US to Boost Minesweeping in Persian Gulf

Wall Street Journal ^ | Mar. 15, 2012 | NATHAN HODGE

[gandalftb]

The U.S. military is doubling the number of minesweeping ships it keeps in the Persian Gulf, part of a buildup in the region amid tensions with Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

The Navy's top officer said the U.S. would send four minesweeping ships along with additional mine-hunting helicopters to bolster U.S. defenses in the region.

"We are moving four more mine sweeps to the theater, that'll make eight," Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert said in Senate testimony on Thursday. "We are moving Airborne Mine Countermeasure helicopters—that'll take us to eight in theater."

[gandalftb]

Background here:

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/03/dn-us-doubling-minesweepers-in-persian-gulf-031512/

"Initially, the CNO said, the ships’ crews would not be rotated, as is the case on other ships in the region."

Hmmm, not going to rotate the crews... The CNO said it. IMHO, doesn't sound like a deployment, rather, an operation with a specific time window, hmmm.

Normally crews rotate every 6 months.

This is something very important. Interesting that they are being so public about it.

Here is the unclassified solicitation for the dry voyage sealift:

https://www.procurement.msc.navy.mil/procurement/contract/SolicitationDetail.jsp?sol_number=N00033-12-R-5210&previous=Welcome.jsp

The four ships to be deployed from San Diego, Navy sources said, are the Sentry, Devastator, Pioneer and Warrior.

[pabianice]

Near and dear to my heart.

Since the USSR folded, the US Navy has basically disestablished both AMW and ASW. Anti-sub warfare was abandoned when the Russian Navy folded and P-3s were sent to die a slow death through overuse as overland sensor and weapons platforms. There were 451 P-3s flying when I left my last P-3 squadron. There are now about 60. The P-8 will not be built in meaningful numbers and serves mainly as a cash cow for Boeing. Anti-mine warfare is in even worse shape. The USN's mine warfare ships were quickly, cheaply, and badly built as a fast replacement for the old but reliable MSOs. Our anti-mine warfare ships have crappy engines, catch fire, are judged non-seaworthy in deep water, and are being scrapped as quickly as politics allow. They go to the back of the line for funding and maintenance and are basically large yard barges manned but disspirited crews that rotate among the few hulls that can move. AMW is supposed to be done with helicopters. Good luck with that.

In the coming shooting war with Muslims, their subs and mines will raise hell with our carrier battle groups.

[Dundee]

I don’t think there’s a Navy in the Western world that takes mine warfare seriously these days.

Why were the Osprey class decommissioned?

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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Makes sense. I don't know much about our minesweeping capability, but I'm told mining the straits would present a far greater and longer term challenge than Iran's Boston Whaler clones.

[gandalftb]

Good post.

Are you familiar with the Ponce?

Rumor has it the threat has gotten to the point that we are establishing an AMW command ship there. The separate command would unify the combined arms AMW with surface vessels, subs and aircraft.