sea mines were subdivided according to the type of installation, according to the principle of operation of the fuse, according to the multiplicity, according to controllability, according to selectivity; by media type

According to the type of installation, there are:

- anchor - a hull with positive buoyancy is held at a given depth under water at anchor with the help of a minrep;

- bottom - are installed on the bottom of the sea;

- floating - drifting with the flow, holding under water at a given depth;

- pop-up - anchored, and when triggered, they release it and pop up vertically: freely or with the help of an engine;

- homing - electric torpedoes held under water by an anchor or lying on the bottom.

According to the principle of operation of the fuse, there are:

- contact - exploding in direct contact with the ship's hull;

- galvanic impact - are triggered when the ship hits a cap protruding from the mine body, in which there is a glass ampoule with an electrolyte of a galvanic cell;

- antenna - are triggered by the contact of the ship's hull with a metal cable antenna (used, as a rule, to destroy submarines);

- non-contact - triggered when the ship passes at a certain distance from the influence of its magnetic field, or acoustic impact, etc. Including non-contact are divided into: magnetic (react to the target's magnetic fields), acoustic (react to acoustic fields), hydrodynamic (react to dynamic change in hydraulic pressure from the target’s stroke), induction (they respond to changes in the ship’s magnetic field strength (the fuse only fires under a ship that has a course), combined (combining fuses different types). To make it difficult to deal with non-contact mines, the fuse circuit included urgency devices that delayed bringing the mine into combat position for any required period, multiplicity devices that ensured the explosion of the mine only after a given number of impacts on the fuse, and trap devices that caused the mine to explode when trying to disarm it .

According to the multiplicity of mines, there are: non-multiple (triggered when the target is first detected), multiple (triggered after a given number of detections).

By controllability, they are distinguished: uncontrolled and controlled from the shore by wire or from a passing ship (as a rule, acoustically).

By selectivity, mines were divided into: conventional (hit any detected targets) and selective (capable of recognizing and hitting targets of given characteristics).

Depending on their carriers, mines are divided into ship mines (thrown from the deck of ships), boat mines (fired from submarine torpedo tubes) and aviation mines (thrown from aircraft).

When setting sea mines, there were special methods for their installation. So under mine can a minefield element was implied, consisting of several mines, set in a heap. It is determined by the coordinates (point) of the setting. 2, 3 and 4 mine banks are typical. Banks bigger size rarely applied. It is typical for setting by submarines or surface ships. mine line- an element of a minefield, consisting of several mines, set linearly. Defined by the coordinates (point) of the start and the direction. It is typical for setting by submarines or surface ships. Mine strip- an element of a minefield, consisting of several mines, set randomly from a moving carrier. Unlike mine cans and lines, it is characterized not by coordinates, but by width and direction. It is typical for setting by aircraft, where it is impossible to predict the point where the mine will fall. The combination of mine cans, mine lines, mine strips and individual mines creates a minefield in the area.

Naval mines during the Second World War were one of the most effective types of weapons. The cost of producing and placing a mine ranged from 0.5 to 10 per cent of the cost of clearing or removing it. Mines could be used both as an offensive (mining the enemy's fairways) and as a defensive weapon (mining their own fairways and installing anti-amphibious mining). They were also used as a psychological weapon - the very fact of the presence of mines in the navigation area already caused damage to the enemy, forcing them to bypass the area or carry out long-term expensive demining.

During the Second World War, more than 600 thousand mines were installed. Of these, 48,000 were dropped by Great Britain in enemy waters, and 20,000 were recovered from ships and submarines. 170,000 mines were laid by Britain to protect their waters. Japanese aircraft dropped 25,000 mines in foreign waters. Of the 49,000 mines installed, the United States dropped 12,000 aircraft mines off the coast of Japan alone. Germany put up 28.1 thousand mines in the Baltic Sea, the USSR and Finland - 11.8 thousand mines each, Sweden - 4.5 thousand. During the war, Italy produced 54.5 thousand mines.

The Gulf of Finland was the most densely mined during the war, in which the warring parties installed more than 60 thousand mines. It took almost 4 years to neutralize them.

Depth charge- one of the types of weapons of the Navy, designed to combat submerged submarines. It was a projectile with a strong explosive enclosed in a metal case of a cylindrical, spherical, drop-shaped or other shape. The explosion of a depth charge destroys the hull of the submarine and leads to its destruction or damage. The explosion is caused by a fuse that can be triggered: when a bomb hits the hull of a submarine; at a given depth; when the bomb passes at a distance from the submarine not exceeding the range of the proximity fuse. The stable position of a depth bomb of a spherical and drop-shaped shape when moving on a trajectory is attached to the tail - stabilizer. Depth charges were subdivided into aircraft and ship; the latter are used by launching reactive depth charges with launchers, firing from single-barreled or multi-barreled bombers and dropped from stern bombers.

The first sample of a depth bomb was created in 1914 and, after testing, entered service with the British Navy. Depth charges were widely used in the First World War and remained the most important type of anti-submarine weapons in the Second.

The principle of operation of a depth charge is based on the practical incompressibility of water. A bomb explosion destroys or damages the hull of a submarine at depth. At the same time, the energy of the explosion, instantly increasing to a maximum in the center, is transferred to the target by the surrounding water masses, through them destructively affecting the attacked military object. Due to the high density of the medium, the blast wave does not significantly lose its initial power on its way, but with an increase in the distance to the target, the energy is distributed over a large area, and, accordingly, the radius of destruction is limited. Depth charges are notable for their low accuracy - sometimes it took about a hundred bombs to destroy a submarine.

The not quite usual combination of “aviation” and “sea” is perplexing for some, but upon closer examination it turns out to be quite logical and justified, since it most accurately expresses the purpose of the weapon and the means of its use. A sea mine has a rather long history of development and improvement and is usually defined as "an explosive charge enclosed in a sealed case, installed at some recess from the surface of the water or on the ground and designed to destroy surface ships and submarines."

It cannot be said that mines were treated with due respect in aviation, rather, on the contrary, they were frankly disliked. This is explained by the fact that the crew did not see the results of the use of weapons, and in general no one could tell with sufficient certainty where the mine ended up. In addition to everything, the mines, especially the first samples, were bulky, pretty much spoiled the already not very perfect aerodynamics of the aircraft, led to a significant increase in take-off weight and to changes in alignment. To this should be added a rather complicated procedure for preparing mines (delivery from the arsenals of the fleet, installation of fuses, urgency devices, multiplicity, power sources, etc.).

The sailors, having assessed the ability of aviation to quickly arrive at the designated area of ​​​​mine laying and quite covertly lay them, nevertheless, had complaints about accuracy, rightly hinting that the mines laid by aviation in some cases turn out to be dangerous not only for the enemy. However, the accuracy of laying mines depended not only on the crews, but also on the area, meteorological conditions, aiming method, the degree of perfection of the navigation equipment of our aircraft, etc.

Perhaps these reasons, as well as the low carrying capacity of aircraft, hampered the creation of aircraft mines. However, with the development of sea mines intended for setting from ships, the situation was no better, and various statements about the leading role of our country in the creation of such weapons, to put it mildly, do not quite correspond to the historical truth and the actual state of affairs.

