--- title: "The Navy turned its ‘little crappy ship’ into a mine hunter" description: "After decades of setbacks and early retirements, the Navy’s most ridiculed ship is finally doing its job: hunting mines and unmanned threats." date: "2025-09-09" modified: "2025-09-09" authors: - name: "Kyle Gunn" job_title: "YouTube Producer" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/kyle-gunn/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/tech-tactics/navy-lcs-mine-hunting/" categories: - "Ships" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Video" --- # The Navy turned its ‘little crappy ship’ into a mine hunter ![The USS Canberra sails in the CENTCOM area of operations.]() *The littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30) sails in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on May 26, 2025. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Christopher J Krucke.* After more than two decades of [controversy](), cost overruns, and [early retirements](), the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship is finally doing one of the things it was originally intended to do: [hunt mines](). Multiple Independence-class LCSs are now [operating out of Bahrain](), or are scheduled to arrive soon, with a full suite of [mine countermeasure]() (MCM) gear. These ships, plagued at one time by [hull cracks](), represent the Navy’s latest attempt to modernize one of the oldest mission sets in maritime warfare. The Navy has good reason to be concerned about mines. In 1988, the [USS Samuel B. Roberts]() nearly sank after hitting an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf, prompting the launch of [Operation Praying Mantis](). In 1991, during the Gulf War, both the USS Tripoli and USS Princeton were [damaged by Iraqi mines](). These weren’t advanced weapons; they were decades-old moored or influence mines that go off when a ship is near, and they still did serious damage to powerful warships. ![A view of the hole in the hull of the guided missile frigate USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (FFG-58) sustained when the ship struck a mine while on patrol in the Persian Gulf on April 14, 1988. The ship is in dry dock undergoing temporary repairs.]() *The USS Samuel B. Roberts' damaged hull in dry dock. Navy photo by Rudy D. Pahoyo.* Today, the threat has only grown. China is believed to have an inventory of [tens of thousands of naval mines](), including bottom mines, rising mines, and rocket-assisted torpedo mines. [Iran maintains]() Soviet-era stocks alongside more modern Chinese and homemade variants. Russia retained more than 300 mine designs from the Soviet Union and [continues to develop]() influence mines with advanced sensors. Even [North Korea]() has produced its own domestic designs. And the threat isn’t just static anymore. Uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) are now being deployed in greater numbers by nations like [Iran]() and [Russia](). These mobile systems can loiter, track targets, and detonate like a smart mine. While the LCS’s MCM package wasn’t built specifically to counter UUVs or USVs, its combination of high-resolution sonar, unmanned systems, and airborne sensors gives it a fighting chance. This is a big shift from where the Navy was. For decades, the backbone of the U.S. mine warfare fleet has been the [Avenger-class]() minesweepers. These ships were built in the 1980s with wooden hulls wrapped in fiberglass to reduce magnetic signatures. The Avengers can tow mechanical and influence sweep gear, deploy divers, and operate in shallow water. But they’re slow, outdated, lack any meaningful self-defense systems, and can’t launch unmanned systems or helicopters. Only eight remain in service. ![250712-N-CY569-1008 NIIGATA, Japan (July 12, 2025) – The Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM 10) arrives in Niigata, Japan for a scheduled port visit, July 12, 2025. Warrior, part of Commander Task Force 77 (CTF-77), is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Robledo)]() *The Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Warrior (MCM 10) arrives in Niigata, Japan, on July 12, 2025. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony Robledo.* The Navy also leans on its helicopters for airborne mine countermeasures. The [MH-60S]() Seahawk carries a laser-based detection pod called [ALMDS]() and the Airborne Mine Neutralization System ([AMNS]()). The older [MH-53E Sea Dragon]() can tow mechanical and sonar sleds, but is maintenance-heavy and aging fast. Only 28 are still flying. That brings us back to the LCS. Originally designed to perform surface warfare, anti-submarine operations, and mine countermeasures, the ship failed to meet expectations on the first two [until recently](), as the Navy upgrades some for counter-drone work. But after years of delay, the MCM package finally reached [operational capability]() in 2023. The system includes a mix of unmanned underwater and surface vehicles, towed sonar, and remote sweep gear. The [Knifefish UUV]() is used to find buried and proud mines using low-frequency broadband sonar. The [AN/AQS-20C]() sonar system is towed by an unmanned surface vessel and scans multiple depths. The [Unmanned Influence Sweep System]() (UISS) mimics the magnetic and acoustic signature of a ship to detonate mines safely. ![An unmanned surface vehicle is craned aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30), as a part of the first embarkation of the Mine Countermeasures (MCM) mission package, April 23. The MCM mission package is an integrated suite of unmanned maritime systems and sensors which locates, identifies, and destroys mines in the littorals while increasing the ship’s standoff distance from the threat area. Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Vance Hand)]() *An unmanned surface vehicle is craned aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Canberra (LCS 30), as a part of the first embarkation of the Mine Countermeasures (MCM) mission package, April 23, 2024. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Vance Hand.* An MH-60S Seahawk operating from the ship adds airborne mine detection and neutralization capability. All of these components are modular, meaning they can be upgraded or swapped as needed. The LCS also offers something the Avenger never could: survivability. It has a 57mm gun, Rolling Airframe Missiles, a SeaRAM launcher, and has even been tested with [containerized missile systems](). That makes it more capable of defending itself in contested environments. The first true operational deployments of the [full MCM package]() began in 2024 with[ USS Cincinnati]() conducting testing in Bahrain. In early 2025, USS Canberra and USS Santa Barbara became the first LCSs deployed with the full minehunting suite in an active operational role. More are expected to follow. It is worth noting that with remote systems and ample defensive capabilities, the LCS operating as a mine sweeper keeps sailors safer. Minehunting is a traditionally dangerous mission, and that makes the LCS even more attractive in this role. And the timing matters. With Iran threatening to mine the Strait of Hormuz and global shipping facing new maritime drone threats, the Navy needs a deployable minehunting solution that doesn’t involve 40-year-old wooden ships. For now, the LCS is that solution. The Independence-class ships with minehunting gear appear to have secured a future — at least in this role. There’s no official replacement yet for the Avenger-class or for the minehunting mission overall, but the robotic systems aboard LCS may be the blueprint. As we’ve recently discussed, the [Navy’s Ghost Fleet]() of drone vessels seems perfect for clearing mines. We dive much deeper into this on our YouTube channel [check it out here,]() and let us know what you think. ## Author Kyle Gunn is the Producer of the Task & Purpose YouTube channel. He assumed the role in April 2025. ### Author social links [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()