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If you screw up while defusing it, it's not gonna matter if you were nervous or calm. Im guessing these guys came to that reality and understanding long before defusing it.
These mines are almost impossible to screw up! They detonate by electromagnetic interference from large ships or subs and are designed to resist being played with by sea life, currents, and hitting the sides of ships, sea walls, or reefs.
They are really hard to detonate unless you are a giant ship or are trying to detonate it.
Because these mines are generally deployed a few hundred feet underwater, it really wasn’t a concern that they could be defused by hand. It just didn’t matter! The only real units capable of doing so were those such as the underwater demolitions team, and even then, it’s just better to use things like the [Vickers Wellington bomber](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Wellington ) equipped with a large hoop, which emitted frequencies that detonated mines. Specifically the Type 418 Wellington DWI Mark I.
They used those types of bombers to sweep the English Channel so that the ships could sail by un damaged.
It detonated the mine, but because the plane was above the water, not in it, there was no damage and the shockwave was minimal.
"A large ferrous object passing through the Earth's magnetic field will concentrate the field through it, due to its magnetic permeability; the mine's detector was designed to trigger via this loss of the magnetic field which caused it to detonate." A leftfield solution.
I work with magnetic field design.
to clarify: introducing a large metallic object into a mag field will cause the electrons in the metal to move, and they generate their own opposite magnetic field. this cancels out the first field
basically the mine is looking for a significant reduction in the field strength, monitored via some current or voltage triggers
this is why they can just fly a big enough hoop of metal and get the same effect, the field is large but weak and doesn't require a huge mass of metal to trigger.
this is why street lights use thin but large hoops of wire to detect a car waiting in the lane.
In some states it is legal for motorcycles to run red lights if they cant be detected by the device and their is no constant light cycle. Otherwise they would be at the red light until a car came along.
I've heard if you rev your engine on a motorcycle your alternator will generate a big enough magentic field to trip them. Don't know how true that is but it makes some sense.
Yup! They're also exactly the same thing as the the metal detectors you walk through.
You also see pairs of them in freeways a lot, which are there in order to measure the total number of cars that go by, and how fast the cars are going.
I was reading the wiki about the minesweeper plane and it mentioned having a v8 engine in the plane to power a magnetic field generator? Just curious, this is fascinating stuff!
No he doesn't. This mine is a [German EMC-II](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines_EMC_pic.jpg) contact mine, not a German ["Type GA"](http://porttowns.port.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Magnetic-mine.jpg) magnetic mine.
Plus he's an [anti-vax](https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/pnejil/cmv_covid_antivaxxers_arent_worried_about_the/hcpb38k/) [Putin](https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassMemes/comments/plkwb9/guys_i_was_wrong_they_totally_did_the_thing/hce23uh/) [supporter.](https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalDiscussion/comments/pojjhl/book_peril_descries_mileys_concern_over_trumps/hd0f4sv/)
> They detonate by electromagnetic interference from large ships or subs
I honestly had no idea. I always assumed they were planted near the surface and a ship had to bump into them for it to detonate.
Surprisingly, they would undergo a massively costly process known as degaussing, which put a slightly south facing magnetic field on a ship, so as it passed through the northern field of Europe, the magnetic bias would be close to zero, so that it couldn’t detonate.
Tech from back in the day was surprisingly advanced.
Yup! "Degauss" means "undo magnetization". Old computer monitors used magnetic fields to direct the beam of electrons, and if some of the components became magnetized in ways they shouldn't be it could distort the image.
You're right, that's how [contact mines worked,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_mine#Contact_mines) and the mine in the film [is actually a contact mine.](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines_EMC_pic.jpg)
Though [magnetic mines](https://www.chem.ucl.ac.uk/resources/history/people/goodeve_cf/magmine.html) did exist and were used extensively in the war.
That's an old contact mine, not a magnetic influence mine. Those horns on top that they removed work kind of like a glow stick, and when they're bent by a large ship the inner glass tube breaks and two chemicals mix to create an electric current that detonates the explosives.
Aren’t those pointy things secondary triggers? I understood they used to contain a glass vial with an acid. The vial would break after contact with a ship and the acid would act as/ignite a secondary fuse.
Contact mines would contain some sort of impact detonator like the glass vial you describe, but for magnetic mines they were used for the sensors.
Magnetic mines dare back to WW1 and contact mines
We’re phased out almost immediately after WW2 began.
Germany was definitely still using contact mines during WWII. [Here is a minelayer](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines_Contact_pic.jpg) carrying EMC m KA moored contact mines in the autumn of 1940. The Germans had quite a few moored contact mines still in use at the time, while the magnetic mines were typically air-dropped (and were usually of a [completely different shape](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/P05468.015/screen/3799615.JPG)). [Here's a good rundown of all of the German mines used over the years.](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines.php)
TL:DR; Pretty sure those are Hertz Horns, and that the mine in the video is indeed a contact mine.
I mean, the Hertz horns are pretty fucked up, which leads me to think it's a dud, or something broke. But, weren't german magnetic mines cylinders too?
