![]() When not deployed the submersible is housed in a trunk below the deck of the ship. The system has two sonars fitted in a small submersible pod towed under the ship. The ships employ the AN/SQQ-32 advanced minehunting and classification sonar from Raytheon and Thales Underwater Systems (formerly Thomson Marconi Sonar). The ATK/Raytheon ROV is a similar system, but has a 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) tether cable, and also carries cable cutters for dealing with tethered or moored mines, and explosive charges to detonate the mines. The vehicle uses high-frequency, high-resolution sonar, low light level television (LLLTV), cable cutters, and explosive charges to detect and dispose of mines, while remaining tethered to the vessel by a 1,070 metres (3,510 ft) cable and under control of the vessel. The AN/SLQ-48 detects, locates, classifies, and neutralizes moored mines and mines resting on the seabed. The ships use AN/SLQ-48 remotely operated mine disposal system supplied by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and the EX116 Mod 0 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) mine neutralization system supplied by ATK and Raytheon. This construction allows the hull to withstand a nearby blast from a mine, and also gives the ship a low magnetic signature. The wood used is oak, Douglas fir and Nootka Cypress because of their flexibility, strength and low weight. The hulls of the Avenger-class ships are constructed of wood with an external coating of fiberglass. In March 2012, the USN announced plans to deploy another four MCMs to Bahrain to counter potential Iranian threats to mine the Strait of Hormuz reflecting increasing tensions between the United States and Iran over the latter's nuclear program. They are also capable of conventional sweeping measures.Īs of 2012, eight Avengers were forward-based: four at Sasebo, Japan with standing crews, and four at Manama, Bahrain, with ten ships' companies on rotational deployments. These ships use sonar and video systems, cable cutters and a mine-detonating device that can be released and detonated by remote control. ![]() The last three MCM ships were purchased in 1990, bringing the total to 14 fully deployable, oceangoing Avenger-class ships. ![]() The vital importance of a state-of-the-art mine countermeasures force was strongly underscored in the Persian Gulf during the eight years of the Iran–Iraq War, and in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 19 when Avenger and Guardian conducted MCM operations.Īvenger-class ships are designed as mine hunter-killers capable of finding, classifying, and destroying moored and bottom mines. Navy began development of a new mine countermeasures (MCM) force, which included two new classes of ships and minesweeping helicopters. The Avenger-class ships are being replaced by the Freedom and Independence-class littoral combat ships, as well as other MCM platforms, which use various unmanned air, surface, and undersea vehicles to detect and destroy naval mines at a standoff distance.
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