Lieutenant George Gosse, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve. In command of Naval Party 1571 ...

Lieutenant George Gosse, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve. In command of Naval Party 1571 in May 1945, Gosse directed a search for mines laid by the retreating Germans in the waters of Bremen's Übersee Hafen. On 8 May his men found 'a D-type mine with additional fittings'. Known as the 'Oyster', it was pressure operated, with acoustic and magnetic units incorporated in its detonation train. At about 6 p.m. next day Gosse dived on the mine. Even with the aid of a waterproof torch, he could not see the device in the mud and proceeded to work by touch. He also had difficulty in stabilizing his buoyancy and had to secure himself to the mine's marker-buoy rope to keep his depth steady. Gosse used tools which he had improvised, removed the primer release and then extracted the primer 'about eighteen inches [46 cm] down a two-inch tube'. He had interrupted the detonation train and the mine was safe. While he was releasing himself from his makeshift tether, there was a small explosion. Later examination of the landed mine showed that water had entered through the primer tube and operated a mechanism designed to respond to changing water pressure and trigger the detonator if the mine were raised. For this action, Gosse was awarded the George Cross for courage, initiative and gallantry in 1946. See I. Mcl. Crawford, 'Gosse, George (1912–1964)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gosse-george-10334/text18293