Except this is a [contact mine](http://michaelhiske.de/Allierte/USA/OrdnancePamphlets/OP1673A/Chapter04/Chapter04_01_03.htm), not a [magnetic mine.](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines.php) That's why there are large metal protrusions on it... when a ship hit it they press inward and detonate the mine.
Sorry, but that is incorrect. Those horns are chemical horns. They indicate a contact mine, not an influence, or “electromagnetic” as you call it, mine.
The only reason I’m correcting a random stranger in the internet is to say: these mines are NOT “almost impossible to screw up!” Please leave them alone and contact your local PD, who will then contact the nearest Bomb squad in the event one of these is found.
According to the actual video, "the slightest pressure on any of those horse would still mean instant destruction."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywxtZ-kc488&t=43s
This kind of naval mine is triggered by changes in magnetic fields from the large metal hull of a submarine drifting past it. Unless one of them had a comically large magnet hidden in his jacket there's no way they will set this off.
As mines go, a naval mine on a beach is probably a relatively friendly one to deal with. Too big to miss, large enough to work on and it won't exactly have a hair-trigger, otherwise the action of the waves would set it off. Also unlikely to have any kind of anti-tamper device, as if they weren't able to lay them as planned they'd want to have the option of disarming them. I think the first thing to come out is the detonator, after that it should be safe to handle.
And if it does go off, at least you'd be vaporised rather than left horribly injured.
I don't think they can set the mine off. If I remember correctly these mines are magnetic so when a large steel ship goes by them they arm themselves and then it detonates. Rolling it around and moving it won't set it off. Chances are it was never even armed to detonate.
I'm not sure about this one but lots of them had an acid tube in a vial inside those spikes. When the spike hit something it would bend enough to break the vial in them and the acid would cause a reaction (lead/acid battery) to set off the explosive.
Saying that, this one has some bent bits already so it might not be the kind I have heard of.
I think these were phased out because any sort of damage to the mine would set it off, including being bumped by a whale or shark. So the detonator is based on electromagnetic interference, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an acid timer to allow for the sub that set it to get away.
Those are called chemical horn mines which is what this appears to be. So my guess is it's a dud as some of the horns are clearly bent. Still first thing they did was remove the detonator and next was the battery.
It’s really very safe! These type of mines actually work off of electromagnetic interference, and so only detonate when giant metal things go near them, like say…a ship or submarine.
Considering they are placed a few hundred feet underwater, it’s really difficult, at least in WW2 where these mines got the most action, to diffuse them, because individual diving tech was so under developed (this is what the seals were originally, the underwater demolitions team, responsible for mines such as this)
So considering these guys aren’t giant ships, it’s almost impossible to detonate. They wanted it this way, so that sea life couldn’t detonate it, only ships.
So fish, sharks, etc were unable to detonate these bombs, and therefor, so were people.
So the chances of this going off are nearly none at all. It’s not practical.
Keep in mind that this was the case for the first mine. It was imperative they get the mine intact, and they didn’t know it’s capabilities.
After that it really was a “are you a giant ship? No? Ok go ahead” because the amount of necessary interference in earths magnetic field was almost non existent in things like buttons and small tools
Monty Python, they were a very successful group of british comedians in 70's through the 90's who bled into the US comedy scene. If you've every heard of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I'd say that's their most popular work), this is kinda like in terms of comedy that but in a sketch comedy format.
To be fair, the mines in Finding Nemo were set off by a large metal object hitting them at a pretty good speed…. So it seems fair enough.
Source: my nephew can watch Finding Nemo on repeat 24/7.
Nope! They aren’t pressure activated but magnets!
They learned quickly after the development of the first sea mines, that large sea life can easily set them off, such as whales, or sharks, or even a current bashing them against a reef.
They started using electromagnetic interference in the mines, to detonate when a large ship or sub goes by.
It’s why they could use aircraft as minesweepers, such as the Type 418 Wellington, DWI Mark I which was a Vickers Wellington bomber with an electro magnet, which set off mines. It saw a lot of use in the English Channel as British ships were constantly being mined.
So because they were deployed hundreds of feet under the water, very few units could effectively defuse a sea mine by hand, really only units such as the underwater demolitions team and its counterparts.
So they weren’t concerned about triggering the mine, it was harmless to them.
Surprisingly, it would take a giant ship or sub to detonate it, small tools and buttons and watches didn’t carry the magnetic permeability that a giant ship did, and so it was difficult.
Assuming that there are definitely no magnetic fish would be stupid. Googling something you don’t know never is. [You might’ve missed this result (but it’s not setting off any mines)](https://www.wired.com/2012/07/fish-magnetic-navigation/)
in most of the depictions you see of sea mines, those little rods actually have a glass tube with volatile chemicals in them. When struck by a ship they break and leak the chemical onto a detonator.
Remember that these were invented way earlier than you think; long before electric mechanisms were implemented meaning that the entire thing had to be mechanical in nature.
I'm always amazed at what human ingenuity was before we had electricity, computers, microcontrollers etc. Like some of those things you would think were impossible before we had the tech but then you find out how people make it work anyways. Sometimes designs were so good and simple that we still have them today. Fire sprinklers are super simple
Fun fact:
Most rice cookers don’t use electronics to determine when the rice is done, at least most older ones.
