Seas Now Clear Of War Mines

Chronicle (Levin), 29 November 1949, Page 5

Seas Now Clear Of War Mines

Received Monday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Nov. 28.' The greatest mineswepingr operation in history is drawing to a successful conclusion, says the Daily Telegraph. European rnaritime nations believe that the danger to the world's shipping from 600,000 mines laid by the belligerents during the war, is now very small. These nations are discussing the abolition of the sea-routing channels which have existed since the war to protect international shipping from mines. * Peacetime mine explosions cost 115 ships and 90 trawlers but only six vessels have been mined in the last six months. Experts say some mines will remain active until 1957 but will die as their batteries become exhausted. Except for one unsweepable patch of Northern Ireland, all Britain's coastal waters are now clear. No British naval units are j minesweeping. At the peak of , cperations, 1900 minesweepers from 13 nations were involved. They swept 100,000 square miles of the North Sea alone. ;