CHAPTER XI

SUBMARINE MINES

If the Russo-Japanese war was the first to fully¹ demonstrate the value of the explosive mine, the Great European Conflict has certainly brought this weapon to the forefront in the rapidly growing science of submarine warfare². During the first few weeks of the naval³ fighting several warships⁴, beginning with H.M.S. Amphion, and many merchant vessels⁵ representing millions of pounds sterling⁷, were destroyed by these weapons. Had it not been for the foresight⁸ of the British Admiralty in providing a very large fleet of mine-sweepers, aided by seaplanes, there can be no doubt but what the shipping⁹ of all countries—neutrals 169and belligerents¹⁰ alike—would have suffered far greater losses.

LAUNCHING A GERMAN TROTYL MINE.


A GERMAN SUBMARINE TROTYL MINE ON THE DECK OF A MINE-LAYER.

These mines contain the famous T.N.T., or Trotyl explosive.

The indiscriminate scattering¹² of mines across the trade routes, as carried on by Germany immediately on the outbreak of war, and before hardly any of the ships at sea belonging to neutral countries could be warned to avoid the zone of operations, has never before been so ruthlessly resorted to by a big civilised power.

The system of defence consists of the mooring¹³ of these mines in such positions as to make it almost impossible for hostile ships to pass without either striking or coming within the destructive zone of one or more of them. What are known as floating mines are those set adrift to be washed about by the tide. They explode immediately on being struck by a passing vessel⁶, and, of course, do not discriminate¹¹ between friend and foe¹⁴. The systems of destroying hostile mine-fields consist of counter-mining, or placing other mines in the enemy’s field and destroying it by 170their explosion, and by sweeping¹⁵. The latter method is the one mostly employed in modern warfare. The boats taking part in the sweep place themselves one on each side of the mine-field, and between them hangs a long wire rope, weighted in the centre to keep it well submerged. They then move forward, sweeping the mines to the surface or exploding them harmlessly. It is, however, very dangerous but highly necessary work.

There are two kinds of submarine mines, one is designed to explode on being struck by a passing vessel, and is called a contact mine, and the other is fired from the shore by an electric current, and is known as an observation mine. The explosive principally used is wet gun-cotton or Trotyl, owing not only to the safety with which they can be stored and manipulated, but also to the fact that they seldom explode in sympathy with neighbouring mines, requiring to be actually fired. The importance of this will 171be more fully realised when it is remembered that in warfare it is often necessary to explode certain mines over which hostile ships are endeavouring to pass, while leaving others in fairly close proximity¹⁶ intact, ready to repel¹⁷ a second invasion or to destroy ships nearer to them. The actual explosion is caused by an electric current, either from the shore or from a battery in the mine itself, causing the detonation¹⁸ of fulminate of mercury in conjunction with a small priming charge of dry gun-cotton. Mines are often laid in a series, connected to a battery on the sea-bed in the centre of the line of defence.

The observation mine is mostly used for defending the approaches to harbours, as an observer on shore can watch the movements of hostile warships and explode each mine when the vessel passes over it. Contact mines, on the other hand, are used wherever an enemy’s fleet is likely to pass. They are anchored to the sea-bed by means of a cable and heavy 172weight, and are allowed to float a few feet below the surface. They explode immediately on contact. At times an unscrupulous or demoralised enemy will simply throw a number of these mines overboard and allow them to float at the mercy of wind and tide. They then become a terrible danger to the shipping of all nations, as once they are left unwatched it is extremely difficult to tell with any degree of certainty where they will eventually proclaim their presence by devastating¹⁹ explosions. Happily for the whole seafaring world, this method is seldom resorted to, as mines set adrift in this way become a danger to both friend and foe. In the Russo-Japanese war several ships were destroyed by their own mines.

There are many different kinds of submarine mines, both of the observation and the contact type. Some are spherical²⁰ in shape and others cylindrical²¹. Some are moored²² close down to the sea-bed with a very heavy explosive charge 173(200?500 lbs. of gun-cotton), and have a small buoyant globe floating above them, which, when struck, fires the mine below. Others, known as secret-mines, are kept continually moored in the waterways leading to important naval harbours, and are only allowed to rise sufficiently²³ high from the sea-bed to be struck by passing vessels in times of emergency. The type most generally used is, however, the ordinary offensive contact mine, which contains a powerful explosive charge and is anchored in the path of hostile warships. These mines are usually automatically sown in large numbers over a wide area of sea by the mine-laying fleets.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

3 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

4 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

5 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

8 foresight   

n.先见之明，深谋远虑

参考例句：

• The failure is the result of our lack of foresight.这次失败是由于我们缺乏远虑而造成的。
• It required a statesman's foresight and sagacity to make the decision.作出这个决定需要政治家的远见卓识。

9 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

10 belligerents   

n.交战的一方（指国家、集团或个人）( belligerent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At long last an armistice was declared by the belligerents. 交战双方终于宣布停战。 来自辞典例句
• Yet it remains unclear whether the actual belligerents will accept it. 但真正的交战双方是否会接受还是个未知数。 来自互联网

11 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

12 scattering   

n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散

参考例句：

• The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 mooring   

n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词)

参考例句：

• However, all the best mooring were occupied by local fishing boats. 凡是可以泊船的地方早已被当地渔船占去了。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• Her mind was shaken loose from the little mooring of logic that it had. 就像小船失去了锚，她的思绪毫无逻辑地四处漂浮，一会为这个想法难受，一会为那个念头生气。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

14 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

15 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

16 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

17 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

18 detonation   

n.爆炸；巨响

参考例句：

• A fearful detonation burst forth on the barricade.街垒传来一阵骇人的爆炸声。
• Within a few hundreds of microseconds,detonation is complete.在几百微秒之内，爆炸便完成了。

19 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

20 spherical   

adj.球形的；球面的

参考例句：

• The Earth is a nearly spherical planet.地球是一个近似球体的行星。
• Many engineers shy away from spherical projection methods.许多工程师对球面投影法有畏难情绪。

21 cylindrical   

adj.圆筒形的

参考例句：

• huge cylindrical gas tanks 巨大的圆柱形贮气罐
• Beer cans are cylindrical. 啤酒罐子是圆筒形的。

22 moored   

adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London. 该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。
• We shipped (the) oars and moored alongside the bank. 我们收起桨，把船泊在岸边。

23 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。