Mines do not jump out of the water:
Operator of tanker says sailors saw ‘flying objects’ just before attack
TOKYO
The Japanese operator ship operator of one of two oil tankers attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday said that sailors on board its vessel, the Kokuka Courageous, saw “flying objects” just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn’t damaged by mines.
That account contradicts what the U.S. military has said as it released a video it says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships in the suspected attack.
Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo Co, said he believes the flying objects seen by the sailors could be bullets, and denied possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damages were above the ship’s waterline. He called reports of mine attack “false.”
Katada said the crew members also spotted an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether that was before or after the attacks. The tanker survived the first attack that hit near the engine room, followed by another causing damage to the star-board side toward the back.
JE Dyrer says Iran has cruise missiles and anti ship cruise missiles that she thinks can be launched from the “mini” subs that Iran has. Based on the size of the holes in the ships the warhead can’t be very big so they could probably be launched from just about any of the Naval Vessels that Iran has.
U.S. Intel Indicates Iran Behind Tanker Sabotage
I was thinking, maybe these missiles were designed to punch through the armor on navy ships. You’d use a shaped charge for that, and those make little holes. For a tanker, a high explosive warhead would probably be more effective.
I’m no expert on the subject, just speculating.
The video of the Iranians removing the mine was probably taken from one of the anti-sub plane that were dispatched to the area when the first distress call was received.