Minesweeping

For the removal of land mines, see demining.

An MH-53E from HM-15 tows a minesweeping sled while conducting simulated mine clearing operations.
Minesweeper USS Tide after striking a mine off Utah Beach, 7 June 1944. Note her broken back, with smoke pouring from amidships.

Minesweeping is the practice of removing explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpose. Minesweeping has been practiced since the advent of naval mining in 1855 during the Crimean War. The first minesweepers date to that war and consisted of British rowboats trailing grapnels to snag the mines.[1]

  1. ^ Howard S. Levie, Mine Warfare at Sea (1992), p. 119.