a torpedo-shaped device towed from the bow of a vessel so that the cables will cut the anchors of any moored mines
Word origin
C20: from para-2 + vane
paravane in American English
(ˈpærəˌveɪn)
noun
either of a pair of torpedo-shaped devices which, in conjunction with the cables by which they are towed from the bow of a ship, are used to cut themoorings of submerged mines, allowing them to surface and be destroyed