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USS Champion (MCM-4)
Encyclopedia
USS Champion (MCM-4), an Avenger-class
mine countermeasures ship, is the fourth U.S. Navy
ship of that name.
Champion was laid down on 28 June 1984 at Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin
; launched
on 15 April 1989; and commissioned
on 8 February 1991. She was assigned to the Active Naval Reserve, Mine Countermeasures Squadron Two, US Atlantic Fleet.
While on a five-month deployment in the Mediterranean
during 1999, Champion assisted in the evacuation of ethnic Albanians
from war-torn Kosovo
.
Champion was the recipient of the 2004 Environmental Quality Small Ship Award sponsored by the Environmental Readiness Division of the Chief of Naval Operations
.
Avenger class mine countermeasures ship
Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships are a class of 14 ships constructed by the United States Navy 1987–1994. The ships are designed to clear mines from vital waterways. The ships have the hull designator MCM.-Background:In the early 1980s, the U.S...
mine countermeasures ship, is the fourth U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ship of that name.
Champion was laid down on 28 June 1984 at Marinette Marine Corporation, Marinette, Wisconsin
Marinette, Wisconsin
Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,749 at the 2000 census.Marinette is the principal city of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marinette County, Wisconsin and Menominee...
; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 15 April 1989; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 8 February 1991. She was assigned to the Active Naval Reserve, Mine Countermeasures Squadron Two, US Atlantic Fleet.
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
during 1999, Champion assisted in the evacuation of ethnic Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
from war-torn Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
Champion was the recipient of the 2004 Environmental Quality Small Ship Award sponsored by the Environmental Readiness Division of the Chief of Naval Operations
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
.