Naval mine

Polish wz. 08/39 contact mine. The protuberances near the top of the mine, here with their protective covers, are called Hertz horns, and these trigger the mine's detonation when a ship bumps into them.

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any vessel. Naval mines can be used offensively, to hamper enemy shipping movements or lock vessels into a harbour; or defensively, to protect friendly vessels and create "safe" zones.


Mines can be laid in many ways: by purpose-built minelayers, refitted ships, submarines, or aircraft—and even by dropping them into a harbour by hand. They can be inexpensive: some variants can cost as little as US$2000, though more sophisticated mines can cost millions of dollars, be equipped with several kinds of sensors, and deliver a warhead by rocket or torpedo.

British Mk 14 sea mine

Their flexibility and cost-effectiveness make mines attractive to the less powerful belligerent in asymmetric warfare. The cost of producing and laying a mine is usually between 0.5% and 10% of the cost of removing it, and it can take up to 200 times as long to clear a minefield as to lay it. Parts of some World War II naval minefields still exist because they are too extensive and expensive to clear.[1] It is possible for some of these 1940s-era mines to remain dangerous for many years to come.


Minefields designed for psychological effect are usually placed on trade routes and are used to stop shipping from reaching an enemy nation. They are often spread thinly, to create an impression of minefields existing across large areas. A single mine inserted strategically on a shipping route can stop maritime movements for days while the entire area is swept.

International law, specifically the Eighth Hague Convention of 1907, requires nations to declare when they mine an area, to make it easier for civil shipping to avoid the mines. The warnings do not have to be specific; for example, during World War II, Britain declared simply that it had mined the English Channel, North Sea and French coast.

Other Languages
Afrikaans: Seemyn
العربية: ألغام بحرية
azərbaycanca: Dəniz minası
беларуская: Марская міна
български: Морска мина
català: Mina marina
čeština: Námořní mina
dansk: Sømine
Deutsch: Seemine
eesti: Meremiin
Ελληνικά: Νάρκη θαλάσσης
español: Mina marina
Esperanto: Mara mino
français: Mine marine
한국어: 기뢰
hrvatski: Morske mine
Bahasa Indonesia: Ranjau laut
íslenska: Tundurdufl
italiano: Mina navale
עברית: מוקש ימי
қазақша: Теңіз минасы
Bahasa Melayu: Periuk api laut
Nederlands: Zeemijn
日本語: 機雷
norsk: Sjømine
oʻzbekcha/ўзбекча: Dengiz minalari
polski: Mina morska
português: Mina naval
русский: Морская мина
Simple English: Naval mine
slovenščina: Morska mina
српски / srpski: Морска мина
suomi: Merimiina
svenska: Sjömina
українська: Морська міна
Tiếng Việt: Thủy lôi
粵語: 水雷
中文: 水雷