Aircraft mines must meet some specific requirements:

- do not limit the flight characteristics of the aircraft;

– withstand relatively high impact loads during splashdown;

- their parachute system(if it is provided) must not unmask the setting;

- in case of hit on land, the deck of the ship and the depth of less than a given mine should be undermined;

- the safe landing of the aircraft with mines must be ensured.

There are other requirements, but they apply to all mines and therefore are not considered in the article.

The fulfillment of one of the basic requirements for mines led to the need to reduce their overloads at the time of splashdown. This is achieved both by taking measures to strengthen the structure, and by reducing the splashdown speed. Based on numerous studies, it was concluded that the simplest and cheapest braking device, applicable on mines, is a parachute.

A mine equipped with a large parachute splashes down with a vertical speed of about 15-60 m/s. The parachute method provides the possibility of laying mines in shallow water with small dynamic splashdown loads. However, the parachute method has significant drawbacks and, above all, low accuracy of setting, the impossibility of using bomber sights for aiming, the secrecy of setting is not ensured, since the dirty green parachutes of mines hang in the sky for a long time, there are difficulties with their flooding, and speed limits are great. mortars, parachute systems increase the dimensions of min.

These shortcomings necessitated the creation of mines approaching in their ballistic characteristics to aviation bombs. Therefore, there was a desire to reduce the area of ​​parachutes of mines or, if possible, to get rid of them altogether, which, by the way, ensured an increase in the accuracy of setting (if it was carried out using aiming devices, and not by calculating the time from any reference point) and greater secrecy setting. Some consider it an advantage to reduce the probability of destroying a mine in the air section of the trajectory, without thinking about whether minelaying should be carried out in full view of the enemy. Of course, the equipment of parachute mines must have increased impact resistance, the hull must be equipped with a rigid stabilizer, and the depth of the place of application must be limited.

Domestic design organizations own the primacy of the idea of ​​​​creating non-parachute aircraft mines, although it was not without some overlays, since the MAH-1 and MAH-2 mines developed in 1930, intended for setting from low altitudes without parachutes, never entered service.

In the early 1930s, the first VOMIZA aircraft mine was put into service in our country. It was described in detail in No. 7/1999.

The development of mine weapons in the prewar and war years was influenced by the use of proximity fuses in mines, which were created on the basis of achievements in electrical engineering, electronics and other fields of science. The need for such fuses was caused by the fact that trawling contact mines was not difficult.

It is believed that the first proximity fuse in Russia was proposed in 1909 by Averin. It was a magnetic induction differential fuse designed for anchor mines. The differential circuit provided protection for the fuse from triggering when the mine rolled.

The use of proximity fuses made it possible to increase the interval between mines in the barrier, to carry out an explosion under the bottom of the ship, to use autonomous bottom mines, which have some advantages over anchor mines. However, by the end of the 1920s, only the first steps were taken towards the creation of such fuses.

The principle of operation of proximity fuses is based on the use of a signal from one or more physical fields created by a ship: magnetic (increase in the magnitude of the Earth's magnetic field due to the magnetic mass of the ship), induction (the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction), acoustic (conversion of acoustic vibrations into electrical), hydrodynamic (conversion pressure changes into mechanical impulse), combined. There are other types of proximity fuses based on factors of a different nature.

Aviation anchor mine AMG-1 (1939)

1 - ballistic tip, 2 - anchor, 3 - shock absorber, 4 - mine body, 5 - cruciform stabilizer, 6 - cables for attaching the stabilizer and fairing to the mine.

Setting mines AMG-1

A fuse triggered by an external field is called passive. If it has its own field and its operation is determined by the interaction of its own field and the target, then this type of fuse is active.

The development of domestic proximity fuses for mines and torpedoes began in the mid-20s in the department of the All-Union Energy Institute by a group scientists led by B.C. Kulebyakin. Subsequently, the work was continued by other organizations.

The first non-contact mine was the REMIN river induction non-contact mine. Her fuse was adopted in 1932, he ensured the explosion of the mine after the primary relay was triggered. The receiving part of the fuse was a large coil of insulated copper wire, closed on the frame of a specially designed sensitive galvanometric relay. The mine was intended to be deployed from surface ships. Three years later, the mine was equipped with more reliable equipment, and in 1936, after strengthening the hull, under the name MIRAB (induction river aviation low-level mine) they began to be used from aircraft in two versions: as a parachute from medium altitudes and as a parachute from low-altitude flight ( according to the current documents of this period, flying at altitudes from 5 to 50 m was considered low. However, the mine was dropped from 100-150 m, which refers to low altitudes).

In 1935, they developed a new magnetic induction fuse and a small non-contact bottom mine MIRAB, which replaced the first sample. For the first time, a two-pulse functional circuit was used in a mine. The command to detonate the mine was received after the receiving device actuated twice during the program relay operation cycle. If the second pulse arrived after a period exceeding the relay cycle time, it was perceived as primary, and the mine was switched to standby mode. A two-pulse fuse provided more reliable mine protection from an explosion with a single impact on its receiving part and produced an explosion at a closer distance from the ship than a single-pulse one.

In 1941, MIRAB was once again finalized, the scheme was simplified, and the explosive charge was increased. This version of the mine was very limitedly used in World War II.

In 1932, a student of the Naval Academy. Voroshilova A.B. Geiro, in his graduation project, proposed a rather interesting technical solution for an aviation non-parachute anchor galvanic shock mine. He was offered to continue work on the implementation of the project at the Scientific Research Mine and Torpedo Institute. A group of specialists from the Central Design Bureau (TsKB-36) was also attracted to it. The work was completed successfully, and in 1940, the AMG-1 mine (Geyro aviation mine) was adopted by the naval aviation. Its author was awarded the title of laureate of the Stalin Prize. Mina allowed setting from heights from 100 to 6000 m at speeds of 180-215 km / h. Her TNT charge was 250 kg.

During the tests, mines were dropped onto the ice Gulf of Finland 70-80 cm thick, they confidently pierced it and set it to a given depth. Although according to by and large this was of no practical importance, since the parachutes remained on the surface of the ice. The mine was tested on DB-3 and IL-4 aircraft.

Mina AMG-1 had a spherical body with five lead galvanic impact caps, inside of which there was a galvanic cell in the form of a glass ampoule with electrolyte, zinc and carbon electrodes. When the ship hit a mine, the cap was crushed, the ampoule was destroyed, the galvanic cell was triggered, the resulting electromotive force caused a current in the fuse circuit and an explosion. On sea mines, the lead cap was closed with a cast-iron safety cap, which was removed after the mine was laid. On the AMG-1 mine, the galvanic impact caps were recessed and pulled out of the sockets of the housing by springs after the mine was installed on a given recess.

The body of the mine was anchored in a streamlined shape with rubber and wooden cushioning. The mine was supplied with a stabilizer and a ballistic tip, which separated during splashdown. The mine was installed on a given recess in a loop way, floating up from the ground.

Work on mines MIRAB and REMIN, as well as experimental work on the creation of induction coils with cores made of materials with high magnetic permeability, carried out on the eve of the Great Patriotic War in Sevastopol, made it possible in difficult military conditions, despite the relocation of industry and some design organizations, to create incomparably more advanced samples of AMD-500 and AMD-1000 non-contact bottom mines, which entered service with the Navy in 1942 and were successfully used by aviation.

