# Mines, Limpit Mines or a Missile



## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Have seen little or no comments from the wise here on the subject of the tanker damages in the Gulf despite knowing at least one member who has limpet mine experience. It seems to me that one is placed below the waterline, one on it and the other above it! So perhaps it should be easy or perhaps not.


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## saudisid (Mar 17, 2014)

*Limpit Mines*

Mike 
If you are on about the City of Ripon in Penang I was told it was one of 3
1] Jap mine from war
2] Limpit from Indonesia [ it was during the Confrontation ]
3] RAAF ditching practice bombs on return to Butterworth and one ended up in the channel.
From memory the hole was thwart ships about 20 ft long and 16 inches wide. The bottom was set up 34 inches as per Paddy Horan's chippy's rule.
Alan


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## kevinmurphy (Dec 2, 2008)

I beleive that Common Brothers had one of their ships limpet mined in USA in the sixties??, it was a RoRo & sat on the bottom very quickly, thankfully in port, so no one injured, as I understand it was an anti castro cuban group who thought the ship was running to Cuba, apparently when arrested the ex cuban guy apologised for the polution in port, as it was meant to go off when the vessel was at sea!!
I cannot find my Commons book to check, I never sailed with anyone involved, but I do remember it being discussed on a couple of occasions, Commons had a few RoRo's running out of Miami to Central/South america and from East coast. 
Kev


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## ART6 (Sep 14, 2010)

Here's one website that explains at little about the Gulf minings:
https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc/limpet-mines-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work-1.874839


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## codad1946 (Jun 15, 2010)

ART6 said:


> Here's one website that explains at little about the Gulf minings:
> https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc/limpet-mines-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work-1.874839


That article doesn't say much, other than that a limpet mine can sink a ship. That would mean a fairly large hole, not the small ones shown on the video - which to me look like shell holes. They also state that warship hulls are armoured, which they aren't! A modern warship has very thin plating, certainly less than the 32mm or so of a merchant ship such as a tanker.


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## codad1946 (Jun 15, 2010)

Michael Taylor said:


> Have seen little or no comments from the wise here on the subject of the tanker damages in the Gulf despite knowing at least one member who has limpet mine experience. It seems to me that one is placed below the waterline, one on it and the other above it! So perhaps it should be easy or perhaps not.


The holes shown earlier looked like shot holes to me, a limpet mine does far more damage. A photo that appears today shows a much larger hole well above the water line. However, the other tanker that had its engineroom and accommodation burned out (the Norwegian one?) is a much more serious attempt to hazard life. Perhaps they thought that the double hull of the tanker extended aft into the engineroom (which it doesn't) and that caused the engineroom to catch fire. The picture also shows a fire midships though, so perhaps whatever it was passed through the double hull and into a cargo tank, the resulting spillage into the ballast tank catching fire?
Dangerous situation...


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## Satanic Mechanic (Feb 23, 2009)

There is a certain errrr cynicism about it all out there


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

I was on the Globtik Tokyo, mid 1975. We were in ballast waiting for an SBM to become available, I think off Rastanura.
We received a telex, stating that information had been received in that a possible ‘submarine’ attack would be initiated against a large tanker in the Gulf, and all precautions be taken.
I think the PLO were very active at that time.
I recall our main armament was fire hoses.
Passing small boats did give rise for ‘false’ concern, but I think most dismissed it as a wind up. Nothing did happen, but in did give rise as to how easy it was to approach a vessel, any vessel, with the only defence being fire hoses.


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## stevekelly10 (Apr 3, 2012)

During my time with Chevron, I was on the Chevron Edinburgh which was their only ship going up the gulf during the Iran\Iraq war and then loading other Chevron vessels off Fujirah, We were escorted by the Armilla patrol, But We were always the lead vessel ! Just goes to show that any vessel can be a minesweeper once !


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