Only one size of ground mine has been introduced into our service. This pattern is designed to contain from 200 to 300 pounds of explosive and to rest on the bottom in water not exceeding 35 feet in depth at high tide. The dimensions are as follows: Radius of the sphere, 21⁹/₁₀ inches; diameter of the base, 40 inches; extreme height, 25 inches; thickness of iron, seven-tenths of an inch; weight, empty in the air, 1,355 pounds; when submerged it loses 515 pounds. The capacity of this case is about 5 cubic feet.
Fig. 9.—Ground mine case.
A mine cap is provided to clamp the Turk’s-head of the mine cable, to cover and protect the portion of the core exposed outside the case, and to serve as an attachment for the mooring and the raising ropes. This cap is held to the mine case by six bolts, and is fitted with two rings, one for attachment of the mooring rope of the circuit-closer buoy and the other for attachment of the raising rope.
The compound plug, ground mine.—This is similar to the compound plug for buoyant mines. The circuit closer is placed in a buoy above the mine.
FIG. 10a.—AUTOMATIC ANCHOR.
The mushroom anchor.—The 1,000-pound anchor is in shape a right cylinder about 10 inches in height and 26 inches in diameter, slightly dished on the bottom to increase the holding power in mud. For a rock bottom six projecting toes increase the holding power; corresponding depressions on the top permit piling when in store. The heavy anchors, 2,000 and 3,000 pounds, are of the same form. The cylindrical form is adopted to facilitate handling, since in that shape the anchor may be rolled readily on its edge.
The absolute stress of the mine and its moorings upon a mushroom anchor of this kind is easily computed, being the square root of the sum of the squares of the buoyant effort and of the horizontal pressure exerted by the current. The latter, in pounds per square foot of exposed cross section, may be estimated at one-half the square of the velocity of the current in feet per second. A coefficient of safety should cover the jerking effect of the waves and the shocks of friendly vessels. It will, of course, vary with the locality and with the absolute weight of the anchor, but in general a value from 3 to 5 is considered sufficient.
The holding power of such an anchor varies greatly with the nature of the bottom. If this be hard, the dead weight alone must be depended upon; if soft, at least double power may be anticipated. In swift water the buoyant mine can be better held in position by two anchors chained together.