Naval mine ship, HMHS "Britannic", which was the sister ship of the RMS "Titanic." During World War II, the U-boat fleet, which dominated much of the battle of the Atlantic, was small at the beginning of the war and much of the early action by German forces involved mining convoy routes and ports around Britain. German submarines also operated in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Caribbean Sea, and along the U.S. coast. Initially, contact mines (requiring a ship to physically strike a mine to detonate it) were employed, usually tethered at the end of a cable just below the surface of the
Italian ship Etna (A 5326) Italian ship Etna (A 5326) "Etna" is an auxiliary ship that entered service with the Marina Militare in 1998.<br> She is designed to support fleet operations with fuel and dry stores.<br> "Etna" is the Italian single vessel of Etna class with a sister ship, HS "Prometheus", was built under licence in Greece and entered service with the Hellenic Navy in 2003. "Etna" is the fifth Italian ship to bear the name. She was ordered in July 1995, and was built by Fincantieri at the Riva Trigoso Naval Shipyard. She was launched in July 1997, and underwent sea trials during November