Trump pulled mine-sweepers from the Middle East and they’re sitting in Philadelphia as the Iran War rages

[Crepitus]

As President Donald Trump warns Iran against using mines to threaten oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy’s purpose-built minesweepers are sitting stateside thousands of miles away with no plans to put them to use while the war rages on.

As gas prices in the U.S. continued to skyrocket, Trump on Tuesday took to Truth Social to demand that Tehran “immediately” remove any mines placed in the vital seaway and to do so “forthwith” lest the Iranian military suffer “consequences ... at a level never seen before.” That warning came after multiple news outlets reported Iran had begun mining the strait, a narrow waterway that is the only passage from the Persian Gulf into open ocean.

He also threatened to use drone strikes to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait” and boasted of having done so against 10 Iranian “inactive mine-laying boats” in a separate post several minutes later.

He also threatened to use drone strikes to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait” and boasted of having done so against 10 Iranian “inactive mine-laying boats” in a separate post several minutes later.

But it’s unclear to what extent the U.S. now has reliable capacity to seek out and remove any mines that have already been deployed or are subsequently dropped in the strait because the ships the American Navy spent decades relying on for that purpose have been removed from the Persian Gulf region.

On Monday, a massive cargo ship, M/V Seaway Hawk, was spotted on camera arriving in Philadelphia carrying a quartet of Avenger-class Mine Countermeasure Ships that were based at U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as the Navy’s front-line deterrent against mining operations in the Middle East until this past fall, when the last of those ships, U.S.S. Devastator, was decommissioned.

On Monday, a massive cargo ship, M/V Seaway Hawk, was spotted on camera arriving in Philadelphia carrying a quartet of Avenger-class Mine Countermeasure Ships that were based at U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as the Navy’s front-line deterrent against mining operations in the Middle East until this past fall, when the last of those ships, U.S.S. Devastator, was decommissioned.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-pulled-mine-sweepers-middle-155733810.html

View attachment 78076

Well that was monumentally stupid.

Somebody needs to dry that alky out so he can at least try to do better.

 

[Crepitus]

I'm absolutely sure they know what they're doing... And not a single one of you do...

 

[Crepitus]

In other news, Russia is getting super wealthy due to the increased cost of oil.

And tRump released the sanctions on some of the russian oil as well.

 

[Diogenes]

What Ken the Cong-collaborator didn't say:

The decommissioning and withdrawal of U.S. Navy Avenger-class minesweepers from the Persian Gulf region happened last year.

Four 30 year-old vessels (USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator, and USS Sentry) were decommissioned in 2025 after more than 30 years of service, with the final one (Devastator) retired in September 2025.

Only four Avenger-class ships remain in the entire U.S. fleet (based in Japan); there are no plans to recommission the decommissioned ones or send them back to the region.

It was not a decision by "Trump", but the completion of a long-planned Navy modernization program.

The Avenger-class ships were 1980s-era wooden-hulled vessels designed for close-in mine sweeping (using sonar, remote vehicles, cable cutters, and detonators).

The Navy retired half the class to replace them with Independence-class littoral combat ships (LCS) equipped with mine countermeasures (MCM) mission packages.

These LCS arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet (Bahrain) in 2025 and operate differently: they stay outside minefields and deploy manned/unmanned systems for safer, standoff detection and neutralization.

A Navy official described the LCS MCM package as “a sophisticated suite of manned and unmanned systems designed to locate, identify, and neutralize sea mines, at a safer distance from minefields than the Avenger-class MCMs.”

The Navy views it as an upgrade.

The Navy believes the replacements are adequate.

 

[Matt Dillon]

As President Donald Trump warns Iran against using mines to threaten oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy’s purpose-built minesweepers are sitting stateside thousands of miles away with no plans to put them to use while the war rages on.

As gas prices in the U.S. continued to skyrocket, Trump on Tuesday took to Truth Social to demand that Tehran “immediately” remove any mines placed in the vital seaway and to do so “forthwith” lest the Iranian military suffer “consequences ... at a level never seen before.” That warning came after multiple news outlets reported Iran had begun mining the strait, a narrow waterway that is the only passage from the Persian Gulf into open ocean.

