Naval mine - Definition and Overview. A naval mine is a stationary self-contained explosive device placed in water, to destroy ships and/or submarines.
Like landmines, they are static weapons deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of an enemy ship (cf depth charge). They are very cost-effective. Since World War II, mines have damaged or sunk 14 U.S. Navy ships, while air and missile attacks have damaged only four. Big-ordnance. The Effects of Underwater Explosions. By Nathan Okun Updated 13 March 1999 The effects of underwater explosions are two-fold: (1) The expanding bubble of a contact underwater explosion has walls that move out at a speed faster than the speed of sound in water, so that it expands in all directions, REGARDLESS OF ANY VENTING, because the force on one side of the explosion knows nothing about the things going on at the other side of the explosion.
When the force has expended itself, the bubble collapses and then re-expands if in an open symmetrical situation.