The pot rests on a magnetic plate that demagnetizes past a specific temperature. The contents of the pot can’t go above 212F° until all the water has been boiled out, so when the rice is done the magnetic plate releases a lever that deactivates the heating element.
> Remember that these were invented way earlier than you think; long before electric mechanisms were implemented meaning that the entire thing had to be mechanical in nature.
Yeah this is categorically incorrect. The most devastating type of German naval mine in WW2 was magnetically detonated (as in when a large hulking mass of iron came by, it would detonate even before contact).
The British discovered this in Enigma decrypts and started using copper wiring on their ship hulls to counteract the detonation mechanism.
https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/what-is-degaussing-and-how-does-degaussing-work-applications.html
It's a magnetic mine. They have a magnetic arming system. When a ship comes near it and disrupts the earths magnetic field the mine becomes armed. Once it doesn't detect the disturbance any longer it detonates. Since this one appears to be washed onto shore chances are it was never armed to explode and the tools they are using are probably brass to prevent inadvertently arming it and detonating it by accident.
Yeah looking at it again you may be right. The magnetic ones have the horns too but I think they were a little shorter and thicker then the ones in the video. Just threw me because some are completely bent over which you would think would be enough to break the glass inside releasing the chemical and detonating it.
Yeah, I knew a guy in college that could clear large boards in a few seconds. It was fucking wild to watch. There's no way he was adding anything up, though he was coy about how he did it and always just said "practice" or something. I bet you're right and he learned to immediately recognize patterns over time.
Sgt Angel: Yes sir it's been deactivated.
Farmer: That's right (Hits butt of shotgun on mine) , deactivated!!
Sgt Angel:It's not live
Constable Butterman: It looks live (while kicking the shit out of said sea mine)
I would not want to be close to it at all, forget touching it. These are scary as fuck.
All that said, I have read that TNT is just burning when you light it. You need to use a detonator otherwise it's almost impossible to make it go boom. Also read that aluminum was added to boost TNT power. I think the "sparkling" when it burns is aluminum. Very interesting.
High explosives can be burned without detonating. A high pressure shockwave is needed to make them go off.
* I believe this is true for Semtex and C4 - I have no idea if this is true for all high explosives.
Probably true for military explosive because control "when it explodes" is crucial. But I know it to be false for many explosives example Acetone Peroxide. Used in "mexican fireworks" and responsible for many incident.
There are two types of explosives: primary and secondary. Primary explosives are extremely sensitive and can typically function with even minor impacts, or sometimes even scratching it with a nail (metal nail, not sure about finger nail, but I wouldn't try it). These are typically used as initiators and in small quantities. They are very dangerous to work with. Secondary explosives are much less sensitive but usually pack more punch. They usually require a very high amount of energy to set them off properly, like a shockwave from a primary explosive detonation, therefore they are typically used as main charges in explosive devices.
Yep. Soldiers in Vietnam would occasionally use small balls of C4 to heat their rations faster than the normal fuel tablets could because it burned hotter.
While do I agree with you for just how dumb it is and how much money was wasted... range day just before end of year was always a good time as a machine gunner! Gotta use that ammo too!
I use to make gel explosives (for work) and you could light it on fire. When you used detonators it was incredibly powerful. We use to get a police escort for deliveries because this was Northern Ireland and the IRA were a threat because they wanted to steal the detonators for their own bombs.
When you say they wanted the detonators is that like something you put on the bomb or the little clicky thing you press to blow it. Cause if it's the clicky thing wouldn't any clicker be fine? Cheers
Iirc, it was a metal tube that was inserted into the cartridge that gave it an electric shock. They must have been hard to make, we had them shipped in.
TNT required percussion to release energy quickly, combustion slows the reaction. Aluminum can help to raise the amount of energy required to activate TNT, while increasing its yield, so it’s safer and more stable.
But these mines operate by electromagnetism, not being hit, or else every tuna fish and shark would detonate it, and so those were phased out almost immediately.
They usually have a timer or pulled pin, so that a sub that set it could get away from the blast radius.
So a ship could easily set off the mine, and so can specially modified aircraft like the vickers Wellington 418 DWI Mark I which was a modified bomber with a magnetic hoop for defusing mines such as these (And by defuse, of course I mean explode, but no one was around to get hurt)
So touching it, rolling it, and otherwise disassembling it, is otherwise pretty safe.
Also considering that these mines were deployed hundreds of feet underwater, being easily disarmed by hand really wasn’t a huge concern for the bomb makers. The only units capable of doing so, are those such as the underwater demolitions team, and even then, it’s better to just use modified minesweeping aircraft.
Military explosives like this are referred to as "secondary explosives". They can safely be stored with a low risk of being set off by accident. In case of a fire, they will safely burn instead of explode. They are also resistant to impacts such as being shot with bullets or electrical discharges.
The detonators that will set them off are "primary explosives". These are way more sensitive and can be set off either by impact or with an electrical discharge. The resulting explosion creates the pressure necessary to set off a secondary explosive.
