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naval mines
Tag
(35)
1914
August
05
Germans lay mines in the open sea. The sinking of the Königin Luise
On 5 August 1914 British destroyers sank the German minelayer Königin Luise off Suffolk. A day later her mines sank HMS Amphion.
06
HMS Amphion sunk by a mine
On the morning of 6 August 1914 the cruiser HMS Amphion struck German mines off the English coast and sank. She was the first Royal Navy ship lost in the war.
September
03
Sinking of HMS Speedy
On 3 September 1914 the old torpedo gunboat HMS Speedy, serving as a minesweeper, struck a German mine off the mouth of the Humber and sank.
October
03
British lay mines off the Belgian coast
In early October 1914 the Royal Navy laid its first minefield in open waters, between the Goodwin Sands and Belgium, to protect the Channel routes.
27
Sinking of HMS Audacious
On 27 October 1914 the modern British battleship Audacious struck a mine off the north coast of Ireland and sank. The Admiralty kept it secret.
November
03
German raid on Yarmouth
On 3 November 1914 Hipper's German battlecruisers shelled the coast near Yarmouth and laid mines. The British submarine D5 sank on one of them.
04
Sinking of the cruiser Yorck
On 4 November 1914 the German armoured cruiser Yorck strayed in fog onto German mines at the mouth of the Jade and sank. Several hundred sailors died.
17
Sinking of the cruiser Friedrich Carl
On the night of 17 November 1914 the German armoured cruiser Friedrich Carl struck Russian mines off Memel and sank. Seven or eight sailors were killed.
1915
March
09
Bombardment of Smyrna ends
On 9 March 1915 an envoy of the governor of Smyrna came to the British admiral. The shelling stopped and a truce was agreed until the morning of 11 March.
13
Sinking of the Swedish steamer Hanna
On 13 March 1915 the Swedish steamer Hanna sank off Yorkshire. The British held she was torpedoed, but she may have struck a German mine.
18
Fleet attack in the Dardanelles repulsed
On 18 March 1915 the Allies attacked the forts at the Dardanelles Narrows. Bouvet, Irresistible and Ocean sank on Turkish mines and the fleet withdrew.
April
03
Completion of the barrage in the Strait of Dover
In early April 1915 the barrage of mines and nets in the Strait of Dover came into full operation. The Germans soon forbade their U-boats this route.
May
27
Explosion of the minelayer Princess Irene
On 27 May 1915 the minelayer Princess Irene blew up on the Medway off Sheerness. About 350 people died, including several dozen dockyard workers.
August
08
Start of the German attack on the Gulf of Riga
On 8 August 1915 German minesweepers began sweeping mines in the Irbe Strait. They lost two ships, and in the afternoon Admiral Schmidt broke off the attack.
21
End of the German attack on the Gulf of Riga
On 21 August 1915 German ships left the Irbe Strait. They had broken into the Gulf of Riga but neither destroyed the battleship Slava nor mined Moon Sound.
November
17
Sinking of the hospital ship Anglia
On 17 November 1915 the hospital ship Anglia, carrying wounded from France, struck a mine laid by UC-5 off Folkestone. Between about 130 and over 160 died.
December
17
Sinking of the cruiser Bremen
On 17 December 1915 the German light cruiser Bremen struck Russian mines off Windau and sank with the torpedo boat V 191. Some 200–250 sailors died.
29
Möwe sails on her first cruise
On 29 December 1915 the auxiliary cruiser Möwe, disguised as a freighter, put to sea from Wilhelmshaven to lay mines and sink Allied ships.
1916
January
06
Sinking of the battleship King Edward VII
On 6 January 1916 the British battleship King Edward VII struck a mine laid by the raider Möwe off Cape Wrath and sank a few hours later.
February
11
Sinking of the cruiser Arethusa
On 11 February 1916 the cruiser Arethusa, Commodore Tyrwhitt's flagship, struck a mine off Harwich. She could not be towed in and was wrecked on a shoal.
April
24
Mine barrage off the Belgian coast
On 24 April 1916 Admiral Bacon's ships laid a double line of mines and a belt of mine nets off Zeebrugge against the submarines from Flanders.
27
Sinking of the battleship Russell
On 27 April 1916 the British battleship Russell struck mines laid by U-73 off Grand Harbour, Malta. About 125 men were killed.
June
05
Key event
Death of Kitchener
On 5 June 1916 the cruiser Hampshire, carrying Lord Kitchener to Russia, struck a mine off Orkney. The war minister died with almost all the crew; 12 survived.
October
28
Loss of the hospital ship Galeka
On 28 October 1916 the British hospital ship Galeka struck a mine laid by UC-26 off Le Havre. 19 orderlies were killed and the wreck went ashore.
November
21
Sinking of the hospital ship Britannic
On 21 November 1916 the hospital ship Britannic, sister ship of the Titanic, struck a mine off Kea and sank in 55 minutes. Thirty people died.
23
Hospital ship Braemar Castle damaged
On 23 November 1916 the British hospital ship Braemar Castle, carrying wounded from Salonika, struck a mine off Mykonos. Four died and the ship was beached.
1917
January
04
Sinking of the battleship Peresvet
On 4 January 1917 the Russian Peresvet, bought back from Japan, hit U-73's mines off Port Said and sank in a quarter of an hour. Sources give 91 to 252 dead.
March
01
Hospital ship Glenart Castle damaged
On 1 March 1917 the hospital ship Glenart Castle, carrying over 500 wounded from France, struck a mine in the Channel. Everyone was saved and the ship survived.
April
03
Sinking of HMS Jason
On 3 April 1917 the minesweeper HMS Jason struck a mine laid by U-78 off the island of Coll and sank within minutes. Twenty-five sailors were killed.
10
Sinking of the hospital ship Salta
On 10 April 1917 the hospital ship Salta struck a mine laid by UC-26 off Le Havre and sank within minutes. Between 86 and 130 died, among them 9 nurses.
June
27
Sinking of the cruiser Kléber
On 27 June 1917 the French armoured cruiser Kléber struck a mine laid by UC-61 at the approach to Brest and sank. Between 38 and 42 sailors were killed.
October
17
Hospital ship Goorkha damaged
On 17 October 1917 the British hospital ship Goorkha struck a mine off Malta. All 360-odd people on board survived and the ship was towed into port.
1918
January
20
Sinking of Breslau
On 20 January 1918 off Imbros the German-Turkish cruiser Breslau (Midilli) ran into a minefield and sank. About 330 men died; Goeben ran aground.
July
19
Sinking of the San Diego
On 19 July 1918 off Fire Island near New York the armoured cruiser San Diego struck a mine laid by U-156. Six sailors were killed.
October
01
The Otranto Barrage
The British chronology records on 1 October 1918 a fixed barrage of mined nets in the Strait of Otranto. It was to close the exit from the Adriatic to U-boats.