Comments by "Vikki McDonough" (@vikkimcdonough6153) on "The Spanish Armada - The Food that Fueled the Fleets" video.

Were defensive minefields actually a good idea? Given that (unless you're using command-detonated mines, which are really only viable for immediate harbor defense) your mines don't care whether the ships that hit them are yours or the enemy's, laying a defensive minefield restricts your own fleet's movements by requiring them to use one or a few narrow clear channels in order to avoid falling victim to your own mines. Thus, assuming that your enemy wants to restrict the movements of your fleet, you've effectively done most of their job for them, since now they can concentrate all their mining efforts on swamping these few narrow channels with their own mines rather than having to lay the whole minefield themselves. Taking all of this into account, isn't a fleet trying to protect itself with a defensive minefield simply placing itself in a bottle and waiting for the enemy to put in the cork?
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