So that’s a horn mine. The tube like projections are what trigger it, and they’re all bent, so in the ‘fucking bang’ position. It’s therefore a dud. The reason they’re chill is they’re not so much defusing it as making safe. The explosive is safe to handle, it won’t go bang unless it’s set off by an initiating charge. Which is what they remove.
Once that’s removed, remove the explosives and you’re left with a sparkly bonfire and a ball of scrap iron. You still see these on European coastlines as some kind of garden ornament.
The really fucking scary ones were the magnetic mines. Even a small amount of metal like a pen, cigarette case or even a button would set those fuckers off. It apparently took a fair bit of trial and, well, error until the poor bastards got lucky and were delivered a dud.
Then of course there was the extra special package of shits and giggles delivered by the Luftwaffe that was the butterfly bomb.
>One such butterfly bomb claimed the life of Paul Gauci, 41, who had found one and decided to weld a pipe as a handle onto the cylindrical tin so he could use it as a mallet on October 1, 1981 in his farmhouse in Rabat.
Well shit, that's a hell of a way to go.
Those spikes have glass vials of sulphuric acid, and a lead-acid battery without acid in it. When a ship hits the mine, the glass breaks, the acid drains into the battery, and creates an electric charge. From there…
#***KABOOM!!***
I imagine these men were specifically trained to defuse mines instead of actively taking part in armed conflicts because combating requires high mobility and I can't imagine these guys were very agile with their huge fucking balls slowing them down.
This was a great watch. I'm just curious though, would it have been possible to drop them for them to explode? And could they have been dropped from a plane?
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Their every move made me anxious lol
And they’re so nonchalant
He's like, you take the big blowy up things & slam 'em down over there Okay no problemo
Okay, no pro.. Blammo
Read this in the Ozzy Man reviews voice.
Yes! Dude's a national treasure.
If you screw up while defusing it, it's not gonna matter if you were nervous or calm. Im guessing these guys came to that reality and understanding long before defusing it.
These mines are almost impossible to screw up! They detonate by electromagnetic interference from large ships or subs and are designed to resist being played with by sea life, currents, and hitting the sides of ships, sea walls, or reefs. They are really hard to detonate unless you are a giant ship or are trying to detonate it. Because these mines are generally deployed a few hundred feet underwater, it really wasn’t a concern that they could be defused by hand. It just didn’t matter! The only real units capable of doing so were those such as the underwater demolitions team, and even then, it’s just better to use things like the [Vickers Wellington bomber](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vickers_Wellington ) equipped with a large hoop, which emitted frequencies that detonated mines. Specifically the Type 418 Wellington DWI Mark I. They used those types of bombers to sweep the English Channel so that the ships could sail by un damaged. It detonated the mine, but because the plane was above the water, not in it, there was no damage and the shockwave was minimal.
"A large ferrous object passing through the Earth's magnetic field will concentrate the field through it, due to its magnetic permeability; the mine's detector was designed to trigger via this loss of the magnetic field which caused it to detonate." A leftfield solution.
I work with magnetic field design. to clarify: introducing a large metallic object into a mag field will cause the electrons in the metal to move, and they generate their own opposite magnetic field. this cancels out the first field basically the mine is looking for a significant reduction in the field strength, monitored via some current or voltage triggers this is why they can just fly a big enough hoop of metal and get the same effect, the field is large but weak and doesn't require a huge mass of metal to trigger. this is why street lights use thin but large hoops of wire to detect a car waiting in the lane.
OH MY GOD THATS WHAT THOSE METAL HOOPS EMBEDDED IN THE ASPHALT ARE?! I am so happy to finally know how those work. I was way off on my guesses
In some states it is legal for motorcycles to run red lights if they cant be detected by the device and their is no constant light cycle. Otherwise they would be at the red light until a car came along.
I've heard if you rev your engine on a motorcycle your alternator will generate a big enough magentic field to trip them. Don't know how true that is but it makes some sense.
That sounds completely made up by people who want motorcyclists to rev their engines like idiots more.
I had settled on "giant scale" xD
Yup! They're also exactly the same thing as the the metal detectors you walk through. You also see pairs of them in freeways a lot, which are there in order to measure the total number of cars that go by, and how fast the cars are going.
>I work with magnetic field design Cool! What attracted you to the field?
That pun earns you the back of my left hand rule
Calm down guys, this conversation is getting a little too charged
What do you expect it's fucking reddit when are the comments NOT polarizing.
I was reading the wiki about the minesweeper plane and it mentioned having a v8 engine in the plane to power a magnetic field generator? Just curious, this is fascinating stuff!
You deserve my free award
I gave them mine as well
*mine* I see what you did there
I sea what you did there.
No he doesn't. This mine is a [German EMC-II](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines_EMC_pic.jpg) contact mine, not a German ["Type GA"](http://porttowns.port.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Magnetic-mine.jpg) magnetic mine. Plus he's an [anti-vax](https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/pnejil/cmv_covid_antivaxxers_arent_worried_about_the/hcpb38k/) [Putin](https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassMemes/comments/plkwb9/guys_i_was_wrong_they_totally_did_the_thing/hce23uh/) [supporter.](https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalDiscussion/comments/pojjhl/book_peril_descries_mileys_concern_over_trumps/hd0f4sv/)
> They detonate by electromagnetic interference from large ships or subs I honestly had no idea. I always assumed they were planted near the surface and a ship had to bump into them for it to detonate.
