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British Ordnance Collectors Network

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For your eyes only (unless you really have money to spend...)

The U.S. WWI and WWII floating seamine didn't use horns to initiate the mine's detonation. It used a copper floating contact. When a steel object contacted the copper float in salt water, the galvanic action produced electricity that detonated the mine.
 
I went back and reviewed the info on the MK6 mine. It was used by the U.S. from 1917 up through 1985. It did have small hertz horns, but the main contact was the copper floating "Antenna". I will post some photos and diagrams this evening.
 
I went back and reviewed the info on the MK6 mine. It was used by the U.S. from 1917 up through 1985.
It was developed from around 1910, and first fielded during WW1.
Several countries used this mine well past year 2000 - like for instance Norway (I'm sure some are still in service somewhere in the world today).

It did have small hertz horns, but the main contact was the copper floating "Antenna". I will post some photos and diagrams this evening.
It had no hertz-horns, the horns were also galvanic-action like the antennas. The mine came in several versions with or without upper/lower antennas and different types of anchors (sinkers).
 
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