Submarine Mine
Item
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Title (Dublin Core)
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Submarine Mine
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Article Title and/or Image Caption (Dublin Core)
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Wouldn't This Puzzle the Enemy? A mine or torpedo that zig-zags under water to find its prey
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Caption 1: This picture shows the zig-zag path which the new submarine mine follows in its under-water course
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Caption 2: The front part of. the mine contains the explosive; the rear part the propelling mechanism and control
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extracted text (Extract Text)
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A MINE which travels under water in
a zig-zag fashion, somewhat like a
drunken man on the sidewalk, and
which therefore makes a terrible nuisance
of itself, has been invented by a foreign
officer, a noted
authority on
mines and ex-
plosives who is
co-operating
with the U. S.
Government.
The mine con-
sists of two
parts fastened
together, but
separated by a
wall. One of
the chambers,
that in front,
contains the
explosive
charge and has
at its forward
end the contact trigger which explodes the
charge when it hits the object for which it
is intended. The other compartment
contains the motor and a mechanism
which alternately drives first one then the
other of the two propellers, thereby giving
to the mine a zig-zag course, but tending
in the general direction of the objective
point, while crossing and recrossing the
medial line at oblique angles. It is the
theory of the inventor that by this zig-zag
motion the chances of the mine's hitting
the objective are greatly increased. A
weighted keel maintains the mine in the
desired depth under the surface and also
prevents its rolling. As it may sometimes
be desirable to
drive the mine
at a differ-
ent depth, the
keel is remov-
able and may
be supplanted
by a heavier or
lighter keel or
fin, as the case
may require.
Any kind of
explosive may
be used in this
mine, but the
inventor fa-
vors T. N. T.,
wet _gun-cotton
or dynamite,
and also advocates the additional use
of mono-nitro-naphthalene which, when
the mine is exploded, gives off a dense
black smoke, which will envelop the vessel
struck and prevent signaling, repairs or
rescue.
As the presence of such a mine in the
water constitutes a constant danger to
shipping, provision is made to cause it to
sink after a predetermined period. A |
timing mechanism opens a valve in the
rear end of the mine, allowing
the water to enter. The
weight of the water causes
the unexploded mine to sink"
to the bottom, preventing
accidental discharge.
To propel the mine, each
propeller may have its own
motor, and the motors work
alternately, or there may be
but a single motor, the power
of which is applied alternately
to the propellersby an oseillat-
ing gear or otherwise. The
invention permits of many
non-essential variations.
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Language (Dublin Core)
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eng
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Date Issued (Dublin Core)
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1918-06
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pages (Bibliographic Ontology)
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871
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Rights (Dublin Core)
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Public Domain (Google digitized)
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Archived by (Dublin Core)
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Filippo Valle
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Alberto Bordignon (Supervisor)
Popular Science Monthly, v. 92, n. 6, 1918