The team of designers (Matveev, Eigenbord, Budylin, Timakov), testers Skvortsov and Sukhorukov (Navy Research Institute of Mine-Torpedo) of these mines were awarded the title of Stalin Prize laureates.

Mina AMD-500 is equipped with an induction two-channel fuse. The sensitivity of the fuse ensured the operation of the mine under the influence of the residual magnetic field of the ship at depths of 30 m. The explosive charge of the mine provided quite significant destruction at distances up to 50 m.

In the same year, the APM-1 parachute aviation amphibious mine entered service with the mine-torpedo aviation units of the Navy. It was intended for setting on rivers at a setting depth of more than 1.5 m from a height of 500 m or more. Since APM-1 had a weight of only 100 kg, and explosives - 25 kg, it was quickly removed from service.

Until 1939, mine-torpedo weapons were equipped mainly with TNT, and more powerful explosive formulations were sought. In the Navy, work was carried out by several organizations. In 1938, a GG mixture was tested (a mixture of 60% TNT and 40% RDX). In terms of explosion power, the composition surpassed TNT by 25%. Field tests also showed positive results, and on this basis, at the end of 1939, a government decision was made to use the new GT substance for equipping torpedoes and mines. However, by this time it turned out that the introduction of aluminum powder into the composition increases the power of the explosion by 45-50% in comparison with TNT. This effect was explained by the fact that during the explosion, aluminum powder is converted into aluminum oxide with the release of heat. Laboratory tests have shown that the optimal formulation contains 60% TNT, 34% RDX and 16% aluminum powder. The mixture was named TGA.

All research work on the creation and introduction in our country of ammunition for equipping mine-torpedo weapons were produced by a group of Navy specialists under the leadership of P.P. Saveliev.

During the war, combat charging compartments of torpedoes and non-contact induction mines were equipped only with a mixture of TGA. It was with this mixture that AMD mines were also equipped. To ensure an explosion under the most vital parts of the ship, the mines were equipped with a special device that delayed the explosion for 4 seconds from the moment the software relay began to operate. A six-cell mine battery powered the entire electrical circuit, had an output voltage of 4.5 or 9 volts, and its capacity was 6 ampere-hours.

Bottom mine AMD-500

Bottom mine AMD-500 suspended under IL-4

The IL-4 bomber is preparing for the "fly with the AMG-1 mine

The parachute system of the mine consisted of a main parachute with an area of ​​29 m², a brake (area of ​​2 m²) and a stabilizing one, a drop mechanism for attaching and separating the parachute from the mine, a KAP-3 device (a clockwork and an aneroid for separating the stabilizing parachute from the mine and opening parachutes at a given height).

In 1942, they developed a new version of the AMD-2-500 mine with a two-channel fuse. To save the capacity of power sources between the induction coil and the galvanometric relay, an amplifier was turned on, which came into operation only when a signal was received from the standby acoustic channel, indicating the appearance of a signal from the ship. Such a scheme excluded the possibility of triggering an induction fuse, which had a high sensitivity, under the influence of magnetic storms because it was de-energized.

The AMD-2-500 mine was already equipped with urgency and multiplicity devices. The first was intended to bring the mine into a combat state after a certain time, and the second device made it possible to set up a mine to detonate after a certain number of targets were missed, or on the first target after the mine came into working condition. The urgency and multiplicity settings were made during the preparation of mines for use and could not be changed in the air.

Similar devices were used on mines A-IV and A-V coming from England. The main difference between the electrical circuit of the A-V mine and the A-IV mine was that it had a two-pulse operation of the circuit and the multiplicity device was replaced with an urgency device. The double-pulse nature of the circuit was ensured not by electromechanical means, but by introducing a double-pulse capacitor into the circuit. After 10-15 seconds, the mine became ready to fire from the second impulse. The expiration date of the mine was determined by the fact that the urgency device was periodically connected to the battery after 2-6 minutes. The shelf life of the mine was 6-12 months.

Devices of urgency and multiplicity significantly increased the anti-sweep resistance of mines, while protecting them from single explosions and a series. The protective channel, triggered by the shock experienced by the mine body during a close explosion, disconnected the acoustic and induction channels from the circuit, and the mine did not react.

The AMD-2 mine was tested in the Caspian Sea from December 1942 to July 1943, and after some modifications in January 1945, it was put into service in the AMD-2-500 and AMD-2-1000 variants. For some reasons they were considered the best, but in Patriotic war did not apply. For the development of mines, Skvortsov, Budylin and others were awarded State Prizes.

Work on the further improvement of non-contact mines continued, and they tried to use them with various combinations of fuses.

It is of undoubted interest to compare the developments of the US Navy of this period with domestic ones. The most famous are two samples of mines: Mk.KhSh and Mk.KhI mod. 1.

The first mine is parachuteless, non-contact, induction, bottom. It has a body with an inseparable stabilizer. The weight of the mine is 455-480 kg, the explosive is 300-310 g. The case diameter is 0.5 m, the length is 1.75 m. The maximum drop height is up to 425 m, the permissible speed is 230 km / h. The fuse circuit is two-pulse with the possibility of increasing up to 9, the multiplicity is up to 8 cycles.

The unusual thing is that the mine can also be used as a bomb. In this case, there are no restrictions on the drop height. And one more original solution - the induction coil of the mine is amortized and not connected to its body. The circuit does not use capacitors. After two tablets melt in the splashed down mine, two hydrostats are activated (setting depth 4.6-27.5 m). The first one starts the clock of the safety device, and the second one sends the ignition cartridge into the ignition cup. After some time, the electrical circuit was powered and the mine was brought into combat condition.

Mina Mk.KhM was developed for submarines, and its modification Mk.KhI mod. 1 - for aircraft. Reference non-contact parachute mine 3.3 m long, 0.755 m in diameter, weighing 755 kg, explosive charge (TNT) - 515 kg, minimum height of use - 91.5 m. German developments were used to the maximum. Clock mechanisms are widely used in the design, in order to quickly initiate the explosive charge, the detonators were placed across it, the mine was provided with reliable rubber cushioning, which caused criticism due to the high consumption of rubber. The mine turned out to be extremely expensive to manufacture and cost $2,600 (Mk.XS cost $269). And one more important feature of the mine: it was universal and could be used both from submarines and from aircraft. This was achieved by the fact that the parachute was an independent part and was attached to the mine with bolts. The parachute of the mine is round, with an area of ​​28 m² with a pole hole, and was supplied with a pilot chute. It fit into a cylindrical box attached with a German-style parachute lock.

Section of an AMD-2M mine prepared for internal suspension under an aircraft

Section of the IGDM mine, prepared for internal suspension under the aircraft

1 - body; 2 - bowler hat; 3 - parachute casing; 4 - tightening belt; 5 - parachute system; 6 - induction coil; 7 - hydrodynamic receiver; 8 - battery pack; 9 - relay device; 10 - safety device; 11 - parachute lock; 12 - ignition glass; 13 - ignition cartridge; 14 - additional detonator-15 - parachute machine KAP-3; 16 - dehumidifiers; 17 - yokes; 18 - exhaust cable; 19 - cable "explosion-non-explosion"

After the end of the war, work on mine weapons continued, existing models were improved and new ones were created.

