Navigating Minefields

[Xebec]

I was just transferred to the Mediteranean and now cannot avoid crossing the mine fields. What have you found safe? I have tried it on the surface (too slow, 16x), submerged at up to 19 meters (still detecting them), and there have been no ships headed my direction to follow. I have been across the field four times without regard to my safety and made it two of three times but there should be a better way. The one time I was destroyed was "ran aground" but I was on the surface in deep water so it was an erroneous message. Must have been a mine. My lookouts have yet to show me a mine. Can they actually be seen?

Also, anyone know what the "w" keyboard is throwing astern? I have no mines on board and they look like depth charges. You can see them while on the sail looking back. "w" is not mentioned in my printout of instructions.

[Xebec]

Made some progress on answering my own question and thought I should share it. Yes, you can see the mines. The look like oil drums and are floating. By using external view when warned of one, I was able to go emergency reverse and avoid a sure death. But traversing a large minefield is going to be time consuming. Hoping someone has a tip for a better way.

[Schnee]

Well I have traversed the ones in the North Sea and Channel by simply diving to 20m and running submerged the whole way. A diesel flotilla boat has the underwater range to do that, a smaller boat might make it tricky.

[Buddahaid]

I just submerge to below periscope depth, set slow speed, and keep increasing the time compression to max, ignoring the mine sightings. I've crossed many times w/o ever being blown up.

Buddahaid

[Radars]

I hug the coast to West...stay within 2000 yards, on surface and zoom in. You have to be fast with the course changes but there are no mines near the coast...submerge when you see a destroyer and continue...they are easy to sink if you don't mind the low tonnage.
Sometimes I just use the Q right click to reposition beyond it...I find 128x gives me lots of time to react to the coast changes....been through the minefields dozens of times and they are not a problem. I like sinking the destroyers. Set torp speed 3 and depth 4 metres...fire when torpedo run is less than 30 secs.

When gun is available, you can stay outside detection range of destroyers and fire away with the gun...even after they are hit they do not "detect" you ...odd