This unique book provides a comprehensive survey of the history of mine warfare from the earliest designs through World War I, II, and the Vietnam War, and modern technologies. The study of mine warfare is a relatively unknown subject outside the mine community. It has an interesting history and technology which tend to reinforce each other as time goes on and from which one can clearly see in hindsight how technology, and a very simple technology at that, has influenced tactics. All the U. S. mine development and technology for the last half century have been centered in the Naval Ordnance Laboratory at White Oak, Maryland, which has consistently devoted up to 20 percent of its effort to projects oriented toward mine warfare. There are a few publications on mine warfare in the open literature which have been consulted and in some cases heavily drawn upon in the preparation of this paper. These are listed in the bibliography in chronological order. INTRODUCTION * Importance of Mine Warfare * Deterrence and War * History of Mine Warfare Not Widely Known * Comment on Admiral Mahan's Views * Accomplishments of U.S. and Allied Mine Warfare in World I and World War II * EARLY MINES * What is a Mine? * Bushnell's Kegs, 1777 * Fulton's Ideas and Experiments, 1797 to 1815 * Colt's New Electric Hot Wire Initiator and The Moored Control Mine, 1842 to 1844 * The Civil War * Mobile Bay and Admiral Farragut, 1864 * The Hague Convention and The Ethical Use of Mines, 1907 * The Evolution of Explosives * Foreign Improvements In Mine Technology Up To World War I * THE EARLY 20TH-CENTURY MINE * The Mine Evolves Toward World War I * Russo-Japanese War, 1904 * Mining The Dardanelles, 1915 * The Dover Straits * The North Sea Barrage * Tactics and Technology * The K-Device * Logistics * Estimation of Minefields Threat * Sweeping Problems * Mines' Effect in WWI * MINES COME OF AGE * The Birth of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory and Its Early Struggles * The Magnetic Influence Ground Mine * The Birth of the Naval Ordnance Laboratory and Its Early Struggles * The Magnetic Influence Ground Mine * Degaussing, Leads To Induction Mines * The Total Field Mechanism * Mine Sweeping, "Cognizance," and Policy * United States Mine Development * Role of U. S. Submarine-Laid Mines in the Early Pacific War * The Plan For Long-Range Aerial Mining of Japan * Results of Operation Starvation * Summary of Mine Effectiveness in Two World Wars * Post WWII Errors - The Korean Surprise * The Mining of Haiphong Harbor Stops * New Mine Technology * Now What? * FOOTNOTES