In laying down and in picking up after the war was over their mechanical mines, several exploded, killing some ten to fifteen men. _Boats necessary._--Towards the end of the war, the Germans were constructing special torpedo boats, believing that such were necessary for the complete defence of harbours. This war added another proof of the moral worth of submarine mines; the French fleet not daring to approach German waters _supposed_ to be defended by such means. RUSSO-TURKISH WAR (1877-78). _Superiority of Turkey to Russia in the matter of Ships._--On the Danube, in the Black Sea, and Mediterranean, where the principal naval portion of the war was carried out, Turkey was possessed of a fleet of ships infinitely superior to Russia, both in point of numbers and strength, and therefore, to enable her to hold her own against this vast superiority of the Turks, the Russians resorted to an extensive employment of torpedoes, for both offensive and defensive purposes. _Russian Torpedoes._--For many years previous to the outbreak of hostilities in April, 1877, the Russians had been studying the subject of torpedo warfare in all its branches, a certain number of their naval and military officers and men having every year passed through a regular course of torpedo study, at a school specially formed for such a purpose; they had also laid in large stores of submarine mines, spar torpedoes, and were in possession of the Whitehead and towing torpedoes, and also several electric lights, and a few months after war was declared they obtained a fast Thornycroft torpedo boat. _Turkish Torpedoes._--On the other hand, the Turks were only in possession of a number of those huge, unwieldy 500 lbs. buoyant mines, and one electric light; circuit closers, contact mines, boats (steam or otherwise) fitted for use with torpedo, or offensive torpedoes, being conspicuous by their absence. Thus it will be seen that in the matter of submarine offence and defence, the Russians were as superior to the Turks as the latter were to the former in the matter of ships. _Turkish Defensive Torpedo Operations._--The defensive torpedo operations carried out by the Ottoman naval officers and men were as follows:-- The harbour of Batoum in the Black Sea was protected by a few 500 lbs. buoyant mines, arranged to be fired by observation. The mouth of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles were similarly defended. For this work great praise is due to those who executed the work, for the very strong current and great depth met with in those waters would render such a service a work of great difficulty, even when properly constructed mooring boats, and men trained to such, were employed, both of which in this particular instance were absent. Soulina, one of the mouths of the Danube, and Suda Bay (Candia) were also protected by similar means.