European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 08, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday october 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here Petty officer 2nd class Robert Gutierrez of Mobile mine Assembly croup 5 docs u Bench test of � mine s electronic systems til Sii Jont Lla s naval air station. The Navy s secret weapon it s the mine Mediterranean Bureau Nas Simonella Sicily ask taxpayers to name the Navy s least costly and most effective weapon and they la Likely never think of the venera ble mine. Thai s probably because mining in t glamorous. It does t shoot said it. De Simmons the officer in charge of Mobile mine Assembly group 5, a detachment of 34 men and women assigned at Sig once la s naval air station. We re not flashy but the planners the admirals know what mines can do. Our nato allies know us very Well said senior chief Petty officer Kent Bynum who acts As the unit executive officer. The group one of 13 Navy mine units assigned around the world and one of Only two in the Mcd maintains and assembles War Reserve mine Stock Sand provides support for 6th Fleet Jiining exercises. It also aids in mine recovery operations and supplies exercise mines for nato mine sweeping operations. Our mines arc state of the Art and we exceed any country in the ways we can deploy them said chief Petty officer Jim Mcgolrick 33, the group s Logis tics chief. However Mcgoldrick said the United states is far behind the soviet Union in the number of mines it has in Slock. A mine usually sinks or cripples a ship by hitting it with a concussive Gas Bubble formed by thymine s explosion. The Bubble travels upward or even sideways until its reaches the nearest Low pressure area with Luck an enemy ship or submarine. And the Bubble does t just smash the target once it repeatedly hammers it Mcgoldrick said. Modern mines Are categorized As either Contact or influence. Traditional Contact mines Are outfitted with a mechanical triggering device like a protruding Horn which detonates the mine when struck. Influence mines which came into their own Dur ing world War ii use electronic detectors that re Spond to magnetic acoustic and pressure change caused by a passing ship. One of the classic examples of the use of influence mines was called operation starvation carried out by the United Stales against the japanese during the final stages of the War in the Pacific. . Aircraft Laid some 12,000 mines in japanese shipping routes and Harbor approaches sinking 650 japanese ships and totally disrupting All maritime shipping. The weapons saturated Japan s Home Waters. Ships not sunk by mines were forced to stay in closed ports or were diverted to a few crowded ports where they fell prey to submarine and aircraft attack. While International Law requires a country to make Public the location of minefields it has Laid that s Fine with Navy mine experts. Usually when you Plant a minefield you want s&5 qary Miller seamen Tudd Brown left and Vincent Tat Check Inu Stork s of their unit at Sigon Clit. The enc i to know said Bynum. The threat of mining is a big deterrent in when classified according to the position the assume in the water mines fall into three categories Bottom mines moored mines and Drifting mines. Drifting mines were limited by an International convention in 1907 and Are no longer used by the Navy. Holtom mines arc most effective when used in relatively shallow Waters although Bottom mines planted in deep water can still be effective against subs. Mcgoldrick said moored mines Are used for deep water and can be used against either submarines or surface ships. A Cable attached to an Anchor on the sea Bottom holds he mine at the selected depth below the surface. The Navy s most sophisticated mine is said to be the Mark 60 anti submarine mine a deep water weapon that lies dormant until a target is triggered the mine fires a homing torpedo at the approaching Craft. Tactically mine planters Are looking for just enough explosive and As few mines As needed to do Mission abort damage the Point at which a vessel becomes a liability Mcgoldrick said. Vol May have to be towed for repairs thus involving other ships and will be costly to repair while tying up Alu Abl shipyard space Mcgoldrick said. Although mines can be Laid by surface ships air Craft and submarines Are the favored delivery sys tems. Aircraft for example can Lay mines suddenly Andin great number. And air planes Are the Only vehicles capable of replenishing a Large minefield without danger from the Field itself Mcgoldrick said. Planes also Are Able to mine enemy held shallow bodies of water including Rivers and harbours that can t be reached by submarines or surface mine layers. Submarine Laid mines launched through the Tor Pedo tubes Are favored because of the stealth and great Range offered by modern subs. The is Gonella unit repairs maintains tests and assembles mines using Assembly line techniques to do the work quickly and with Quality. The big mine charges Are stable and practically impossible to set off but the explosive devices the triggers Are a ardous Bynum said. We have to be grounded and our surroundings have to be grounded to avoid Static charges setting off the triggers he said. Safety is