In May 1950, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, ships and aircraft were armed with induction hydrodynamic mines AMD-4-500 and AMD-4-1000 (Chief Designer Zhavoronkov). They differed from their predecessors in increased anti-sweep resistance. Using the German captured hydrodynamic receiver in 1954, the design bureau of plant No. 215 developed the AMD-2M airborne parachute bottom mine, which was subsequently adopted for service, made in the dimensions of the FAB-1500 bomb (diameter - 0.63 m, length of the combat mine with internal suspension under the aircraft - 2.85 m, with the outside - 3.13 m, the weight of the mine is -1100-1150 g).

The AMD-2M mine, as the name implies, is an improvement of the AMD-2 mine. At the same time, the design of the hull, bowler hat and parachute system were completely changed. The shock-hydrostatic and hydrostatic devices were replaced with one universal safety device, the relay device was improved, the fuse circuit was supplemented with anti-sweep blocking. Mine fuse - two-channel, acoustic-induction. Explosion of a mine or testing of one multiplicity (on a mine, you can set the number of idle operations of a multiplicity device from 0 to 20) occurs only when the acoustic and magnetic fields of the ship act on the mine receivers.

The new parachute system allowed the use of mines at flight speeds up to 750 km / h and consisted of eight parachutes: a stabilizing one with an area of ​​2 m², a braking one - 4 m² and six main ones - 4 m² each. The speed of mine descent on a stabilizing parachute is 110-120 m/s, on the main parachutes - 30-35 m/s. The time of separation of the parachute system from the mine after splashdown is 30-120 minutes (time for the sugar to melt).

In 1955, the APM small-parachute floating mine, made in the dimensions of the FAB-1500 bomb, entered service. The mine is an improved version of the PLT-2 anti-submarine floating mine. This is a contact electric shock mine that automatically holds a given recess with the help of a pneumatic navigation device, designed for use in sea areas with depths over 15 m. . And if at least one of the fuses broke, then a mine was detonated. The mine was brought into combat position 3.5-4.0 s after separation from the aircraft and allowed installation on recesses from 2 to 7 m every meter. In the case of equipping a mine with an “explosion-sinking” hydrostat, the minimum depth was set at least 3 m. The safety of mine handling was ensured by three safety devices: inertial, temporary and hydrostatic. The parachute system consisted of two parachutes: stabilizing and main.

The principle of operation of the mine was as follows. After 3.5-4 seconds after separation from the aircraft, the mine was put on alert. The urgency device was unlocked, and the clockwork began to work out the set time. Inertial fuses were prepared to be triggered by a mine hitting the water at the time of splashdown. At the same time, a stabilizing parachute was extended, on which the mine was reduced to 1000 m above sea level. At this altitude, the KAP-3 was activated, the stabilizing parachute was separated and the main one was put into action, providing a descent at a speed of 70-80 m/s. If the setting height turned out to be less than 1000 m, then the main parachute was put into action 5 s after separation from the aircraft.

When a mine hit the water, the nose cone separated and sank, the inertial lock of the parachute casing was activated and sank along with the parachute, power was supplied to the navigation device from the battery pack.

The mine, due to the bow cut at an angle of 30 °, regardless of the height of the drop, went under water to a depth of 15 m. With a dive to a depth of 2.5-4 m, the hydrostatic switch was activated and connected the ignition device to the electrical circuit of the mine. Keeping the mine at a given recess was provided by a navigation device powered by compressed air and electricity. Compressed air was used for force impact, and the electric power of the battery pack was used to control the mechanisms that ensure swimming. Stocks of compressed air and sources of electricity provided the possibility of floating mines in a given recess for at least 10 days. After the expiration of the sailing period set by the urgency device, the mine self-destructed (depending on the installation, it was flooded or blown up).

Mina was supplied with slightly different parachute systems. Until 1957, parachutes reinforced with nylon pads were used. Subsequently, the gaskets were excluded, and the time for lowering the mine decreased somewhat.

In 1956-1957. Several more samples of aviation mines were adopted for service: IGDM, "Lira", "Series", IGDM-500, RM-1, UDM, MTPK-1, etc.

The special aviation mine IGDM (induction hydrodynamic mine) is made in the dimensions of the FAB-1500 bomb. It can be used from aircraft flying at speeds up to 750 km/h. The combined induction-hydrodynamic fuse, after the mine entered the combat position, was transferred to constant readiness to receive the ship's magnetic field pulse. The hydrodynamic channel was connected only after receiving a signal of a certain duration from the induction channel. It was believed that such a scheme gives the mine a high anti-sweep resistance.

Mina Serpey, prepared for suspension under the aircraft .. Tu-14T

Mina "Lyra"

Section of the aircraft anchor non-contact mine "Lira"

1 - anchor; 2 – drum with minrep; 3 - ballistic tip; 4 - clock mechanism; 5 - electric battery; 6 - non-contact fuse; 7 - parachute; 8 - contact fuse; 9 – protection channel receiver; 10 - combat channel receiver; 11 - standby channel receiver; 12 - self-destruction device; 13 - explosive charge; 14 - ignition device

Under the influence of the EMF induced in the induction coil of the mine when the ship passes over it, a current arises, and the electrical circuit prepares to receive the impulse of the ship's hydrodynamic field. If its impulse did not act within the estimated time, then at the end of the operation cycle, the mine circuit returns to its original combat position. If the mine received a hydrodynamic field impulse less than the estimated duration, then the circuit returned to its original position; if the impact was long enough, then an idle cycle was worked out or mines were blown up (depending on the settings). The mine was also equipped with an urgency device.

The action of the parachute system of a mine dropped from heights exceeding 500 m occurs in the following sequence. After separation from the aircraft, the check of the KAP-3 parachute machine is pulled out and a stabilizing parachute is pulled out, on which the mine descends at a vertical speed of 110-120 m / s to 500 m. At this height, the KAP-3 aneroid releases the clock mechanism, after 1-1.5 with a parachute with a casing, they are separated from the mine and at the same time a chamber with a brake and main parachutes is pushed out. The drag chute opens, the vertical rate of descent of the mine decreases, the clock mechanism comes into operation, the main parachutes are removed and opened from the covers. The rate of descent is reduced to 30-35 m/s.

When setting a mine from the minimum allowable height, the parachute casing is separated from the mine at a lower height, and the whole system works in the same way as when setting from high altitudes. Parachute systems mines IGDM and AMD-2M are similar in design.

Aviation anchor non-contact mine "Lira" entered service in 1956. It is made in the dimensions of the FAB-1500 bomb, equipped with a three-channel acoustic proximity fuse, as well as four contact fuses. The non-contact fuse had three receivers of acoustic vibrations. The duty receiver was intended for constant listening and, upon reaching a certain signal value, turned on the other two channels; protective and combative. A protective channel with an omnidirectional acoustic receiver blocked the triggering circuit of non-contact fuses. The acoustic receiver of the combat channel had a sharp characteristic directed towards the surface of the water. In the event that the level of the acoustic signal (in terms of current) exceeded the level of the protective channel, the relay closed the circuit of the ignition device, and an explosion occurred.

Proximity fuses of this type were later used in other samples of anchor and bottom mines.

The mine could be installed at depths from 2.5 to 25 m, to a given recess from 2 to 25 m, floating up from the ground (loop method).

The bottom non-contact mine "Serpey" (it owes such an unusual name to a typist's mistake when reprinting, the mine should have been called "Perseus") is also made in the dimensions of the FAB-1500 bomb and is intended for setting by aircraft and ships in sea areas with depths from 8 to 50 m The mine is equipped with an induction-acoustic fuse using the magnetic and acoustic fields of a moving ship.