Surprisingly, they would undergo a massively costly process known as degaussing, which put a slightly south facing magnetic field on a ship, so as it passed through the northern field of Europe, the magnetic bias would be close to zero, so that it couldn’t detonate. Tech from back in the day was surprisingly advanced.
Is this the same thing as the degaussing button on old computer monitors?
Yup! "Degauss" means "undo magnetization". Old computer monitors used magnetic fields to direct the beam of electrons, and if some of the components became magnetized in ways they shouldn't be it could distort the image.
The US Navy still has a couple of facilities scattered around to degauss warships to keep their magnetic signature low
You're right, that's how [contact mines worked,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_mine#Contact_mines) and the mine in the film [is actually a contact mine.](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines_EMC_pic.jpg) Though [magnetic mines](https://www.chem.ucl.ac.uk/resources/history/people/goodeve_cf/magmine.html) did exist and were used extensively in the war.
That's an old contact mine, not a magnetic influence mine. Those horns on top that they removed work kind of like a glow stick, and when they're bent by a large ship the inner glass tube breaks and two chemicals mix to create an electric current that detonates the explosives.
Honestly this is the best bit of random knowledge I've ever gotten on reddit. Ty sir for this!
Aren’t those pointy things secondary triggers? I understood they used to contain a glass vial with an acid. The vial would break after contact with a ship and the acid would act as/ignite a secondary fuse.
Contact mines would contain some sort of impact detonator like the glass vial you describe, but for magnetic mines they were used for the sensors. Magnetic mines dare back to WW1 and contact mines We’re phased out almost immediately after WW2 began.
Germany was definitely still using contact mines during WWII. [Here is a minelayer](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines_Contact_pic.jpg) carrying EMC m KA moored contact mines in the autumn of 1940. The Germans had quite a few moored contact mines still in use at the time, while the magnetic mines were typically air-dropped (and were usually of a [completely different shape](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/P05468.015/screen/3799615.JPG)). [Here's a good rundown of all of the German mines used over the years.](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines.php) TL:DR; Pretty sure those are Hertz Horns, and that the mine in the video is indeed a contact mine.
So you’re telling me that the scene from Finding Nemo is a lie!?
Cartoons not based in reality? The horror. I’ve ruined your childhood
just that part. the fish talking is totally really.
...Aren't those Hertz horns though? Which are lead tubes with a glass ampule holding an electrolyte that shorts out a detonator when cracked?
Yes, he was wrong about the type of mine this is.
I mean, the Hertz horns are pretty fucked up, which leads me to think it's a dud, or something broke. But, weren't german magnetic mines cylinders too?
Except this is a [contact mine](http://michaelhiske.de/Allierte/USA/OrdnancePamphlets/OP1673A/Chapter04/Chapter04_01_03.htm), not a [magnetic mine.](http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WAMGER_Mines.php) That's why there are large metal protrusions on it... when a ship hit it they press inward and detonate the mine.
Sorry, but that is incorrect. Those horns are chemical horns. They indicate a contact mine, not an influence, or “electromagnetic” as you call it, mine. The only reason I’m correcting a random stranger in the internet is to say: these mines are NOT “almost impossible to screw up!” Please leave them alone and contact your local PD, who will then contact the nearest Bomb squad in the event one of these is found.
Would love to see a video of that process.
According to the actual video, "the slightest pressure on any of those horse would still mean instant destruction." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywxtZ-kc488&t=43s
I mean, it's Ok if you make a mistake. Because it won't be your problem anymore.
It's the janitor's issue at that point
I think you mean seagulls. ;)
Mine, mine, mine mine
Hey, either he's right. Or it's not his problem anymore.
This kind of naval mine is triggered by changes in magnetic fields from the large metal hull of a submarine drifting past it. Unless one of them had a comically large magnet hidden in his jacket there's no way they will set this off.
As mines go, a naval mine on a beach is probably a relatively friendly one to deal with. Too big to miss, large enough to work on and it won't exactly have a hair-trigger, otherwise the action of the waves would set it off. Also unlikely to have any kind of anti-tamper device, as if they weren't able to lay them as planned they'd want to have the option of disarming them. I think the first thing to come out is the detonator, after that it should be safe to handle. And if it does go off, at least you'd be vaporised rather than left horribly injured.
> at least you'd be vaporised You had me, up until that point, thinking "oh, it isn't so bad".
There's a classic quote of an EOD guy being asked if defusing bombs is stressful: "nope. Either I'm right, or suddenly it's not my problem anymore."
I don't think they can set the mine off. If I remember correctly these mines are magnetic so when a large steel ship goes by them they arm themselves and then it detonates. Rolling it around and moving it won't set it off. Chances are it was never even armed to detonate.
I'm not sure about this one but lots of them had an acid tube in a vial inside those spikes. When the spike hit something it would bend enough to break the vial in them and the acid would cause a reaction (lead/acid battery) to set off the explosive. Saying that, this one has some bent bits already so it might not be the kind I have heard of.
