Chapter 867 – Dead Before the Ship Even Sinks
1558 AD, Ming Dynasty famous person Tang Shunzhi wrote a book known as Wubian. This book recorded the structure and way of arranging the underwater mines to be used to hit the pirates that affected China's ocean regions.
These were the earliest made, man controlled, mechanism-fired mine anchors. The wooden boxes were used as the shell while putty was used to seal the black gunpowder inside. The firing mechanism was a long rope that one used to ignite.
There were three iron anchors below the wooden boxes that controlled the depth of the mine in water.
1590 AD, China invented the earliest floating mines - the Underwater Dragon King Cannons, which was ignited using incense. Nine years later, Wang Minghe invented touch mines using ropes as ignition known as the underwater lightning.
1621 AD, activable floating mines were created; these were exploded from contact and also self-ignited.
