At the first part of WW I mines were a big problem, as countries laid them to protect their own harbors and blocking enemy harbors. Neutral countries found themselves mined it too. Enter the Paravane...
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The wings of the paravane would tend to force the body away from the towing ship, placing a lateral tension on the towing wire.
If the tow cable snagged the cable anchoring a mine then the anchoring cable would be cut, allowing the mine to float to the surface where it could be destroyed by gunfire. If the anchor cable would not part, the mine and the paravane would be brought together and the mine would explode harmlessly against the paravane. The cable could then be retrieved and a replacement paravane fitted.
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Lieutenant Burney developed explosive paravanes as an anti-submarine weapon, a "high speed sweep". It was a paravane, containing
80 pounds (36 kg) of TNT towed by an armoured electric cable. The warhead was fired automatically as soon as the submarine touched
the paravane or towing cable or by hand from the ship's bridge. It could be quickly deployed into the water, could be towed up to
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I read somewhere by the end of the war they had conscripted so many trawlers for minesweeping there was a shortage of fish in the markets.