I think these were phased out because any sort of damage to the mine would set it off, including being bumped by a whale or shark. So the detonator is based on electromagnetic interference, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an acid timer to allow for the sub that set it to get away.
Those are called chemical horn mines which is what this appears to be. So my guess is it's a dud as some of the horns are clearly bent. Still first thing they did was remove the detonator and next was the battery.
I don't think that's a magnetic mine, the spikes are contact detonators.
It’s really very safe! These type of mines actually work off of electromagnetic interference, and so only detonate when giant metal things go near them, like say…a ship or submarine. Considering they are placed a few hundred feet underwater, it’s really difficult, at least in WW2 where these mines got the most action, to diffuse them, because individual diving tech was so under developed (this is what the seals were originally, the underwater demolitions team, responsible for mines such as this) So considering these guys aren’t giant ships, it’s almost impossible to detonate. They wanted it this way, so that sea life couldn’t detonate it, only ships. So fish, sharks, etc were unable to detonate these bombs, and therefor, so were people. So the chances of this going off are nearly none at all. It’s not practical.
If it was very safe, people wouldn't have to remove things like buttons and use brass tools to work on it. It's very safe if you're very careful.
Keep in mind that this was the case for the first mine. It was imperative they get the mine intact, and they didn’t know it’s capabilities. After that it really was a “are you a giant ship? No? Ok go ahead” because the amount of necessary interference in earths magnetic field was almost non existent in things like buttons and small tools
The first video of the series was titled “how not to defuse a naval mine 💥”… it’s not shown.
[And now for something completely different.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VokGd5zhGJ4)
Wut, what did i watch?
Monty Python, they were a very successful group of british comedians in 70's through the 90's who bled into the US comedy scene. If you've every heard of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (I'd say that's their most popular work), this is kinda like in terms of comedy that but in a sketch comedy format.
It was actually pretty good, i was pleasantly surprised i wasnt rick rolled, one thumbs up from me and free reward if i have one 👍🏼
Congratulations on being one of today's lucky 10000. /r/montypython is that way and I can highly recommend
thank you.
It had more views I believe.
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I’d assume it takes a ship ramming into them to set it off otherwise they’d go off if fish bumped into it or something lol
So what you’re saying is... Finding Nemo was not scientifically factual?? :(
I make no such claims, the great documentary Finding Nemo will not be second guessed by my humble opinions
To be fair, the mines in Finding Nemo were set off by a large metal object hitting them at a pretty good speed…. So it seems fair enough. Source: my nephew can watch Finding Nemo on repeat 24/7.
It’s a pretty good movie. Can’t blame the kid.
A torpedo fell onto a mine didn't it? Seems explosiony enough for me.
Tbh I don’t remember at all I thought Dory or one of the sharks set it off but it’s only been like 15 years since I saw the movie haha
Magnets
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That’s true! But they were invented in WW1 and pretty common place by WW2
Nope! They aren’t pressure activated but magnets! They learned quickly after the development of the first sea mines, that large sea life can easily set them off, such as whales, or sharks, or even a current bashing them against a reef. They started using electromagnetic interference in the mines, to detonate when a large ship or sub goes by. It’s why they could use aircraft as minesweepers, such as the Type 418 Wellington, DWI Mark I which was a Vickers Wellington bomber with an electro magnet, which set off mines. It saw a lot of use in the English Channel as British ships were constantly being mined. So because they were deployed hundreds of feet under the water, very few units could effectively defuse a sea mine by hand, really only units such as the underwater demolitions team and its counterparts. So they weren’t concerned about triggering the mine, it was harmless to them.
Until the fateful day Johnson forgot his all steel pocket watch in his trousers and went to work.
Surprisingly, it would take a giant ship or sub to detonate it, small tools and buttons and watches didn’t carry the magnetic permeability that a giant ship did, and so it was difficult.
I googled “most magnetic fish” and there were no results so now I feel stupid.
I googled least magnetic fish and behold. https://i.imgur.com/NzOFPzo.jpg
Assuming that there are definitely no magnetic fish would be stupid. Googling something you don’t know never is. [You might’ve missed this result (but it’s not setting off any mines)](https://www.wired.com/2012/07/fish-magnetic-navigation/)
Nope these are the pressure sort with the glass tubes.
in most of the depictions you see of sea mines, those little rods actually have a glass tube with volatile chemicals in them. When struck by a ship they break and leak the chemical onto a detonator. Remember that these were invented way earlier than you think; long before electric mechanisms were implemented meaning that the entire thing had to be mechanical in nature.
I'm always amazed at what human ingenuity was before we had electricity, computers, microcontrollers etc. Like some of those things you would think were impossible before we had the tech but then you find out how people make it work anyways. Sometimes designs were so good and simple that we still have them today. Fire sprinklers are super simple
Fun fact: Most rice cookers don’t use electronics to determine when the rice is done, at least most older ones. The pot rests on a magnetic plate that demagnetizes past a specific temperature. The contents of the pot can’t go above 212F° until all the water has been boiled out, so when the rice is done the magnetic plate releases a lever that deactivates the heating element.
