Jacobi mine

The Jacobi mine was an early naval mine designed in 1853 by German born, Russian engineer Moritz von Jacobi. It was employed by Russia, in the Baltic Campaign of the Crimean War.

Mine
The Jacobi naval mine was designed by German born, Russian engineer Moritz von Jacobi, in 1853. The mine was tied to the sea bottom by an anchor, a cable connected it to a galvanic cell which powered it from the shore, the power of its explosive charge was equal to 14 kg of black powder.

In the summer of 1853, the production of the mine was approved by the Committee for Mines of the Ministry of War of the Russian Empire. At the time the Russian Empire was involved in the Crimean War against Britain and France. In 1854, 60 Jacobi mines were laid in the vicinity of the Forts Pavel and Alexander (Kronstadt), in order to deter the British Baltic Fleet from attacking them. It gradually phased out its direct competitor the Nobel mine on the insistence of admiral Fyodor Litke.

The Nobel mines were bought from Swedish industrialist Immanuel Nobel who had entered into collusion with Russian head of navy Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov. Despite their high cost (100 Russian rubles) the Nobel mines proved to be faulty, exploding while being laid, failing to explode or detaching from their wires and drifting uncontrollably, at least 70 of them were subsequently disarmed by the British.

In 1855, 301 more Jacobi mines were laid around Krostadt and Lisy Nos, British ships did not dare to approach them.