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Avenger-Class Minesweepers
The Avenger-class ships were designed as mine sweepers/hunter-killers capable of finding, classifying and destroying moored and bottom mines. The Navy acquired 14 Avenger class ships between 1987 and 1994. Four remain in service, forward-deployed in Japan with the U.S. 7th Fleet at U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan. They are slated for decommissioning in the coming years.
Photo: The Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM 10) pulls into Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mackenzie P. Adams/Released, March 30, 2013) (larger photo)
The ships used sonar and video systems, cable cutters, and a mine detonating device that could be released and detonated by remote control. The wooden hull construction with fiberglass-sheath were also capable of conventional sweeping measures. The wooden hulls reduce the ships vulnerability to mines that detect targets by their magnetic signature.
The Persian Gulf Avengers were deployed in the Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War, Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the Gulf War.
Equipment. The ships are 224-feet long with a 1,312-ton displacement. The ships are equipped with mine-hunting sonar and surface search radar. They can deploy towed minesweeping gear that can mimic the magnetic and acoustic signatures of warships - causing some types of mines to detonate. The ships also carry remotedly-operated underwater vehicles capable of cutting mooring lines and rendering underwater mines safe.
Photo: Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Ardent (MCM 12) transits the central Arabian Gulf. (photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cassandra Thompson, 16 Aug 2026)
References
Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ship, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenger-class_mine_countermeasures_ship
Avenger Class Mine Countermeasures Ships, Military.com
https://www.military.com/equipment/avenger-class-mine-countermeasures-ships
Photo: The merchant vessel Seaway Hawk sails in the Arabian Gulf while transporting decommissioned U.S. Navy Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ships, USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator and USS Sentry. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Iain Page, Jan 20, 2026)
News Articles
March 12, 2025, "The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here's what they did", Navy Times.
January 26, 2026, "Navy's Avenger Class Mine Hunters Have Left the Middle East for Good", The War Zone. The last four Avengers in Bahrain were carried off on a heavy lift vessel at a time of crisis, where mining the Persian Gulf could come into play. The four ships had been forward-deployed to the Middle East region for years. The critical mine countermeasures duties have now passed to Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).
September 25, 2025, "U.S. Navy Decommissions Avenger-class Mine Countermeasures Ships in Bahrain", U.S. Navy. After nearly 40 years of active service, several of the U.S. Navy Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships were decommissioned on board Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain on September 25, 2025. The decommissioned ships were the USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Devastator (MCM 6), USS Dextrous (MCM 13), and USS Gladiator (MCM 11).
Littoral combat ships are assuming the mine clearing mission from the Avenger-class ships. Four littoral combat ships (LCS) are deployed to the Persian Gulf for the mine countermeasures mission. The Avenger-class ships had been deployed in the 5th Fleet are of operations for decades.
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