On March 21st, during operation Iraqi Freedom, US naval forces boarded several Iraqi vessels near Um Qasr, Iraq’s main port. Three of them were carrying concealed mines and were fitted to lay them covertly. One vessel had 68 mines aboard, a second had 50, and the third 19.
The tug and its barge
In one case, 68 mines were concealed on the quarterdeck of the tug and hidden inside a barge it was ostensibly towing. The barge had been converted to allow the mines to be laid covertly. The mines on the tug were concealed under cutaway oil drums. This extraordinary series of photographs, taken by US Navy personnel, describes the modifications to the tug and barge by the Iraqis.
The mines were of two types, Iraqi-manufactured LUQM-145 moored contact mines, and bottom influence mines similar to the Italian Manta. Iraq purchased Manta mines from Italy, and these may be originals, or Iraqi copies. Both types are described on page 718 of Norman Friedman’s World Naval Weapons Systems 1997-98.
The oil drums have been cut away so that they can fit over the mines (done carefully, it is assumed). Underneath, the mines are already mounted on rails ready to go. When the mines are to be laid, all the crew has to do is remove the drums.
Considering the effect a handful of mines had on Coalition logistics, if these 130 mines had been intelligently employed, they could have crippled or sunk several ships, and at the very least tied up the Coalition resupply effort for weeks.
This secret hatch is located inside the red container near the barge’s bow. It is not labeled “Captain’s Hiding Box.”
Inside the barge, the Iraqis had modified the interior with mine rails to hold both the moored contact mines on the right and the bottom influence mines below.
BT
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© Copyright 2003 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms.
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