This book includes a study of the history of mine warfare at sea from the earliest days to the present time. It will be of interest to military lawyers & to all those concerned with the conduct & control of warfare. At the technical level, it is intended for laymen. While there is a chapter dealing with many technical matters relating to both mine warfare at sea & mine countermeasures, the sole purpose of that chapter is to give the non-technician, whether naval officer or civilian, a basic understanding of various categories of sea mines & their accessories & of mine countermeasure gear. It assumes that, like the author, the reader will have a minimum of electrical & mechanical knowledge. However, it is believed that after finishing this volume the reader will have a much better understanding of the part that mines have played in warfare at sea in past conflicts as well as the part they may be expected to play in any future conflict. Howard S. Levie is Professor Emeritus of Law at Saint Louis University School of Law, & Adjunct Professor of International Law at the U.S. Naval War College.