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From: newcomb@world.std.com (Donald R Newcomb)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Sweeping pressure mines
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.055130.12933@amd.com>
Date: 17 Apr 91 01:08:00 GMT
Sender: military@amd.com
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Lines: 33
Approved: military@amd.com


From: newcomb@world.std.com (Donald R Newcomb)


Mark Kinney (kinney@wku.edu) writes:
>Country X proceded to fill several supertankers with
>styrofoam and send them into the Red Sea before his fleet. The theory was that
>the styrofoam would keep the ship afloat despite mine detonations, and would
>clear corridors for the fleet. Possible or not?

Of course, this is in no way a new idea. A very interesting article
in _Naval History_ (1) discusses U.S. Navy efforts to develop methods
for sweeping pressure mines. Mentioned are several Liberty ships 
modified by filling with "refined versions of ping-pong balls." One,
the John L. Sullivan (YAG-37), was "fitted with a propulsion plant
consisting of four surplus T-54 turboprop airplane engines mounted
on the main deck, thus eliminating boilers, gearing, shafts, and
propellers as candidates for derangement."
 
The main feature of the article was XMAP-1, a 251 foot long, 28.5
foot diameter, 2880 ton, steel "cigar" designed to be towed through
a minefield to sweep magnetic, acoustic and pressure mines. The
"thing" proved to unwieldy and was scraped in 1964.
 
BTW this issue also has an article, with a picture, of the Wolverine
(IX-64) which was the subject of previous postings.
 
(1) Alden, John D., Cdr. USN (Ret), "The Indestructible XMAP", in 
_Naval History_, Winter 1988, pp. 44-47.
 
Donald Newcomb
newcomb@world.std.com	(new personal mail address)
drn@pinet.aip.org	(still in use)