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Astrid · 24-10-2012, 19:53

Not exactly sure where this thread belongs, but there is a sail boat in the back ground. At any rate, I would hate to be cruising along and have one of those suckers go off under my keel.

BBC News - WWII parachute mine found in Helford River is detonated

**atoll** · 24-10-2012, 20:40

i must of sailed over it 30 or 40 times in the last few years! on our way up the helford

S/V Alchemy · 25-10-2012, 06:58

I went skinny-dipping in the waters off Falmouth with a belly-full of scrumpy back in my colourful youth. I was partying with a load of equally sloshed arts students.

As I recall, it was raining, but not bombing down.

Rakuflames · 25-10-2012, 08:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astrid

Not exactly sure where this thread belongs, but there is a sail boat in the back ground. At any rate, I would hate to be cruising along and have one of those suckers go off under my keel.

BBC News - WWII parachute mine found in Helford River is detonated

There are specific areas off the coast of Jacksonville, FL where people are urged not to do anything that drags the bottom (drag-net fishing, for example) because of the liklihood of unexploded mines from WWII.

Astrid · 25-10-2012, 09:36

Indeed. There were areas off the keys that were designated bomb ranges for training pilots. I also recall from when I was little, that British mines sometimes washed ashore in Iceland--the Denmark Straits were mined in places along the coast to hinder German warships and U-boats.

rebel heart · 25-10-2012, 09:44

So you guys are saying we should have guns aboard?

ohdrinkboy · 25-10-2012, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebel heart

So you guys are saying we should have guns aboard?

no...mines should be carried.

BTW - another plus for a fiberglass boat over steel. although don't know if this one was magnetic.

Zanshin · 25-10-2012, 10:31

Fair's fair - I was evacuated for 2 nights a little while back because of an unexploded bomb next to where I am currently living - they finally detonated the 500lb bomb, here's a link to the pretty cool video of the explosion:

Fliegerbombe: München kommt nicht zur Ruhe

rebel heart · 25-10-2012, 10:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohdrinkboy

no...mines should be carried.

BTW - another plus for a fiberglass boat over steel. although don't know if this one was magnetic.

US Navy minesweepers are still made of wood!

Avenger class mine countermeasures ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ohdrinkboy · 25-10-2012, 11:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebel heart

US Navy minesweepers are still made of wood!

Avenger class mine countermeasures ship - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My grandfather used to tell me Navy stories of the mine sweeper he served on (wood). He helped clear the harbor in Nagasaki after that big explosion in WWII.

rebel heart · 25-10-2012, 11:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohdrinkboy

My grandfather used to tell me Navy stories of the mine sweeper he served on (wood). He helped clear the harbor in Nagasaki after that big explosion in WWII.

The Pacific theater of WWII was really amazing. I was googling around, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HNLMS_A...rijnssen_(1936)

If you look close in the picture it was a minesweeper that put foliage all over itself and stayed close to land during the day, operating at night. It appeared like a small island to overflying Japanese patrols.

rebel heart · 25-10-2012, 11:12

Good picture of the camo.

Blue Stocking · 25-10-2012, 11:31

Is some drift allowed?

In the middle 60s, while on NATO manuevers, the Canadian Navy would often have 4 or 5 little minesweepers alongside abreast in Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda.
On one occasion, one made too fast an approach and rammed and sunk a diving barge working on the dockface.
My brother was one of the hardhat diving crew on the barge.
In 1971, while on officers training at the Ontario Fire College in Gravenhurst, I ended up bunking next to the helmsman on the wheel of that minesweeper. Guy from Missisauga.
Small world, eh?