Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary
Naval Mine Warfare and Mine Countermeasures glossary
The mine-warfare vocabulary: contact and influence-mine types (acoustic, magnetic, pressure, and combination), acoustic and magnetic sweeping, active-sonar minehunting and contact classification, aircraft- and submarine-laid mines, and the mine-identification and disposal vehicles (ALADIN). Grounds each term in the mine type, the sweeping method, or the minehunting platform it belongs to.
228 defined terms.
A
- Acoustic mine
- An influence mine triggered by the underwater radiated noise signature of a passing vessel, detected via hydrophones in the mine casing.
- Acoustic sweep
- A minesweeping method that emits underwater sound at frequencies matching ship signatures to detonate acoustic influence mines at safe distance from the sweeping platform.
- Active sonar minehunting
- The use of high-frequency transmitting sonar to detect, classify, and localize mine-like contacts on the seabed or in the water column.
- Aircraft-laid mine
- A sea mine deployed from a fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter, typically a bottom-influence mine fitted with a parachute retarder.
- ALADIN
- An Atlas Elektronik mine identification and disposal vehicle developed for German Navy minehunters.
- Alkmaar-class
- The Royal Netherlands Navy variant of the Tripartite-class minehunter, with the lead ship HNLMS Alkmaar (M850) commissioned in 1983.
- ALMDS
- The AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System, a blue-green laser sensor pod carried by the MH-60S helicopter to detect near-surface moored mines.
- AMNS
- The AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization System, an MH-60S-deployed expendable mine destructor based on the Atlas SeaFox vehicle.
- AN/AQS-14
- A helicopter-towed side-scan minehunting sonar formerly operated by the US Navy from the MH-53E.
- AN/AQS-20A
- A Raytheon towed multi-function minehunting sonar developed for the Littoral Combat Ship MCM mission package.
- AN/AQS-24A
- A Northrop Grumman high-speed towed side-scan minehunting sonar with laser line-scan imaging used by the US Navy.
- AN/SPN-44
- A US Navy radar associated with carrier and minesweeping operations during the mid-Cold War era.
- Antenna mine
- A moored contact mine fitted with copper antennas that generate a galvanic firing voltage on contact with a steel hull.
- AP4 mine
- A historical contact sea mine of the inter-war and Second World War period employed by several European navies.
- Aster-class
- The Belgian Naval Component designation for its Tripartite-class minehunters such as BNS Aster (M915).
- Atlas Elektronik
- German naval electronics firm whose VTS portfolio includes coastal surveillance radars.
- Austenitic stainless steel hull
- A non-magnetic stainless steel construction adopted for some minehunters, including certain Japanese MCMVs, to minimize magnetic signature.
- AUV62-MR
- Saab mine reconnaissance AUV based on the AUV62 platform with synthetic aperture sonar payload.
- Avenger class
- USN MCM-1 mine countermeasures ship.
- AWS-2
- The US Navy AN/ASQ-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization System designator group, used in conjunction with the MH-60S airframe.
B
- Bar-mine
- A historic anti-invasion bottom mine concept developed in the United Kingdom during the Cold War.
- Bedford Basin mine barrier
- A historical Royal Canadian Navy defensive minefield at the entrance to Halifax Harbour during the World Wars.
- Belgian-Dutch rMCM program
- A joint procurement led by Belgium Naval and Robotic Systems (Naval Group and ECA Group) to deliver twelve replacement mine countermeasures vessels from 2024 onward.
- Boat-deployed influence sweep
- A magnetic and acoustic sweep array towed from small craft or unmanned surface vessels.
- Bottom mine
- A sea mine that rests on the seabed and is generally fired by influence sensors rather than contact horns.
- Bouvet-class
- A historical French minesweeper class of the early twentieth century.
- Buoyant mine
- A sea mine whose case provides positive buoyancy, held in position by a mooring cable and sinker.
C
- CAD
- An abbreviation used in mine warfare for clearance and disposal tasks performed by EOD divers and unmanned vehicles.
- CAPTOR
- The Mk 60 encapsulated torpedo mine, an anchored deep-water US Navy weapon that releases a Mk 46 torpedo upon detecting hostile submarine signatures.
- Carbonit mine
- A historical German moored contact mine of the First World War period.
