Anti-Ship mines that might sink a ship.

From what I've read about mines used in RC naval combat they sound pretty boring. What if there is a mine that looks like a mine going off, and if used correctly could sink a ship? I'm thinking of a CO2 canister anchored to the bottom with a pin to puncture it, rigged up to a means of triggering it from shore, and a little float to mark its location. If a ship runs over the float, and someone ashore triggers the mine then a large bubble of gas bursts to the surface and lifts the ship up. The ship then crashes back down into the water, maybe even far enough to submerge one end of the ship. If the bow goes under with the ship at speed then I can see a large amount of water flooding in through the decks potentially sinking the ship. It could also be done with a hose anchored to the bottom and a tank with a valve on shore. Opinions?

 

These mines would be purely defensive and would have to be deployed before the battle.

 

Ha! What a interesting idea. I don't think it would sink or damage ships, but it could privide big spashes and some more excitement to the battle. I'm thinking it could enhance the spectator experience without impacting the battle.

 

You could give it a point value if you hit a ship with it. You'd just have to have a judge to watch for it.

 

Would a cinder block hold a fully inflated balloon under water? That might provide enough air.

 

I was thinking that mine damage can be handled by larger ships, but something like a destroyer might sink. It would look really cool even if it didn't do any damage.

 

I highly doubt it would even sink a destroyer. The mass of air coming from the balloon wouldn't be concentrated enough to flip a destroyer. It would all go around the hull.
Another point is, in the amount of time of designing, building and redesigning, and more building, you could have built a ship that would do much more damage than the mine.

Like previously noted, the best way to sink boats it to use one.

 

How about a 8 cuin accumulator with 150 psi in it and a J series quick exhaust valve. Dump the pressure on the feed and a big bubble of air escapes. Looking intense:

Right on target for a 144 scale tugboat:

No problem:

If it can't sink a tugboat, there's no way it's going to affect a warship.

 

Sure looks cool.

 

Looks really cool, but what does it add to BB's slugging it out and sinking each other? That is the core of this. In R/L mines are a cheap and effective way to deny the enemy use of a waterway. But detecting and clearing them is not something anyone would call fun. And avoiding them certainly isn't either. Realism? Standing watch is certainly more realistic but I sure don't want to have to do that. So how does mines make it more fun for everyone?

 

Have you tried mines with a string with two spikes on the end. A 30 knot warship comes along and the mine snags and puts two holes in it.

 

spike ----------string------------------spike
--------------ship goes here--------------------

 

I don’t think the spikes would have enough force to puncture a ship, our model ships just don’t go that fast.

 

During my time in the WWCC we experimented with numerous methods to integrate mine warfare to the game. We tried entangling strings, submerged cannons, bursting balloons, and everything else we could think of.
NONE OF THEM WORKED.
Not a single method contributed to anybody's enjoyment of the game in any way. Instead it was one of the most divisive and controversial subjects the entire time mines were in the rules, causing massive player frustration and burning up motors. We voted them out for good reason.

 

Oh well you don’t know until you try

 

...usually things that involve gravity and sharp objects...