The US Navy has decommissioned USS Devastator (MCM 6), the final Avenger-class mine countermeasure ship, during a ceremony at Naval Support Activity Bahrain on 25th September 2025.
This event was presided over by the US Naval Forces Central Command and the US 5th Fleet commander Vice Admiral George Wikoff.
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The ceremony also honoured three other Avenger-class vessels, USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Dextrous (MCM 13), and USS Gladiator (MCM 11), that were recently decommissioned.
“For more than three decades, USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator and USS Sentry have been critical to maritime missions around the globe – defending the freedom of navigation, promoting stability and deterring and defeating efforts by adversaries to harm the innocent,” Vice Admiral George Wikoff said.
The Avenger-class ships, known for their wooden hulls sheathed in fibreglass, were constructed using oak, Douglas fir, and Alaskan cedar for their strength and flexibility.
These vessels were designed to perform mine sweeping and hunter-killer operations. They are equipped with advanced sonar and video systems, cable cutters, and remotely detonated mine devices.
The responsibility for mine countermeasures within the US Central Command’s area now falls to the US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55/Destroyer Squadron 50.
This unit oversees surface forces including patrol craft and independently deploying ships.
As part of this strategic shift, four littoral combat ships (LCS) are set to be deployed to Bahrain to replace the outgoing MCM ships that have served in the region for decades.
USS Canberra (LCS 30) has already made its mark as the first Independence-variant LCS to arrive in Bahrain with a mine countermeasures mission package.
Arriving on 22 May, Canberra is outfitted with an integrated suite of unmanned maritime systems and sensors designed to locate, identify, and neutralise mines while maintaining a safer distance from potential threats.
The NAVCENT/C5F operates within a vast maritime domain covering approximately 2.5 million square miles of water, including critical regions such as the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
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