- Chain dragging
- A rudimentary minesweeping technique in which a heavy chain is towed along the bottom to disturb or detonate ground mines.
- Clearance diver
- A military diver specialized in underwater explosive ordnance disposal, including the location and destruction of sea mines.
- Coastal mine
- A sea mine intended for use in shallow approaches, harbors, and chokepoints.
- COBRA
- The Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis system, a US Navy LCS MCM mission package sensor for detecting beach mines and obstacles.
- Combined-influence mine
- A sea mine that requires simultaneous or sequential triggering by two or more influence channels such as acoustic, magnetic, and pressure.
- Contact mine
- A sea mine detonated by direct physical contact between a ship and a firing horn or antenna on the mine casing.
- Controlled mine
- A sea mine fired remotely from a shore station via cable rather than by ship-induced influence.
- Countermining
- The deliberate detonation of explosives to sympathetically trigger nearby mines.
- Cutter
- A single-masted vessel with a deep hull and large sail area, used as a revenue and naval auxiliary craft.
D
- Daphne-class
- A historical Danish minelayer class.
- Deep-laid mine
- A mine moored or bottomed at considerable depth to threaten submarines and deep-draft vessels.
- Defensive minefield
- A minefield laid by a friendly force to protect harbors, anchorages, and coastal approaches.
- Degaussing
- The active reduction of a ship's magnetic signature using onboard current-carrying coils to counter influence mines.
- Demagnetization range
- A shore-supported facility that measures and corrects the static magnetic signature of warships.
- Disposable mine disposal vehicle
- A category of expendable ROV designed to be sacrificed when placing a shaped charge on a mine, exemplified by SeaFox C and K-Ster C.
- Distance-controlled vehicle
- An older term for a remotely operated mine disposal vehicle linked by fiber-optic or copper cable.
- Double Eagle
- A Saab family of tethered and semi-autonomous mine identification and disposal vehicles used by several European navies.
- Double Eagle Mk II
- An improved variant of the Saab Double Eagle ROV with enhanced sensors and propulsion.
- Double Eagle Mk III
- A further development of the Saab Double Eagle, including the Sarov mine disposal variant.
- Drifting mine
- A free-floating sea mine, the unrestricted use of which is prohibited by Hague Convention VIII of 1907 beyond limited time-fused exceptions.
- Dummy minefield
- A field of inert objects laid to deceive enemy intelligence and impose mine countermeasures effort.
E
- ECA Group
- French manufacturer of mine countermeasures and survey AUVs, USVs and inspection-class ROVs.
- Encapsulated torpedo mine
- A class of mine consisting of a torpedo housed in a sealed shell that releases the weapon upon detection of a target, exemplified by Mk 60 CAPTOR.
- EOD
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal, the military specialty responsible for rendering safe and disposing of mines, IEDs, and other ordnance.
- Eridan-class
- The French Navy designation for its Tripartite-class minehunters, with the lead ship FS Eridan (M641) commissioned in 1984.
- Exocet
- Family of French-built anti-ship missiles.
F
- Falmouth Bay Trials Area
- A Royal Navy maritime trials area used historically for minesweeping and degaussing development.
- Field number
- A doctrinal identifier assigned to a planned or laid minefield.
- Fixed minefield
- A minefield whose composition and positions are precisely recorded for friendly use and post-conflict clearance.
- Floating mine
- A mine that is or has become unmoored and drifts on or near the surface, presenting a hazard to navigation.
- Frankenthal-class
- A class of ten German Type 332 mine countermeasures vessels built by Lurssen and Abeking and Rasmussen, with several modernized to Type 332CL standard.
G
- Gaeta-class
- An Italian Navy class of mine countermeasures vessels derived from the Lerici design, built by Intermarine SpA.
- Ganghwa-class
- A Republic of Korea Navy minesweeper class built in the late 1980s.
- General-purpose minesweeper
- A vessel equipped for both mechanical and influence sweeping rather than precision minehunting.
- Glass reinforced plastic hull
- A composite construction material widely adopted for modern minehunters due to its low magnetic signature.
- Ground mine
- A bottom-laid sea mine resting on the seabed, typically of the influence type.
- GRP
- An abbreviation for glass reinforced plastic, the dominant hull material for modern Western minehunters.
