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Found this from 1946

30,000 Japanese Mines Loose (New York Times, Aug. 25, 1946)
Tokyo. Pacific mariners were warned today that some 30,000 mines had broken loose from Japanese minefields and were floating in trade currents. The mines explode by magnetic or pressure influence and remain dangerous to shipping for five years.

The magnetic mine was the most dangerous and destructive type. All steel ships have magnetism built into them. When a steel vessel passes over a magnetic mine, the magnetic forces in the ship trigger a mechanism in the mine that sets off an explosion under the hull.

To counteract these mines, some ships were degaussed. Thick bands of electrical wire, aligned with the main deck, were fastened around the length of the vessel. The wire was energized with an electric current that neutralized the ship's magnetism. This system saved countless numbers of ships from destruction.

From my limited knowledge I'll say this; Countries often mined their own harbors, we even mined our eastern shore during WWII. EOD work still continues to this day to clear mines around the world and don't forget our mine sweepers of the Navy. Europe was mined extensively not to mention bomb with many that didn't detonate. The cost of war unfortunately.

I think had we gone with the invasion of Japan instead of the bombs, Gator Navy is right, at least we knew where ours were and minesweepers and divers I suppose would have been used as well.

We can be even more grateful war on that scale hasn't occurred on US soil. I imagine we still deal with some ordnance from the civil war.

Nice Snippy. We're all learning more and more. :-)

Rent the movie, "Girls, Girls, Girls", staring Elvis Presley and watch Elvis disarm a mine as he plays the part of a Navy EOD guy. Elvis says, "I am not a Frogman, I am in EOD, Explosive Ordnance Disposal".