The laying of a mine from an aircraft is carried out using a two-stage parachute system. The stabilizing parachute is pulled out immediately after separation from the aircraft, upon reaching a height of 1500 m, the KAP-Zt automatic device deploys a braking parachute. After splashdown and testing of safety devices, the fuse circuit enters the combat state.

Aviation mine IGDM-500

1 - hydrodynamic receiver; 2 - parachute system; 3 - collar; 4 - device for the destruction of aircraft mines; 5 - ballistic tip; 6 - ignition cup; 7 - capsule M; 8 - body; 9 - induction coil; 10 - rubber bandage

Aviation jet-floating mine RM-1

1,2 - anchor; 3 - jet engine; 4 - power supply; 5 – hydrostatic sensor; 6 - safety device; 7 - parachute casing; 8 - explosive charge; 9 - drum with minrep

As a result of the work carried out, it was possible to significantly increase the anti-sweep resistance of mines.

Chief mine designer F.N. Solovyov.

Mina IGDM-500 is bottom, non-contact, two-channel, induction-hydrodynamic, aviation and ship, in terms of charge size - small. The mine is placed from aircraft at depths of 8-30 m. It was developed in the dimensions of the FAB-500 bomb (diameter - 0.45 m, length - 2.9 m).

The laying of the IGDM-500 mine (chief designer of the mine S.P. Vainer) is carried out using a two-stage parachute system consisting of a stabilizing parachute of the VGP type (rotating cargo parachute) with an area of ​​0.2 m² and the same type of main parachute with an area of ​​0.75 m². On a stabilizing parachute, the mine is reduced to 750 m - the height of the KAP-3 device. The device is triggered and actuates the lever system of the parachute casing. The lever system releases the drogue chute case with the stabilizing chute attached, separates from the mine and removes the drogue chute case, on which it descends until splashdown. At the moment of splashdown, the braking parachute is torn off by a stream of water and sinks, and the mine sinks to the ground. The detached stabilizing parachute sank when it hit the water.

After the safety devices installed in the mine are triggered, the contacts close and all batteries are connected to the proximity fuse circuit. After 1-3 hours (depending on the depth of the place of setting), the mine comes into a dangerous state.

Increasing the sensitivity of proximity fuses with a limited explosive charge did not give much effect. Based on this, we came to the idea of ​​the need to bring the charge closer to the detected target in order to make the most of its capabilities. Thus, the idea arose of separating the mine from the anchor, on which it was in the waiting position, when a signal was received about the appearance of the target. In order to solve such a problem, it was necessary to ensure the ascent of the mine in shortest time from the depth at which it is installed. For this, a solid-propellant rocket engine using NMF-2 nitroglycerin gunpowder, which was installed on the RAT-52 jet aircraft torpedo, was most suitable. With a weight of only 76 kg, it was almost instantly activated, worked for 6-7 s, developing a thrust of 2150 kgf / s in the water. True, at first there were doubts about the reliability of the engine at a depth of 150-200 m, until they were convinced of their groundlessness - the engine worked reliably.

The research, begun in 1947, was completed successfully, and the ship version of the KRM rocket-propelled mine entered service with the ships of the fleet. The work was continued and in 1960, the RM-1 anchored rocket-propelled mine was adopted by the Navy Aviation. Chief mine designer L.P. Matveev. The RM-1 mine was made in a large series.

The RM-1 mine is made in the dimensions of the FAB-1500 bomb, but its weight is 900 kg with a length of 2855 mm and a charge of 200 kg.

The start of the engine of the mine and its ascent were provided by the signal of the sonar non-contact separator when a surface ship or submarine passed over the mine. The mine is equipped with a two-stage parachute system, which ensures its use from a height of 500 m and above. After separation from the aircraft, a stabilizing rotating parachute with an area of ​​0.3 m 2 is opened, and the mine descends at a vertical speed of 180 m / s until the KAP-ZM-240 device is activated, which is installed at a height of 750 m. At this height, a braking rotating parachute with an area of 1.8 m 2 , reducing the rate of decline to 50-65 m/s.

When entering the water, the parachute system separates and sinks, and the hull connected to the anchor sinks. In this case, the mine can be set at depths from 40 to 300 m. If the sea depth in the setting area is less than 150 m, then the mine occupies a near-bottom position on a minrep 1-1.5 m long. If the sea depth is 150-300 m, then the mine is set at a distance of 150 m from the surface. Separation of Mina from the anchor at a sea depth of up to 150 m occurs with the help of a temporary mechanism, at great depths - when a membrane hydrostat is triggered.

After separation from the anchor and installation for deepening, the mine comes into working position for working out the urgency device, which makes it possible to install from 1 hour to 20 days. If it was set to zero, then the mine immediately came to a dangerous position. Acoustic transceiver, located in the upper part of the mine body, periodically sent ultrasonic pulses to the surface, forming a "danger spot" with a diameter of 20 m. The reflected single pulses returned to the receiving part. If any pulse arrived before the one reflected from the surface, paired pulses were returned to the receiving system at intervals equal to the difference in distances. After the arrival of three pairs of double pulses, the non-contact compartment device started the jet engine. The body of the mine was separated from the anchor, and under the action of the engine, it floated at an average vertical speed of 20-25 m/s. At this stage, the proximity fuse compared the measured distance with the actual deepening of the mine and, upon reaching the level of the target, undermined it.

Modern aviation bottom mines of the MDM family are equipped with a three-channel fuse, urgency and multiplicity devices, and are characterized by high anti-sweep resistance. They are modified according to the type of director.

mine weapons naval aviation, remaining stable in the main elements of the structure, continues to improve at the level of individual samples. This is achieved by modernizing and developing new models, taking into account the changed requirements for this type of weapon.

Alexander Shirokorad

What are naval mines and torpedoes? How are they arranged and what are the principles of their operation? Are mines and torpedoes the same formidable weapons today as they were during past wars?

All this is described in the brochure.

It was written based on materials from the open domestic and foreign press, and the issues of the use and development of mine-torpedo weapons are presented according to the views of foreign experts.

The book is addressed to a wide range of readers, especially young people preparing for service in the USSR Navy.

Sections of this page:

Modern mines and their device

A modern naval mine is a complex constructive device that automatically operates under water.

Mines can be placed from surface ships, submarines and aircraft on the routes of ships, at ports and bases of the enemy. "Some mines are placed on the bottom of the sea (rivers, lakes) and can be activated by a code signal.

The most difficult are self-propelled mines, which use the positive properties of an anchor mine and a torpedo. They have devices for target detection, separating the torpedo from the anchor, targeting and detonating the charge with a proximity fuse.

There are three classes of mines: anchor, bottom and floating.

Anchor and bottom mines serve to create fixed minefields.

Floating mines are commonly used in river theaters to destroy enemy bridges and crossings downstream, as well as enemy ships and watercraft. They can also be used at sea, but on condition that surface current sent to the enemy's base area. There are also floating self-propelled mines.

Mines of all classes and types have a charge of conventional explosive (TNT) weighing from 20 to several hundred kilograms. They can also be equipped with nuclear weapons.

