...interested in more about sea mines ?

[oldflagswanted]

An interesting forum, even though I mostly just collect worldwide all period battleflags, or more specifically soldier trooped colors. But as a former Cold War aerospace and weapons system engineer I've also had a long time more professional interest in aircraft and anti-ship ordnance too. As such one day at a local small time militaria show on a sales table I ran into a weird large hollow football looking thing that nobody had a clue as to what it was, and the table guy said it had been found floating in San Francico Bay many years ago. Turned out to be a remote antenna for a Mark-6 seamine, likely a relic part from the once extensive WW2 S.F. harbor seamine barrage defence (see diagram below). Anyone interested in more about sea mines? If so please do post it here!
...............................

[Zünder]

Yes, i'm interested in Seamines .

And torpedo's and depthcharges and, and..
Especially german WW2.

[Ordnance]

I have an interest in just about every type of military ordnance, and sea mines are no exception. But as my space is relatively limited, I decided many years ago that I could live without one at home. However, I did help acquire one for the Oregon Military Museum about 15 years ago, a place I do volunteer work for.

Our example is a Mk6 and is complete with the anchor, cable drum, plummet, and mine body, as shown in your illustration. It was assembled from parts found in 3 different California metal scrap yards. All of the mine and anchor parts had been surplused out of the Naval Weapons Storage Depot at Hawthorne, Nevada to various scrappers. About all we need to complete the mine display are the firing horns and that antenna you made reference to. If you have any inclination to find it a home, I sure know someplace it would be appreciated.

I just looked through my digital photos to see if there was a good photo of the mine on the display floor but all I have are partial views in the edge of a picture of some other artifact.. I'll try to stop by the Museum in the next few days and shoot a few images to add to the thread.

As long as I'm taking photos of underwater ordnance there, I'll probably snap a few of the Mk14 torpedo and the Mk6 "K" gun and depth charge. I suppose they'd fit in this discussion too.

[pete]

.

Let me tell you guys somthing about these. They are still routinely located and taken care of by the royal navy. From a couple of guys I know they said thats the advances in metals that the germans were using was wayyy ahead of anything we were using at the time. How do i know that? Well, when they located these mines in recent years, 80s-90s, there wasnt even any corrosion on the important components that the divers were dealing with, after floating around for 6o odd years or coming loose. Still shiney and new!

Sea Mines been used in other places too outside the sea: In Bosnia as demolition charges under bridges, or to roll down hills into villages with time fuse burning.

Best,

Pete

[oldflagswanted]

Mark-6 Sea Mine photos

...I did help acquire one for the Oregon Military Museum about 15 years ago... About all we need to complete the mine display are the firing horns and that antenna... I'll try to stop by the Museum in the next few days and shoot a few images to add to the thread. ...I'll probably snap a few of the Mk14 torpedo and the Mk6 "K" gun and depth charge. I suppose they'd fit in this discussion too.

Sounds great, I'll be looking forward to seeing your museum photos. In the
meantime here is a full view of a Mark-6 with the antenna showing too.

[oldflagswanted]

...longest used piece of ordnance ?

Have heard that this particular piece of ordnance is maybe
the longest used munition in history - from WW1 until well
after the Vietnam War era? Here is a WW1 period photo.

[Ordnance]

Here are a few shots of the Mk6 mine at the Oregon Military Museum. The paint and markings are original.

When I mentioned to our curator, Tracy Thoennes, why I was photographing it today, she said it would be great to find an antenna for it. Apparently, she was alerted to its absence by a young school child on a tour recently. She was a bit surprised that a child would recognize the antenna float was missing but, apparently, there is some sort of animated TV show or movie where the seagoing fish hero has to deal with a tethered sea mine. I understand the little tyke was very well versed in the deployment and use of the Mk6 mine. I guess you never know where ordnance knowledge will pop up.







As long as we are discussing Naval ordnance, I might as well include a few more photos of similar items in the OMM collection. In the foreground of the next photo is a Mk6 "K" gun and two depth charges. In the background is a 1945 vintage Mk14 torpedo on its original torpedo cart. The "DESTINATION TOKYO" graphics on the torp. were copied from a WWII propaganda photo in the collection taken in a Naval ordnance factory.

You can also see a little of a twin Oerlikon deck gun sandwiched between other artifacts. We have a critical shortage of display space on the Museum floor so I apologize for eveything being so jammed together. Enjoy.

[oldflagswanted]

very nice museum photos !!!

Here are a few shots of the Mk6 mine at the Oregon Military Museum. ...Enjoy.

Very nice!
Here is a deploy sequence graphic you might also enjoy?

[Alan Smith]

It may be that the child was talking about the Disney movie "Finding Nemo". My 3 year old watches this movie all the time so I am well versed in it.

The movie revolves around fish living off the coast of Australia. In part of the film the main characters find a WWII American submarine that was sunk when it encountered a minefield. Many of the mines remain unexploded, teathered to the seabed. As part of the story a torpedo becomes dislodged from one of the forward sub's tubes, slides out and makes contact with one of the mines. The resulting detonation triggers all mines in the field to explode.

Quite a sub-plot to find stuck in a Disney movie about a fish.

[oldflagswanted]

...about sea mines in the movies and elsewhere

...the Disney movie "Finding Nemo"...
revolves around fish living off the coast of Australia. In part of the
film the main characters find a WWII American submarine that was
sunk when it encountered a minefield. ...Quite a sub-plot to find stuck
in a Disney movie about a fish.

My favorite sea mine movie sequence is the "Destination Tokyo" harbor
sceen with Cary Grant - many bath tub navy film props like that were
sold off in the now legendary 1970 MGM studio auction. Here is another
view of the "real thing" from around that same time period.

[glaser]

h

I am looking for the complete version (not the 54 pages) of "OP 1673 A" US manual on german ordnance mines, 1946 , I did not found one on the www

[JCB]

mines

Great thread, Last year someone on gunbroker was selling a WWII Russian sea mine. I think the price was $5k, a bit high in my opinion. A similar mine is being sold through this website. Asking price $6.5K http://cannonsuperstore.com/missiles.html


Right now a British mine is offered through www.specialistauctions.com. Here is the link: http://www.specialistauctions.com/au...php?id=1555935

I collect Japanese Ordnance and Japanese flags, I am looking for any type of Japanese sea mine.


Jim
JapaneseOrdnance(at)yahoo.com

Here is a pic of some of my Japanese Anti boat mines. These were used mostly for beach defense. They were also used as anti tank mines. These two came from Iwo.

[uscob]

I want to get rid of this one:
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=603960