H
- Hague Convention VIII
- The 1907 international agreement on the laying of automatic submarine contact mines, including the prohibition of unanchored mines that do not become harmless within an hour.
- Hatsushima-class
- A class of nine Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweepers built by Hitachi and Nippon Steel from 1979.
- Hirashima-class
- A class of three JMSDF minesweepers commissioned from 2008 with wooden construction.
- Hitachi Zosen
- A Japanese shipbuilder involved in JMSDF minesweeper construction.
- HMS Brocklesby
- A Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy.
- HMS Cattistock
- A Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy.
- HMS Ledbury
- A Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy.
- HMS Middleton
- A Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy.
- HMS Penzance
- A Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy.
- HMS Sandown
- The Royal Navy lead ship of the Sandown-class minehunter, pennant M101.
- HMS Walney
- A Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy.
- Holland-class minelayer
- A historical Royal Netherlands Navy minelayer designation; in modern usage Alkmaar-class is the Dutch Tripartite minehunter family.
- Hunt-class
- A class of thirteen Royal Navy mine countermeasures vessels of GRP construction, commissioned from 1980, undergoing progressive decommissioning during the 2020s.
- Hydrofoil minesweeping
- An experimental concept evaluated for high-speed influence sweeping in shallow water.
I
- IDA-71
- A historical Soviet closed-circuit rebreather used by clearance divers.
- Identification and Neutralization Mission Module
- A US Navy LCS MCM mission package element comprising sensors and disposal vehicles.
- Influence mine
- A category of sea mine triggered by acoustic, magnetic, pressure, or combined-influence sensors rather than by physical contact.
- Influence sweep
- The towed or self-propelled generation of acoustic and magnetic fields intended to mimic a target ship and trigger influence mines.
- Intermarine SpA
- An Italian shipyard at Sarzana that built the Lerici and Gaeta classes and exports related minehunter designs.
- International Mine Warfare Center
- A NATO and partner-nation facility for MCM doctrine, training, and exercises.
- IRGC-N mines
- Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy mine inventory referenced in Persian Gulf naval planning.
J
- Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
- The JMSDF maintains one of the largest dedicated MCM forces in the world, with classes including Hatsushima, Yaeyama, Sugashima, Hirashima, and Awaji.
- JMSDF Yokosuka MCM force
- The Mine Warfare Force flotilla headquartered at Yokosuka.
- Joint Mine Countermeasures
- NATO doctrinal framework integrating ships, aircraft, and unmanned systems for mine warfare.
K
- K-Ster C
- An ECA Group expendable mine identification and disposal vehicle equipped with a shaped charge.
- K-Ster I
- An ECA Group reusable mine identification vehicle used to inspect contacts before destruction.
- Kanin-class
- A historical Soviet destroyer-led grouping referenced in Cold War mine warfare planning.
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries
- Japanese shipbuilder with a history of constructing Moss-type LNG carriers.
- Knifefish
- A General Dynamics surface mine countermeasures unmanned undersea vehicle developed for the US Navy LCS MCM mission package.
- Kondor-class
- A class of East German minesweepers of the 1970s, several of which were transferred to other navies.
- Kriton-class
- The Hellenic Navy designation for its ex-Belgian Tripartite-class minehunters.
L
- LCS MCM Mission Package
- The US Navy Littoral Combat Ship mine countermeasures payload comprising RMMV, Knifefish, COBRA, ALMDS, AMNS, and the UISS unmanned sweep.
- Lead-and-line sweep
- A historical depth-measuring technique adapted in early minesweeping to characterize bottomed contacts.
- Lerici class
- Italian Intermarine GRP minehunter, exported as Osprey class.
- Limpet mine
- A magnetically attached underwater charge placed on hulls by divers; relevant to harbor MCM defense.
- Listening sweep
- A passive technique using hydrophones to detect mines or sweeping activity.
- Littoral Combat Ship
- USN focused-mission corvette-sized combatant.
- Lock-out chamber
- A submarine compartment that allows clearance divers to deploy without surfacing the vessel.
- Lockheed Martin RMMV
- The Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle, a semi-submersible unmanned tow body designed to deploy the AN/AQS-20A sonar for LCS minehunting.
- Low-frequency wide-band sonar
- A class of sonars used for buried mine detection by exploiting penetration of the seabed.
