.gif)
USS Scout (MCM-8)
Encyclopedia
The fourth USS Scout (MCM-8) is an Avenger-class
mine countermeasures ship in the service of the United States Navy
.
. Launched on 20 May 1989, she was commissioned on 15 December 1990.
The Avenger-class ships were designed to have very low acoustic
and magnetic signature
s to avoid detonating mines. While most modern warships have steel hulls, the Avengers have wooden hulls with an external coating of fiberglass. They are equipped with sophisticated minehunting and classification sonar
as well as remotely-operated mine neutralization and disposal systems.
On 25 June 1992, Scout was the first ship to arrive at the newly established Naval Station Ingleside
, center of the Navy's Mine Warfare operations.
While on a five-month deployment in the Mediterranean during 1999, Scout assisted in the evacuation of ethnic Albanians
from war-torn Kosovo
.
Scout deployed to the Mediterranean in early 2003 for a five-month tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning on 13 June.
On 1 April 2005, Scout and her sister ship departed Naval Station Ingleside for a five-month deployment on the West Coast of the US, operating out of Naval Station San Diego
. On 24 August, the Armed Forces Base Realignment and Closure
Committee recommended closing Naval Station Ingleside and moving Navy Mine Warfare operations to Naval Station San Diego. The recommendation was signed into law on 9 November 2005, and planning for the base's closure has begun. Navy Mine Warfare operations are to be relocated to Naval Station San Diego.
In September 2005, Scout and several of her sister ships participated in relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico
following Hurricane Katrina
. The mine countermeasure ships spent weeks surveying waterways around the Louisiana coast and offshore oil platform
s, using their high-tech sonar systems to locate sunken debris that could pose a hazard to navigation.
On 18 February 2007 Scout arrived in Manama, Bahrain, where she remains forward deployed with the United States 5th Fleet
. Scout was transported from Naval Station Ingleside aboard the semi-submersible heavy-lift ship Condock III, chartered by Military Sealift Command
.
Scout participated in a mine countermeasures exercise with British forces in August 2007, where air, surface, and subsurface countermeasures were employed in the central Persian Gulf
to locate, identify, and destroy planted dummy mines.
From 26 February to 6 March 2008 Scout participated in another mine countermeasures exercise in the northern Persian Gulf
with British and Kuwait
i forces. During the exercise, Scout exchanged two sailors with the Royal Navy
ship Blyth
to foster interoperability between coalition forces engaged in mine warfare.
winner of the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award
for overall readiness.
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 in the service of the United States 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...
.
Service history
Scout was laid down on 8 June 1987 at Peterson Builders in Sturgeon Bay, WisconsinSturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay, although the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula.-Geography:Sturgeon Bay is...
. Launched on 20 May 1989, she was commissioned on 15 December 1990.
The Avenger-class ships were designed to have very low acoustic
Acoustic signature
Acoustic signature is used to describe a combination of acoustic emissions of ships and submarines.-Contributing factors:The acoustic signature is made up of a number of individual elements...
and magnetic signature
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
s to avoid detonating mines. While most modern warships have steel hulls, the Avengers have wooden hulls with an external coating of fiberglass. They are equipped with sophisticated minehunting and classification sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
as well as remotely-operated mine neutralization and disposal systems.
On 25 June 1992, Scout was the first ship to arrive at the newly established Naval Station Ingleside
Naval Station Ingleside
Naval Station Ingleside was a United States Navy base in Ingleside, Texas.It was on the northern shore of Corpus Christi Bay, 12 miles northeast of the city of Corpus Christi. The base is about 150 miles south of San Antonio and approximately 200 miles south of Houston. This region is known as the...
, center of the Navy's Mine Warfare operations.
While on a five-month deployment in the Mediterranean during 1999, Scout 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...
.
Scout deployed to the Mediterranean in early 2003 for a five-month tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, returning on 13 June.
On 1 April 2005, Scout and her sister ship departed Naval Station Ingleside for a five-month deployment on the West Coast of the US, operating out of Naval Station San Diego
Naval Station San Diego
Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...
. On 24 August, the Armed Forces Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
Committee recommended closing Naval Station Ingleside and moving Navy Mine Warfare operations to Naval Station San Diego. The recommendation was signed into law on 9 November 2005, and planning for the base's closure has begun. Navy Mine Warfare operations are to be relocated to Naval Station San Diego.
In September 2005, Scout and several of her sister ships participated in relief efforts in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
following Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. The mine countermeasure ships spent weeks surveying waterways around the Louisiana coast and offshore oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
s, using their high-tech sonar systems to locate sunken debris that could pose a hazard to navigation.
On 18 February 2007 Scout arrived in Manama, Bahrain, where she remains forward deployed with the United States 5th Fleet
United States 5th Fleet
The Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy is responsible for naval forces in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and coast off East Africa as far south as Kenya. It shares a commander and headquarters with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command . The commander of the 5th Fleet is currently Vice...
. Scout was transported from Naval Station Ingleside aboard the semi-submersible heavy-lift ship Condock III, chartered by Military Sealift Command
Military Sealift Command
The Military Sealift Command is a United States Navy organization that controls most of the replenishment and military transport ships of the Navy. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's...
.
Scout participated in a mine countermeasures exercise with British forces in August 2007, where air, surface, and subsurface countermeasures were employed in the central Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
to locate, identify, and destroy planted dummy mines.
From 26 February to 6 March 2008 Scout participated in another mine countermeasures exercise in the northern Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
with British and Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
i forces. During the exercise, Scout exchanged two sailors with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ship Blyth
HMS Blyth (M111)
HMS Blyth is a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. She is the second vessel to bear the name.The first being a Bangor class minesweeper of the Second World War,pennant number J15....
to foster interoperability between coalition forces engaged in mine warfare.
Awards
In May 2004, Scout was the Atlantic FleetUnited States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
winner of the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award
Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award
The Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award is presented annually by the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations to one ship in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and one in the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
for overall readiness.