Farragut's famous line "D*** the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" deals with the minefield that blocked the entrance to Mobile Bay, not a torpedo attack like most people envision.
The neatest one I ever saw was a river mine. It had a floater above it with graphels that would grab anchor chains or whatever as it floated down stream.
Once it became attached, there was an impeller on it that would turn with the current. This would inturn start winding a striker back that would then release and fire the mine. Pretty good imagination for whoever dreamed that one up.
The limpet mine was attached to a ship's hull by magnets by a UDT man. It usually had a chemical time device but would explode if someone tried to remove it. I think the British came up with that one. The Germans and Italians had something simular.