- Low-magnetic signature steel
- A specialty steel formulation used in some minehunter hulls and superstructures to limit magnetic anomaly.
- Luerssen
- A German shipbuilder that constructed Frankenthal-class minehunters.
M
- M-class
- A Belgian Naval Component designation for its Tripartite mine countermeasures vessels prior to replacement by the rMCM program.
- Magnetic loop sweep
- An influence sweep system that pulses high current through a long submerged cable to generate a ship-like magnetic field.
- Magnetic mine
- An influence mine triggered by perturbation of the local geomagnetic field by a passing ferrous hull.
- Magnetic signature management
- The discipline of measuring, modeling, and reducing a vessel's magnetic emissions to defeat magnetic mines.
- Marinette Marine
- A US shipyard that participated in construction of the Avenger-class MCM ships.
- MCM Mission Package
- The modular suite of sensors, vehicles, and effectors developed for the US Navy LCS to conduct mine countermeasures.
- MCM-1 Avenger
- The lead ship of the US Navy Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships.
- MCMV
- An acronym for Mine Countermeasures Vessel covering both minehunters and minesweepers.
- MDM mine
- A Russian sea mine family of the modern era.
- Mechanical minesweeping
- The use of paravanes, otter boards, and cutters to part the mooring cables of contact mines.
- MH-53E Sea Dragon
- A Sikorsky heavy-lift helicopter operated by the US Navy in the airborne mine countermeasures role with towed sweep and sonar systems.
- MH-60S Knighthawk
- A Sikorsky helicopter that hosts the ALMDS, AMNS, and OASIS sensor systems in the US Navy AMCM role.
- Minefield planning
- The doctrinal process of designing field geometry, density, and weapons mix to achieve operational effect.
- Minehunting
- The MCM technique of locating mines individually with sonar and disposing of each by ROV, diver, or charge.
- Minelayer
- A surface vessel, submarine, or aircraft configured to deploy sea mines.
- Minesweeper
- A vessel configured to clear mines by mechanical or influence sweeping rather than by individual identification.
- MK 56
- A US Navy moored anti-submarine influence mine with a magnetic firing system.
- MK 57
- A US Navy submarine-laid moored anti-submarine mine.
- MK 60 CAPTOR
- A US Navy encapsulated Mk 46 torpedo mine for deep anti-submarine use.
- Mk 62 quickstrike
- USN aircraft-laid bottom mine based on 500 lb bomb body.
- MK 63 Quickstrike
- A US Navy air-laid bottom mine derived from the Mk 83 bomb.
- MK 64 Quickstrike
- A US Navy air-laid bottom mine derived from the Mk 84 bomb.
- MK 65 Quickstrike
- A purpose-designed US Navy thin-walled air-laid bottom mine with a large charge weight.
- MK 67 SLMM
- The Submarine-Launched Mobile Mine, a US Navy weapon based on the Mk 37 torpedo airframe that can swim to a programmed location before bottoming as an influence mine.
- MMI charge
- The Multi-Mission Identification charge used by EOD teams to attack mine and IED targets.
- MNK-300
- A Russian shallow-water bottom influence mine.
- Moored mine
- A buoyant mine held at a specified depth by a cable secured to a heavy sinker.
- MuMNS
- The Saab Multi-Shot Mine Neutralization System, a launcher and reusable host vehicle that deploys multiple expendable disposal effectors.
- MWS 80
- An Atlas Elektronik Mine Warfare Suite providing integrated combat management for modern minehunters.
N
- Naijasa-class
- A Republic of Korea Navy minesweeper class.
- NATO Mine Countermeasures Group
- A standing NATO maritime force, designated SNMCMG1 and SNMCMG2, dedicated to multinational MCM operations and exercises.
- Non-magnetic engine
- A propulsion unit using diesel, electric, or specially constructed components selected for low magnetic emission aboard MCMVs.
- Northrop Grumman AN/AQS-24
- A high-speed towed side-scan minehunting sonar in service with the US Navy.
O
- OASIS
- The Organic Airborne Surface Influence Sweep, an LCS MCM payload concept superseded by the Textron UISS.
- Offboard mine countermeasures
- A doctrinal shift toward conducting MCM operations from unmanned surface, undersea, and airborne systems rather than from manned MCMVs in the threat area.
