03-21-2011, 07:23 PM
Didnt see it mentioned, but "torpedo" used to be a sort of catch-all for an explosive device. They didn't have the term "mine" yet. "Mine" would make the rule seem a little clearer to a modern reader. Its also why "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" mentions torpedoes decades before they were invented (they were a kind of sea mine)