Mine Protector

a type of mine weaponry designed to protect minefields from minesweeping by an enemy using blades or paravanes.

The design of a mine protector is similar to the design of an anchored naval mine, but the mine proper is replaced by a buoy that is attached by a cable to an anchor on the bottom of the sea. A magazine containing three or four buoys (floats) that carry explosive cartridges is fastened to the anchor or to a special cable. When installed, the buoy separates from the magazine and is kept underwater by the cable. When the antimine blade hits the cable, it slides along it and approaches the cartridge, which explodes and destroys the blade. After the explosion, the next buoy with a cartridge surfaces automatically. The mine protector was invented in 1914 by the Russian scientist P. P. Kitkin.