Two Avenger-class minesweepers are heading from Japan to Persian Gulf: USS Chief and USS Pioneer. They were successively spotted passing Singapore and as of today, April 14, stopped for resupply in Thailand at Phuket port.
Currently, as TWZ writes, these ships' mission is precisely clearing Strait of Hormuz of iranian mines. Also according to publication-collected information, USS Tulsa, Independence-class littoral multifunctional ship, passed westward through Malacca Strait.
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Regarding the latter, Defense Express notes USS Tulsa before iran war constantly based in Bahrain but together with similar USS Santa Barbara was withdrawn from Persian Gulf on eve of attack 5,000 km to Malaysia. After this, the U.S. had no ship left that could counter mines at all.
In September 2025, four Avenger-class minesweepers based in Persian Gulf were decommissioned immediately, and in January 2026 they were transported to the U.S. After this, only four specialized minesweepers remain in U.S. Navy composition: already-mentioned USS Chief and USS Pioneer, as well as USS Patriot and USS Warrior, all assigned to base in Japanese Sasebo.
According to Pentagon plan, demining task should be assigned to problematic Independence and Freedom-class littoral ships. However, these ships were conceived as modular multifunctional assets, so mine countermeasures assets on them are modular. They include remote search module with MCM USV maritime drone with AN/AQS-20 sonar and UISS demining system. MH-60S helicopter with AN/AES-1 (ALMDS) laser mine detection system and AN/ASQ-235 (AMNS) neutralization.
The main problem using these Independence-class ships for Strait of Hormuz demining is they are quite large ships, effectively corvettes, 127 meters long with 3,104 ton full displacement.
In other words, this is full-fledged large warship that will become desired target for iranian coastal anti-ship missile systems and maritime drones. Real effectiveness of its remote demining systems operation from time expenditure perspective still requires verification.
Avenger-class minesweepers are classic minesweepers with 1,312 ton displacement and 68 meter length. Although they are currently also equipped with all modern unmanned mine countermeasures, they have a currently unique capability — conducting traditional minesweeping. Their hull is made from wood (oak, fir and cypress) and sheathed with fiberglass to not activate mine detonators.
Ultimately, possible loss of old minesweeper will be significantly less scandalous for Washington than full-fledged Independence-class warship. However, overall the entire situation with ship movements appears somewhat chaotic.
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