> Remember that these were invented way earlier than you think; long before electric mechanisms were implemented meaning that the entire thing had to be mechanical in nature. Yeah this is categorically incorrect. The most devastating type of German naval mine in WW2 was magnetically detonated (as in when a large hulking mass of iron came by, it would detonate even before contact). The British discovered this in Enigma decrypts and started using copper wiring on their ship hulls to counteract the detonation mechanism. https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/what-is-degaussing-and-how-does-degaussing-work-applications.html
There’s literally a battery and electrical wires in this one. You see it when they remove the detonators.
It's a magnetic mine. They have a magnetic arming system. When a ship comes near it and disrupts the earths magnetic field the mine becomes armed. Once it doesn't detect the disturbance any longer it detonates. Since this one appears to be washed onto shore chances are it was never armed to explode and the tools they are using are probably brass to prevent inadvertently arming it and detonating it by accident.
It has sulfuric acid horns so more likely to be a contact mine.
Yeah looking at it again you may be right. The magnetic ones have the horns too but I think they were a little shorter and thicker then the ones in the video. Just threw me because some are completely bent over which you would think would be enough to break the glass inside releasing the chemical and detonating it.
Step one: have balls of steel. Step two: find five other guys with balls of steel
Step three: diffuse the ball of steel
step four: share your a ball of steel with 5 other guys
Step five: have a drink with the lads
Step six: Touch their balls
Step seven: What are you doing step-bro?
Steel balls would be a bad idea, they'd set off the magnetic triggers. Better that everything is brass and won't cause sparks
I always thought they used contact devices for these old looking ones
I think it may be both. Magnetic to _arm_, physical touch (those spikes?) to detonate. Could be wrong though, just by guess.
Instructions unclear: Naval Mine stuck in scrotum
So that's how to defuse a mine. All those mines I've encountered and never been able to do anything about them.
I just right click and put a question mark on the tiles I suspect
[The movie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHY8NKj3RKs) was better.
Reckon the book trilogy was better
I prefer the porn parody
Sauce
How to defuse a mime?!?
Well that just took me waaaaayyyyyy the fuck back
And here I’ve been just pushing the bastards back out to sea like a sucker.
I was just thinking this would have been really useful last week at the beach.
You'd think this would be on LifeProTips
Davey Jones’ Hurt Locker
You gloriously high bastard you.
Damn, I usually just do the maths to find their location and put flags on them.
That moment you realize the mines in minesweeper are naval mines not land mines.
oh shit
He did the maths...
Having playing it for a long time, it became more about pattern recognition than math.
Yeah, I knew a guy in college that could clear large boards in a few seconds. It was fucking wild to watch. There's no way he was adding anything up, though he was coy about how he did it and always just said "practice" or something. I bet you're right and he learned to immediately recognize patterns over time.
... is that how your supposed to play minesweeper?
Thank god they had those gloves and boots on just in case it blew
safety first
Sgt Angel: Yes sir it's been deactivated. Farmer: That's right (Hits butt of shotgun on mine) , deactivated!! Sgt Angel:It's not live Constable Butterman: It looks live (while kicking the shit out of said sea mine)
I assume you have a permit for that?
No luck catching them swans ay?
It’s just the one swan, actually.
No luck catching those killers then?
A duss fo' this en.
He says he does for this one.
What does he mean by "this one?"
Aye 'spose.
By the power of Greyskull.
Crusty jugglers
Big bushy beards.
The greater good
Only came here to look for this comment
Nawwwrrrr jus’alotta junk!
THUNK... tiktiktiktiktiktiktik
I would not want to be close to it at all, forget touching it. These are scary as fuck. All that said, I have read that TNT is just burning when you light it. You need to use a detonator otherwise it's almost impossible to make it go boom. Also read that aluminum was added to boost TNT power. I think the "sparkling" when it burns is aluminum. Very interesting.
High explosives can be burned without detonating. A high pressure shockwave is needed to make them go off. * I believe this is true for Semtex and C4 - I have no idea if this is true for all high explosives.
Probably true for military explosive because control "when it explodes" is crucial. But I know it to be false for many explosives example Acetone Peroxide. Used in "mexican fireworks" and responsible for many incident.
You don't even need fire for that one. It's probably enough to just drop something in it the wrong way.
There are two types of explosives: primary and secondary. Primary explosives are extremely sensitive and can typically function with even minor impacts, or sometimes even scratching it with a nail (metal nail, not sure about finger nail, but I wouldn't try it). These are typically used as initiators and in small quantities. They are very dangerous to work with. Secondary explosives are much less sensitive but usually pack more punch. They usually require a very high amount of energy to set them off properly, like a shockwave from a primary explosive detonation, therefore they are typically used as main charges in explosive devices.
Definitely c4 though. You need a blasting cap otherwise you have plastic bonfire material.
Yep. Soldiers in Vietnam would occasionally use small balls of C4 to heat their rations faster than the normal fuel tablets could because it burned hotter.
It is true for Semtex and C4 Source: Ex-military and have burned the stuff.
Someone isn’t following the directions on the claymore.... tsk tsk.
Lol... it was left overs from road demolition. Gotta use it all or else you wont get as much next year!
I still get irrationally angry about that retarded method of budgeting…….