In the foreign press, for example, it was reported that a nuclear charge with a TNT equivalent of 20 kt is capable of causing severe destruction at a distance of up to 700 m, sinking or incapacitating aircraft carriers and cruisers, and at a distance of up to 1400 m causing damage that significantly reduces the combat capability of these ships .

The explosion of mines is caused by fuses, which are of two types - contact and non-contact.

Contact fuses are triggered by direct contact of the ship's hull with a mine (shock mines) or with its antenna (electrocontact fuse). They are usually equipped with anchor mines.

Proximity fuses are triggered by exposure to the magnetic or acoustic field of the ship, or from the combined effect of these two fields. They often serve to undermine bottom mines.

The type of mine is usually determined by the type of fuse. From here, mines are divided into contact and non-contact.

Contact mines are shock and antenna, and non-contact - "acoustic, magnetohydrodynamic, acoustic-hydrodynamic, etc.

Anchor mines

Anchor mine (Fig. 2) consists of a waterproof body with a diameter of 0.5 to 1.5 m, minrep, anchor, explosive devices, safety devices that ensure the safety of mine handling when preparing it on the deck of a ship for setting and dropping into the water , as well as from mechanisms that install a mine on a given recess.

The body of the mine can be spherical, cylindrical, pear-shaped or other streamlined shape. It is made from steel sheets, fiberglass and other materials.

There are three compartments inside the case. One of them is an air cavity, which provides the positive buoyancy of the mine, which is necessary to keep the mine at a given recess from the sea surface. In another compartment, the charge and detonators are placed, and in the third - various devices.

Minrep is a steel cable (chain), which is wound on a view (drum) installed at the anchor of a mine. The upper end of the minrep is attached to the body of the mine.

In the form assembled and prepared for setting, the mine lies at anchor.

Mine anchors are metal. They are made in the form of a cup or cart with rollers, thanks to which the mines can easily move along the rails or along the smooth steel deck of the ship.

Anchor mines are activated by various contact and proximity fuses. Contact fuses are most often galvanic shock, shock-electric and shock-mechanical.

Galvanic impact and shock-electric fuses are also installed in some bottom mines, which are placed in the coastal shallow zone specifically against enemy landing craft. Such mines are commonly called anti-amphibious.

1 - safety device; 2 - galvanic impact fuse; 3-ignition glass; 4- charging chamber

The main parts of galvanic fuses are lead caps, inside which glass cylinders with electrolyte are placed (Fig. 3), and galvanic cells. Caps are located on the surface of the mine body. From a blow to the ship's hull, the lead cap is crushed, the cylinder is broken and the electrolyte falls on the electrodes (carbon - positive, zinc - negative). In galvanic cells, a current appears, which from the electrodes enters the electric fuse and sets it into action.

Lead caps are covered with cast-iron safety caps, which are automatically reset by springs after the mine is set.

Shock-electric fuses are driven by shock-electric method. In a mine with such fuses, several metal rods protrude, which, upon impact with the ship's hull, bend or slide inward, connecting the fuse of the mine to an electric battery.

In shock-mechanical fuses, the blasting device is a shock-mechanical device that is activated by hitting the ship's hull. From the concussion in the fuse, the inertial load is displaced, holding the spring-loaded frame with the striker. The released striker pierces the primer of the ignition device, which activates the charge of the mine.

Safety devices typically consist of sugar or hydrostatic disconnectors, or both.

1 - cast iron safety cap; 2 - spring for dropping the safety cap after setting the mine; 3 - lead cap with a galvanic cell; 4 - glass bottle with electrolyte; 5 - carbon electrode; 6 - zinc electrode; 7 - insulating washer; 8 - conductors from carbon and zinc electrodes

The sugar disconnector is a piece of sugar inserted between the spring contact disks. With sugar inserted, the fuse circuit is open.

Sugar dissolves in water after 10-15 minutes, and the spring contact, closing the circuit, makes the mine dangerous.

The hydrostatic disconnector (hydrostat) prevents the spring contact disks from connecting or the inertial weight from moving (in shock-mechanical mines) while the mine is on the ship. When diving from water pressure, the hydrostat releases the spring contact or inertial weight.

A - a given deepening of the mine; I - minrep; II - mine anchor; 1 - mine dropped; 2 - mine sinks; 3- mine on the ground; 4-minrep is wound; 5-min set at a given depth

According to the method of setting, anchor mines are divided into those that float from the bottom [* This method of setting anchor mines was proposed by Admiral S.O. in 1882].

h is the specified deepening of the mine; I-anchor mines; II - shtert; III-cargo; IV - minrep; 1-mine dropped; 2 - the mine has separated from the anchor, the minrep is freely unwound from the view; 3. 4- mine on the surface, the minrep continues to wind up; 5 - the load has reached the ground, the minrep has stopped rolling; 6 - the anchor pulls the mine down and sets it at a given depth equal to the length of the shaft

When laying a mine from the bottom, the drum with the minrep is integral with the mine body (Fig. 4).

The mine is fastened to the anchor with steel cable slings, which do not allow it to separate from the anchor. The slings at one end are fixed tightly to the anchor, and at the other end they are passed through special ears (butts) in the mine body and then attached to the sugar disconnector in the anchor.

When setting after falling into the water, the mine, together with the anchor, goes to the bottom. After 10-15 minutes, the sugar dissolves, releases the lines and the mine begins to float.

When the mine comes to a given recess from the surface of the water (h), a hydrostatic device located near the drum will stop the minerep.

Instead of a sugar disconnector, a clock mechanism can be used.

Setting anchor mines from the surface of the water is carried out as follows.

A view (drum) with a minrep wound around it is placed at the anchor of the mine. A special locking mechanism is attached to the view, connected by means of a pin (cord) to the load (Fig. 5).

When a mine is thrown overboard, it stays on the surface of the water due to the reserve of buoyancy, while the anchor separates from it and sinks, unwinding the minrep from the view.

In front of the anchor, a load is moving, fixed on a pole, the length of which is equal to the Given mine recess (h). The load first touches the bottom and thereby gives some slack to the pin. At this moment, the locking mechanism is activated and the unwinding of the minrep stops. The anchor continues to move to the bottom, dragging the mine with it, which sinks into a recess equal to the length of the pin.

This method laying mines is also called shterto-cargo. It has become widespread in many navies.

According to the weight of the charge, anchor mines are divided into small, medium and large. Small mines have a charge weighing 20-100 kg. They are used against small ships and vessels in areas with a depth of up to 500 m. The small size of the mines makes it possible to take several hundred of them on minelayers.

Medium mines with charges of 150-200 kg are intended to combat ships and vessels of medium displacement. The length of their minrep reaches 1000-1800 m.

Large mines have a charge weight of 250-300 kg or more. They are designed to operate against large ships. Having a large margin of buoyancy, these mines allow you to wind a long minrep around the view. This makes it possible to lay mines in areas with a sea depth of more than 1800 m.

Antenna mines are conventional anchor impact mines with electric contact fuses. Their principle of operation is based on the property of heterogeneous metals, such as zinc and steel, placed in sea water, to create a potential difference. These mines are mainly used for anti-submarine warfare.

Antenna mines are placed on a depression of about 35 m and are equipped with upper and lower metal antennas, each approximately 30 m long (Fig. 6).

The top antenna is held in a vertical position by a buoy. The specified depth of the buoy should not be greater than the draft of enemy surface ships.