- Oropesa sweep
- A classic mechanical sweep configuration using paired paravanes and otter boards towed from each quarter of a minesweeper.
- Osprey-class
- A class of twelve US Navy MHC-51 coastal minehunters of GRP construction, all decommissioned by 2007.
- OZM-72
- Although primarily a land mine, referenced where coastal mine warfare planning intersects with shore demolition operations.
P
- PAP 104
- The Poisson Auto-Propulse 104, a French mine identification and disposal vehicle widely fielded with Tripartite-class minehunters in Mk 4, Mk 5, and Mk 6 variants.
- Paravane
- A towed underwater body that holds a sweep wire away from the ship and cuts moored mine cables, used in mechanical sweeping.
- Persian Gulf MCM operations
- Multinational mine clearance efforts following the 1987-88 Tanker War, the 1991 Gulf War, and subsequent freedom-of-navigation tasking.
- Pressure mine
- An influence mine triggered by the reduction in static pressure under a moving hull, very difficult to sweep without simulating ship speed.
- Project 12700
- A Russian Navy Alexandrit-class composite-hull minesweeper program.
Q
- Q-route
- A surveyed and periodically reswept shipping lane established to provide assured passage through potentially mined waters.
- Quickstrike family
- The US Navy series of air-laid bottom influence mines (Mk 62, Mk 63, Mk 64, Mk 65) used by tactical and strategic aircraft.
R
- Raytheon AN/AQS-20
- A multi-function towed minehunting sonar in service with the US Navy LCS MCM mission package.
- Remote Minehunting System
- The US Navy program comprising the RMMV semi-submersible and the AN/AQS-20A towed sonar.
- Remote-controlled mine disposal
- The use of a tethered or wireless-link vehicle to inspect and destroy mines without exposing divers.
- River class
- Royal Navy OPV, Batches 1 and 2.
- rMCM
- The Replacement Mine Countermeasures Vessel program led by Belgium Naval and Robotic Systems for twelve ships, with the lead vessel Oostende delivered in 2024.
- RMMV
- The Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle, a Lockheed Martin semi-submersible diesel-powered tow platform for AN/AQS-20A operations.
- ROV mine disposal
- The technique of placing a shaped charge on or beside a mine via a remotely operated vehicle.
S
- Saab Double Eagle
- A family of tethered semi-autonomous mine identification and disposal vehicles operated by multiple navies.
- Saab Sarov
- A Double Eagle variant configured for self-propelled mine disposal.
- Sandown-class
- A class of twelve Royal Navy single-role minehunters of GRP construction with Voith Schneider propulsion and the Type 2093 sonar.
- Sea Dragon
- The common name for the Sikorsky MH-53E airborne mine countermeasures helicopter.
- SeaFox C
- An Atlas Elektronik expendable mine identification and disposal vehicle armed with a shaped charge.
- SeaFox I
- An Atlas Elektronik reusable inspection variant of the SeaFox vehicle.
- SeaFox T
- An Atlas Elektronik training variant of the SeaFox vehicle.
- Self-Propelled Mine Disposal System
- A class of unmanned vehicles, including SeaFox and K-Ster, that travel to a mine and detonate a shaped charge in close proximity.
- Sheaf of sweeps
- A multi-ship sweeping formation employed to clear a defined corridor with overlapping coverage.
- Shock test
- A program of underwater explosive trials used to qualify MCMVs and equipment for the mine threat environment.
- Side-scan sonar
- Towed sonar producing acoustic images of the seafloor on either side of the towfish.
- Sinker
- The heavy anchor weight of a moored mine that holds the buoyant case at a programmed depth.
- Snake-class
- A historical UK minesweeping motor launch designation.
- SOLAS sea-area MCM
- National obligations under maritime safety conventions to clear known mine danger areas.
- SONAR 193M
- The Type 193M minehunting sonar formerly fitted in some Royal Navy MCMVs.
- South Korean Yangyang-class
- A Republic of Korea Navy minelayer commissioned in the late 1990s.
- Stonefish
- A BAE Systems air-laid bottom influence mine of British origin with acoustic, magnetic, and pressure firing channels.
- Sugashima-class
- A class of twelve JMSDF coastal minesweepers commissioned from 1999.
- Sweep gear
- The collective term for paravanes, floats, otter boards, cutters, kites, and tow wires used in mechanical sweeping.