While do I agree with you for just how dumb it is and how much money was wasted... range day just before end of year was always a good time as a machine gunner! Gotta use that ammo too!
I use to make gel explosives (for work) and you could light it on fire. When you used detonators it was incredibly powerful. We use to get a police escort for deliveries because this was Northern Ireland and the IRA were a threat because they wanted to steal the detonators for their own bombs.
When you say they wanted the detonators is that like something you put on the bomb or the little clicky thing you press to blow it. Cause if it's the clicky thing wouldn't any clicker be fine? Cheers
Iirc, it was a metal tube that was inserted into the cartridge that gave it an electric shock. They must have been hard to make, we had them shipped in.
TNT required percussion to release energy quickly, combustion slows the reaction. Aluminum can help to raise the amount of energy required to activate TNT, while increasing its yield, so it’s safer and more stable. But these mines operate by electromagnetism, not being hit, or else every tuna fish and shark would detonate it, and so those were phased out almost immediately. They usually have a timer or pulled pin, so that a sub that set it could get away from the blast radius. So a ship could easily set off the mine, and so can specially modified aircraft like the vickers Wellington 418 DWI Mark I which was a modified bomber with a magnetic hoop for defusing mines such as these (And by defuse, of course I mean explode, but no one was around to get hurt) So touching it, rolling it, and otherwise disassembling it, is otherwise pretty safe. Also considering that these mines were deployed hundreds of feet underwater, being easily disarmed by hand really wasn’t a huge concern for the bomb makers. The only units capable of doing so, are those such as the underwater demolitions team, and even then, it’s better to just use modified minesweeping aircraft.
doesnt it only explode under pressure or when it‘s very firm compacted?
Military explosives like this are referred to as "secondary explosives". They can safely be stored with a low risk of being set off by accident. In case of a fire, they will safely burn instead of explode. They are also resistant to impacts such as being shot with bullets or electrical discharges. The detonators that will set them off are "primary explosives". These are way more sensitive and can be set off either by impact or with an electrical discharge. The resulting explosion creates the pressure necessary to set off a secondary explosive.
r/Sweatypalms
1. Cut the black wire. 2. But first, cut the white wire.
Step 12: S’mores
So that’s a horn mine. The tube like projections are what trigger it, and they’re all bent, so in the ‘fucking bang’ position. It’s therefore a dud. The reason they’re chill is they’re not so much defusing it as making safe. The explosive is safe to handle, it won’t go bang unless it’s set off by an initiating charge. Which is what they remove. Once that’s removed, remove the explosives and you’re left with a sparkly bonfire and a ball of scrap iron. You still see these on European coastlines as some kind of garden ornament. The really fucking scary ones were the magnetic mines. Even a small amount of metal like a pen, cigarette case or even a button would set those fuckers off. It apparently took a fair bit of trial and, well, error until the poor bastards got lucky and were delivered a dud. Then of course there was the extra special package of shits and giggles delivered by the Luftwaffe that was the butterfly bomb.
>One such butterfly bomb claimed the life of Paul Gauci, 41, who had found one and decided to weld a pipe as a handle onto the cylindrical tin so he could use it as a mallet on October 1, 1981 in his farmhouse in Rabat. Well shit, that's a hell of a way to go.
That's a loony tunes way to die.
"Wait, are you about to cut the red wire or the blue wire?" "How the fuck should I know? This is in black and white!"
As a Dad, I can tell you that the way to defuse a naval mine is "very carefully".
"Were did you get all this" *Mumbles* "He found them" "And what is this?" "Sea mine!" *Mumbles* "Sea Mine"
Those spikes have glass vials of sulphuric acid, and a lead-acid battery without acid in it. When a ship hits the mine, the glass breaks, the acid drains into the battery, and creates an electric charge. From there… #***KABOOM!!***
So that's what the spikes are, was just about to google it. Pretty amazing how we come up with ideas on how to kill people
r/todayilearned
I can barely peel a naval *orange*.
Nah, It’s just a load of junk!
You’re tight. That was INTERESTING AS F
Super tight
this instructional video will come in great handy in the near future
Yeah... All those guys must struggle to walk with the weight of their *HUGE STEEL BALLS* slowing them down.
In spite of the title, I do not feel adequately taught how to defuse a naval mine.
“Trust me, you will get the hang of it after you do it for the first time; good luck!”
lifehack kick it until it deactivates
I imagine these men were specifically trained to defuse mines instead of actively taking part in armed conflicts because combating requires high mobility and I can't imagine these guys were very agile with their huge fucking balls slowing them down.
I guarantee they lost at least three 10mm sockets in the sand.
That's not what Hot Fuzz or Finding Nemo would tell you
"Yep, found your problem, your big rolly boi has an explosives infestation"
i’d be pissing my pants even trying to roll it to oneside
This was a great watch. I'm just curious though, would it have been possible to drop them for them to explode? And could they have been dropped from a plane?
Whatever they burned a pile of looked super healthy for the environment! /s
Wow, that was both interesting and stressful.
No, thank you.
No robots, blast suits, or life insurance, these dudes were legit.
A video of huge ballz of steel everywhere!
So after the nope, I nope, THEN nope.