OVERVIEW: The Moored Contact Mine is an anchored naval explosive device designed to detonate upon physical contact with a ship’s hull. It floats at a set depth below the surface and is triggered by mechanical or chemical fuze horns.

DETAILS: Moored contact mines typically consist of a spherical or cylindrical explosive body tethered to a heavy anchor by a cable or chain. The mine remains suspended underwater at a fixed depth, held in place by buoyancy and the mooring system. It features protruding contact horns filled with chemicals or spring-loaded mechanisms that detonate the mine when bent or crushed by the hull of a passing vessel. These mines were first deployed extensively in World War I and remained a primary naval mine type through World War II. Their effectiveness in area denial and port defense made them widely used by most naval powers. Although now largely replaced by influence mines, contact moored mines are still used in some regions for their simplicity and effectiveness.

FUNCTION: After deployment, the mine remains tethered at a designated depth. When a vessel physically strikes a contact horn, the fuze activates the explosive charge, damaging or sinking the ship.

NOTE:
IOC: 1908 (widespread use began during World War I)
Operators: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, formerly UK, Germany, USA, others
Platforms: Surface minelayers, submarines, aircraft
Conflict used in: World War I (1914–1918), World War II (1939–1945), Korean War, Iran–Iraq War, Gulf War

SOURCE: U.S. Navy Mine Warfare Manual ; Jane’s Mines and Mine Clearance ; Naval Mine Warfare: Politics to Practicalities ; https://www.navy.mil ; https://www.janes.com