Naval MINES in 100 FACTS: How the Cheapest Weapon History Sank More Ships Than Any Battleship Ever Did

Naval history is usually written around the largest object in the picture-the massive aircraft carriers, capital ships, and battle lines that dominate the standard narrative. Yet, the weapon that has quietly done most of the damage throughout history is the one that sits silently, waiting in the water. From the crude ox-bladder charges of the Ming dynasty to the lethal influence fuzes and strategic air-dropped fields of World War II, Naval Mines in 100 Facts explores the ultimate story of military leverage. A moored contact mine built for a thousand dollars can nearly sink a multi-million-dollar modern warship; a few dozen cheap weapons can halt an entire amphibious invasion or close a major strait. Organized into eight compelling parts, this book covers: - The Mechanics of Waiting: How contact, influence, and controlled mines actually function. - Historical Milestones: From David Bushnell's early underwater explosives and the American Civil War to the stunning upsets at Port Arthur and the Dardanelles. - Industrial Warfare: The deadly race of magnetic fuzes, degaussing countermeasures, and the dramatic bomb-disposal operations of World War II. - Modern Conflicts & Legacies: Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the hundreds of thousands of live, century-old weapons still waiting quietly on the seabed today. >Cornelis van Houte, former Navy servicemember.