Unknown Sea Mine

[garys39]

Looking for a little help to identify this mine, gifted to me a few years ago, from the family of a very good friend, he obtained it in a scrap consignment from an MOD site clearance.
It measures 50cm in diameter, there are no markings that I can see anywhere.

 

[jacleon1785]

Looking for a little help to identify this mine, gifted to me a few years ago, from the family of a very good friend, he obtained it in a scrap consignment from an MOD site clearance.
It measures 50cm in diameter, there are no markings that I can see anywhere.

Hi Gary,

if i look at the switchhorn i would say that it is a british mine but i got no type yet

 

[MINENAZ16]

As it's a small mine, could be a British TYPE R

 

[jacleon1785]

The type R got 3 switchhorns and is 381mm wide

 

[Stargazer5]

The missing top of the casing makes this more difficult. The small size means it could be intended for torpedo tube launch (21", 533mm or 18", 450mm), while the lack of switches on the lower section of the body suggests its intended target was a surface vessel. The switch horns might indicate that the target could be fast moving.

The early (pre-WWI) British S1 Type 1 mine was 18" dia Types 2 to 4 were 21" and the contemporary vicker's Elia mines used what was described as a long lever which might have looked like a switch horn. Proper switch horns appeared in the 1920's.

There were anti-E boat mines produce in WWII, but I have no details other than they existed.

The french used switch horns on their mines pre-WWII, but I am not aware of any of this diameter.