The lower end of the lower antenna is fastened to the mine's minrep. The ends of the antennas facing the mine are interconnected by a wire that runs inside the mine body.

If the submarine directly collides with a mine, then it will be blown up on it in the same way as on an anchor impact mine. If the submarine touches the antenna (upper or lower), then a current will appear in the conductor, it flows to sensitive devices that connect the electric igniter to a constant current source located in the mine and having sufficient power to set the electric igniter in action.

From what has been said, it can be seen that the antenna mines cover the upper layer of water about 65 m thick. To increase the thickness of this layer, they put the second line of antenna mines in a larger depression.

A surface ship (vessel) can also be blown up on an antenna mine, but the explosion of an ordinary mine at a distance of 30 m from the keel does not bring significant damage.

Foreign experts believe that the smallest depth of setting allowed by the technical device of anchor shock mines is at least 5 m. The closer the mine is to the sea surface, the greater the effect of its explosion. Therefore, in barriers designed against large ships (cruisers, aircraft carriers), these mines are recommended to be placed with a given depth of 5-7 m. To combat small ships, the depth of mines does not exceed 1-2 m. Such mine laying is dangerous even for boats.

But shallow minefields are easily detected by airplanes and helicopters and, in addition, are quickly rarefied (spread) under the influence of strong waves, currents and drifting ice.

The service life of a contact anchor mine is limited mainly by the service life of the minrep, which rusts in water and loses its strength. When agitated, it can break off, since the force of jerks per minrep for small and medium mines reaches hundreds of kilograms, and for large mines - several tons. Tidal currents also affect the survivability of minreps and especially their attachment points with a mine.

Foreign experts believe that in non-freezing seas and in areas of the sea that are covered by islands or the configuration of the coast from waves caused by prevailing winds, even a finely laid minefield can stand without special rarefaction for 10-12 months.

The deep-set minefields designed to combat submerged submarines are the slowest to open.

Contact anchor mines are simple in design and cheap to manufacture. However, they have two significant drawbacks. Firstly, the mines must have a margin of positive buoyancy, which limits the weight of the charge placed in the hull, and, consequently, the effectiveness of the use of mines against large ships. Secondly, such mines can easily be raised to the surface of the water by any mechanical trawls.

The experience of the combat use of contact anchor mines in the First World War showed that they did not fully meet the requirements of fighting enemy ships: due to the low probability of a ship meeting with a contact mine.

In addition, ships, colliding with an anchor mine, usually left with limited damage to the bow or side of the ship: the explosion was localized by strong bulkheads, watertight compartments or an armor belt.

This led to the idea of ​​creating new fuses that could sense the approach of a ship at a considerable distance and detonate a mine at the moment when the ship is in the danger zone from it.

The creation of such fuses became possible only after the physical fields of the ship were discovered and studied: acoustic, magnetic, hydrodynamic, etc. The fields, as it were, increased the draft and width of the underwater part of the hull and, in the presence of special devices on the mine, made it possible to receive a signal about the approach of the ship.

The fuses, triggered by the impact of one or another physical field of the ship, were called non-contact. They made it possible to create a new type of bottom mines and made it possible to use anchor mines for setting in seas with high tides, as well as in areas with strong currents.

In these cases, anchor mines with proximity fuses can be placed in such a recess that at low tide their hulls do not float to the surface, and at high tide the mines remain dangerous for ships passing over them.

The actions of strong currents and tides only slightly deepen the body of the mine, but its fuse still feels the approach of the ship and explodes the mine at the right time.

According to the device, anchor non-contact mines are similar to anchor contact mines. Their difference is only in the design of the fuses.

The weight of the charge of non-contact mines is 300-350 kg, and, according to foreign experts, their setting is possible in areas with a depth of 40 m or more.

A proximity fuse is triggered at some distance from the ship. This distance is called the radius of sensitivity of the fuse or non-contact mine.

The proximity fuse is adjusted so that the radius of its sensitivity does not exceed the radius of the destructive action of the mine explosion on the underwater part of the ship's hull.

The non-contact fuse is designed in such a way that when a ship approaches a mine at a distance corresponding to its sensitivity radius, a mechanical contact closure occurs in the combat circuit into which the fuse is connected. The result is a mine explosion.

What are the physical fields of the ship?

Every steel ship, for example, has a magnetic field. The intensity of this field depends mainly on the amount and composition of the metal from which the ship is built.

The appearance of the ship's magnetic properties is due to the presence of the Earth's magnetic field. Since the Earth's magnetic field is not the same and changes in magnitude with changes in the latitude of the place and the course of the ship, the ship's magnetic field also changes when sailing. It is usually characterized by tension, which is measured in oersteds.

When a ship with a magnetic field approaches a magnetic mine, the latter causes the magnetic needle installed in the fuse to oscillate. Deviating from its original position, the arrow closes the contact in the combat circuit, and the mine explodes.

When moving, the ship forms an acoustic field, which is created mainly by the noise of rotating propellers and the operation of numerous mechanisms located inside the ship's hull.

Acoustic vibrations of the ship's mechanisms create a total vibration perceived as noise. The noises of ships of different types have their own characteristics. In high-speed ships, for example, high frequencies are more intensively expressed, in low-speed ships (transports) - low frequencies.

The noise from the ship propagates over a considerable distance and creates an acoustic field around it (Fig. 7), which is the environment where non-contact acoustic fuses are triggered.

A special device for such a fuse, such as a carbon hydrophone, converts the perceived sound frequency vibrations created by the ship into electrical signals.

When the signal reaches a certain value, it means that the ship has entered the zone of action of a non-contact mine. Through auxiliary devices, the electric battery is connected to the fuse, which activates the mine.

But carbon hydrophones only listen to noise in the audio frequency range. Therefore, special acoustic receivers are used to receive frequencies below and above the sound.

The acoustic field extends over a much greater distance than the magnetic field. Therefore, it seems possible to create acoustic fuses with a large area of ​​effect. That is why during the Second World War, most proximity fuses worked on the acoustic principle, and in combined proximity fuses, one of the channels was always acoustic.

When the ship is moving in aquatic environment a so-called hydrodynamic field is created, which means a decrease in hydrodynamic pressure in the entire layer of water from the bottom of the ship to the bottom of the sea. This decrease in pressure is a consequence of the displacement of a mass of water by the underwater part of the ship's hull, and also occurs as a result of wave formation under the keel and behind the stern of a fast moving ship. So, for example, a cruiser with a displacement of about 10,000 tons, moving at a speed of 25 knots (1 knot = 1852 m / h), in an area with a sea depth of 12-15 m, creates a pressure drop of 5 mm of water. Art. even at a distance of up to 500 m to the right and left of you.

It was found that the magnitudes of the hydrodynamic fields for different ships are different and depend mainly on the speed and displacement. In addition, with a decrease in the depth of the area in which the ship moves, the bottom hydrodynamic pressure created by it increases.

To capture changes in the hydrodynamic field, special receivers are used that respond to a specific program of changing high and low pressures observed during the passage of the ship. These receivers are part of hydrodynamic fuses.

When the hydrodynamic field changes within certain limits, the contacts shift and close the electrical circuit that activates the fuse. The result is a mine explosion.

It is believed that tidal currents and waves can create significant changes in hydrostatic pressure. Therefore, to protect mines from false triggering in the absence of a target, hydrodynamic receivers are usually used in combination with proximity fuses, for example, acoustic ones.