- Sympathetic detonation
- The triggering of a mine by the shock wave of a nearby explosion, a fundamental countermining mechanism.
- Synthetic aperture sonar
- Sonar technique that coherently combines successive pings from a moving platform to form very high resolution along track images.
T
- Tactical Decision Aid
- Software used by MCM commanders to forecast sonar performance and plan search patterns.
- TAMD
- An abbreviation seen in NATO MCM tactical publications.
- Tethered mine
- A general term for any mine secured by a mooring cable to a sinker.
- Textron UISS
- The Unmanned Influence Sweep System, a USV-based magnetic and acoustic sweep developed by Textron for the US Navy LCS MCM mission package.
- Thales TSM 2022 Mk II
- A hull-mounted minehunting sonar used on several European MCMVs.
- Thales TSM 2023N
- A hull-mounted minehunting sonar fitted to mine countermeasures vessels of Tripartite lineage.
- Thales Type 2093
- A variable-depth minehunting sonar fitted to the Royal Navy Sandown-class.
- Tornado-class
- A historical Royal Navy minesweeping motor launch class.
- Towed array minehunting sonar
- A class of sonars deployed astern of a tow body to keep the sensor below thermal layers and avoid hull noise.
- Tripartite-class
- A joint Belgian-French-Dutch class of GRP-hulled minehunters commissioned from 1984, designated Eridan in France, Aster in Belgium, and Alkmaar in the Netherlands.
- Type 2022
- A Thales hull-mounted minehunting sonar designation.
- Type 2093
- A Thales variable-depth minehunting sonar fitted to the Sandown-class.
- Type 2193
- A Thales hull-mounted minehunting sonar derived from earlier UK and Marconi work, fitted to the Hunt-class after modernization.
- Type 332
- The German Navy designation for the Frankenthal-class minehunter.
- Type 332CL
- A modernized German Navy Frankenthal-class configuration retaining hunting capabilities with updated combat systems.
- Type 333
- The German Navy designation for the Kulmbach-class influence sweeping drone control ships of the Hameln series.
- Type 343
- The German Navy designation for the Hameln-class fast minelayer and drone control configuration.
- Type 351
- The German Navy designation for the Troika minesweeping drone series.
U
- UMISAS 120
- An ECA Group synthetic aperture sonar with 120 kHz center frequency for AUV minehunting.
- UMISAS 240
- An ECA Group higher-frequency synthetic aperture sonar variant for finer resolution in shallow water.
- Unmanned Influence Sweep System
- The Textron USV-based magnetic and acoustic sweep payload for the US Navy LCS MCM mission package.
- Unmanned Surface Vehicle MCM
- The use of USVs as host platforms for influence sweeps, sonar tow bodies, and disposal vehicles in offboard MCM concepts.
- Unmanned Undersea Vehicle MCM
- The use of UUVs such as Knifefish and AUV62-MR for minefield reconnaissance and classification.
V
- Variable Depth Sonar
- Body-towed sonar that can be positioned in different acoustic layers.
- VDS body
- The towed fish containing the transducers of a variable-depth sonar.
- Voith Schneider propulsion
- A cycloidal propulsion system fitted to the Sandown-class and other minehunters to provide low-speed maneuverability for hunting station-keeping.
W
- War mining
- The wartime laying of offensive minefields in enemy waters to deny use of ports, channels, and chokepoints.
- Wartsila SAM Electronics
- A naval electronics supplier whose MOMOPS-NL mine operations system equips Royal Netherlands Navy minehunters.
- Western European MCM Group
- A historical NATO grouping of European MCM forces.
- Wire sweep
- A mechanical sweep using a serrated or explosive-cutter-fitted wire towed at depth to cut moored mine cables.
- Wooden hull MCMV
- A traditional low-magnetic-signature construction used in several mid-twentieth-century minesweeper classes including early Avenger-class hull material.
Y
- Yaeyama-class
- A class of three JMSDF ocean minesweepers commissioned in the early 1990s.
- Yangyang-class
- A Republic of Korea Navy minelayer commissioned in 1998.
Z
- Zhuk-class
- A Soviet patrol craft family referenced in mine warfare auxiliary roles.
- Zone of action
- The doctrinal water-space assigned to an MCM unit during clearance operations.