Minesweeping gear consumed space but protected vital approaches

Mechanical sweep gear used kites and otters as underwater vanes to keep cutting wire at the required depth and tension. Floats with asymmetric fins held the sweep out to one side. The wire cut mine cables, releasing the mines from their moorings. Floats, vanes, and cable drums occupied considerable deck space on a small corvette. The ships could also carry mine-laying equipment and depth charges deployed over the stern or by throwers. The emphasis on mine warfare reflected World War I experience, in which mines are assessed as the submarine's most potent weapon.