Combined proximity fuses are widely used in mine weapons. This is due to a number of reasons. It is known, for example, that purely magnetic and acoustic bottom mines are relatively easy to pick out. The use of a combined acoustic-hydrodynamic fuse significantly complicates the trawling process, since acoustic and hydrodynamic trawls are required for these purposes. If on the minesweeper one of these trawls fails, then the mine will not be cleared and may explode when the ship passes over it.

To make it difficult to clear out non-contact mines, in addition to combined non-contact fuses, special urgency and multiplicity devices are used.

The urgency device, equipped with a clock mechanism, can be set for a period of action from several hours to several days.

Before the expiration of the installation period of the device, the proximity fuse of the mine will not turn on in the combat circuit and the mine will not explode even when the ship passes over it or the trawl operates.

In such a situation, the enemy, not knowing the setting of the urgency devices (and it can be different in each mine), will not be able to determine how long it is necessary to trawl the fairway so that the ships can go to sea.

The multiplicity device starts to work only after the installation period of the urgency device has expired. It can be installed on one or more ship passes over a mine. To blow up such a mine, the ship (trawl) needs to pass over it as many times as the multiplicity setting is. All this greatly complicates the fight against mines.

Non-contact mines can explode not only from the considered physical fields of the ship. Thus, the foreign press reported on the possibility of creating proximity fuses, which can be based on highly sensitive receivers capable of responding to changes in temperature and water composition during the passage of ships over a mine, to light-optical changes, etc.

It is believed that the physical fields of ships contain many more unexplored properties that can be known and applied in minecraft.

Bottom mines

Bottom mines are usually non-contact. They, as a rule, have the form of a waterproof cylinder rounded at both ends, about 3 m long and about 0.5 m in diameter.

Inside the case of such a mine is placed a charge, a fuse and other necessary equipment (Fig. 8). The weight of the bottom non-contact mine charge is 100-900 kg.

/ - charge; 2 - stabilizer; 3 - fuse equipment

The smallest depth of laying bottom non-contact mines depends on their design and is several meters, and the largest, when these mines are used against surface ships, does not exceed 50 m.

Against submarines submerged at a short distance from the ground, bottom non-contact mines are placed in areas with sea depths of more than 50 m, but not deeper than the limit due to the strength of the mine hull.

The explosion of a bottom non-contact mine occurs under the bottom of the ship, where there is usually no mine protection.

It is believed that such an explosion is the most dangerous, since it causes both local damage to the bottom, which weakens the strength of the ship's hull, and a general bending of the bottom due to uneven impact intensity along the length of the ship.

I must say that the holes in this case are larger in size than in the explosion of a mine near the side, which leads to the death of the ship.-

Bottom mines in modern conditions have found very wide application and have led to some displacement of anchor mines. However, when deployed at depths of more than 50 m, they require a very large explosive charge.

Therefore, for greater depths, conventional anchor mines are still used, although they do not have the tactical advantages that bottom non-contact mines have.

floating mines

Modern floating (self-transporting) mines are automatically controlled by devices of various devices. So, one of the American submarine automatically floating mines has a navigation device.

The basis of this device is an electric motor that rotates a propeller in the water, located in the lower part of the mine (Fig. 9).

The operation of the electric motor is controlled by a hydrostatic device, which operates from; external water pressure and periodically connects the battery to the electric motor.

If the mine sinks to a depth greater than that which is installed on the navigation device, then the hydrostat turns on the electric motor. The latter rotates the propeller and causes the mine to float to a predetermined recess. The hydrostat then turns off the power to the motor.

1 - fuse; 2 - explosive charge; 3 - battery; 4- electric motor control hydrostat; 5 - electric motor; 6 - propeller of the navigation device

If the mine continues to float, the hydrostat will turn on the electric motor again, but in this case the propeller will rotate in the opposite direction and force the mine to deepen. It is believed that the accuracy of keeping such a mine at a given recess can be achieved ± 1 m.

In the postwar years in the United States, on the basis of one of the electric torpedoes, a self-transporting mine was created, which, after firing, moves in a given direction, sinks to the bottom and then acts as a bottom mine.

To combat submarines in the United States, two self-transporting mines have been developed. One of them, which has the designation "Slim", is intended for setting up at the bases of submarines and on the routes of their intended movement.

The design of the Slim mine is based on a long-range torpedo with various proximity fuses.

According to another project, a mine has been developed, which has the name "Kaptor". It is a combination of an anti-submarine torpedo with a mine anchor device. The torpedo is placed in a special hermetic aluminum container, which is anchored at a depth of up to 800 m.

When a submarine is detected, the mine device is triggered, the lid of the container is folded back and the torpedo engine is started. The most important part of this mine is the devices for detecting and classifying targets. They allow you to distinguish a submarine from a surface ship and your own submarine from an enemy submarine. The devices respond to various physical fields and give a signal to activate the system when at least two parameters are registered, for example, hydrodynamic pressure and frequency of the hydroacoustic field.

It is believed that the mine interval (the distance between adjacent mines) for such mines is close to the response radius (maximum operating range) of the torpedo homing equipment (~1800 m), which significantly reduces their consumption in the anti-submarine barrier. The expected service life of these mines is from two to five years.

The development of similar mines is also carried out by the naval forces of Germany.

It is believed that protection against automatically floating mines is very difficult, since trawls and ship guards do not clear these mines. Their characteristic feature is that they are equipped with special devices - liquidators associated with a clockwork, which is set for a given period of validity. After this period, the mines sink or explode.

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Speaking about the general directions of development of modern mines, it should be borne in mind that the last decade naval forces NATO countries Special attention devote to the creation of mines that serve to combat submarines.

It is noted that mines are the cheapest and most massive type of weapon that can equally well hit surface ships, conventional and nuclear submarines.

By type of media, most modern foreign mines are universal. They can be placed by surface ships, submarines and aircraft.

Mines are equipped with contact, non-contact (magnetic, acoustic, hydrodynamic) and combined fuses. They are designed for a long service life, are equipped with various anti-sweep devices, mine traps, self-liquidators and are difficult to etch.

Among the NATO countries, the US Navy has the largest stockpile of mine weapons. The US mine weapons arsenal contains a wide variety of anti-submarine mines. Among them, one can note the Mk.16 ship mine with an enhanced charge and the Mk.6 anchor antenna mine. Both mines were developed during World War II and are still in service with the US Navy.

By the mid-60s, the United States had adopted several samples of new non-contact mines for use against submarines. These include aviation small and large bottom non-contact mines (Mk.52, Mk.55 and Mk.56) and the anchor non-contact mine Mk.57, designed for deployment from submarine torpedo tubes.

It should be noted that in the United States, mines are mainly developed for laying by aircraft and submarines.

The weight of the charge of aviation mines is 350-550 kg. At the same time, instead of TNT, they began to equip them with new explosives, exceeding the power of TNT by 1.7 times.

In connection with the requirement to use bottom mines against submarines, the depth of their placement site has been increased to 150-200 m.

Foreign experts believe that a serious shortcoming of modern mine weapons is the absence of long-range anti-submarine mines, the depth of which would allow them to be used against modern submarines. At the same time, it is noted that at the same time the design became more complicated and the cost of mines increased significantly.