Paravane

A paravane is a torpedo-shaped or winged device towed underwater behind a ship, its wings creating a lateral force so it travels out to the side of the towing vessel rather than directly behind it. Developed between 1914 and 1916 by Commander C. Vivian Usborne and Lieutenant C. Dennistoun Burney, with funding from Bristol Aeroplane Company founder Sir George White, the device found its main use in minesweeping: streamed from the bow of a ship, its tow cable would catch and slide along a moored mine anchoring cable until spring-loaded cutting jaws on the paravane severed it, releasing the mine to float to the surface where it could be destroyed by gunfire. Burney also developed an offensive variant, the paravane depth charge, carrying about 80 pounds of TNT and towed at speeds up to 25 knots, designed to explode on contact with a submarine or its towing cable, whether automatically or triggered from the bridge of the towing ship.