He also threatened to use drone strikes to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait” and boasted of having done so against 10 Iranian “inactive mine-laying boats” in a separate post several minutes later.

He also threatened to use drone strikes to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait” and boasted of having done so against 10 Iranian “inactive mine-laying boats” in a separate post several minutes later.

But it’s unclear to what extent the U.S. now has reliable capacity to seek out and remove any mines that have already been deployed or are subsequently dropped in the strait because the ships the American Navy spent decades relying on for that purpose have been removed from the Persian Gulf region.

On Monday, a massive cargo ship, M/V Seaway Hawk, was spotted on camera arriving in Philadelphia carrying a quartet of Avenger-class Mine Countermeasure Ships that were based at U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as the Navy’s front-line deterrent against mining operations in the Middle East until this past fall, when the last of those ships, U.S.S. Devastator, was decommissioned.

On Monday, a massive cargo ship, M/V Seaway Hawk, was spotted on camera arriving in Philadelphia carrying a quartet of Avenger-class Mine Countermeasure Ships that were based at U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as the Navy’s front-line deterrent against mining operations in the Middle East until this past fall, when the last of those ships, U.S.S. Devastator, was decommissioned.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-pulled-mine-sweepers-middle-155733810.html

View attachment 78076

If you think our ships and planes can't see the mines and blow them up you're a special kind of fucktarded commie.

 

[Diogenes]

If you think our ships and planes can't see the mines and blow them up you're a special kind of fucktarded commie.

Cong-collaborator Ken doesn't think.

 

[Guno צְבִי]

If you think our ships and planes can't see the mines and blow them up you're a special kind of fucktarded commie.

Mines do not float on top of the water, that is why we have minesweepers and special aircraft for that purpose, My father's first duty station was on a minesweeper also trained the soviet navy on lend lease minesweepers.

 

[Matt Dillon]

Mines do not float on top of the water, that is why we have minesweepers and special aircraft for that purpose, My father's first duty station was on a minesweeper also trained the soviet navy on lend lease minesweepers.

Planes have been spotting mines for over half a century.

 

[Guno צְבִי]

The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.​

The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.

Four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Bahrain were decommissioned in 2025 after each serving for over 30 years.

www.navytimes.com

 

[Diogenes]

The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.​

The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.

Four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Bahrain were decommissioned in 2025 after each serving for over 30 years.

www.navytimes.com

The decommissioning and withdrawal of U.S. Navy Avenger-class minesweepers from the Persian Gulf region happened last year.

Four 30 year-old vessels (USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator, and USS Sentry) were decommissioned in 2025 after more than 30 years of service, with the final one (Devastator) retired in September 2025.

Only four Avenger-class ships remain in the entire U.S. fleet (based in Japan); there are no plans to recommission the decommissioned ones or send them back to the region.

It was not a decision by "Trump", but the completion of a long-planned Navy modernization program.

The Avenger-class ships were 1980s-era wooden-hulled vessels designed for close-in mine sweeping (using sonar, remote vehicles, cable cutters, and detonators).

The Navy retired half the class to replace them with Independence-class littoral combat ships (LCS) equipped with mine countermeasures (MCM) mission packages.

These LCS arrived in the U.S. 5th Fleet (Bahrain) in 2025 and operate differently: they stay outside minefields and deploy manned/unmanned systems for safer, standoff detection and neutralization.

A Navy official described the LCS MCM package as “a sophisticated suite of manned and unmanned systems designed to locate, identify, and neutralize sea mines, at a safer distance from minefields than the Avenger-class MCMs.”

The Navy views it as an upgrade.

The Navy believes the replacements are adequate.

 

[Walt]

If you think our ships and planes can't see the mines and blow them up you're a special kind of fucktarded commie.

The designers of mines thought of that (over a 100 years ago), and now mines are no longer visible from above the water.

These days we are dealing with mines that are very difficult to detect with sonar, can move around, and make very good guesses at what is and is not a ship.

The days of blowing the up by plane were over before the age of biplanes.

 

[Matt Dillon]

The designers of mines thought of that (over a 100 years ago), and now mines are no longer visible from above the water.

These days we are dealing with mines that are very difficult to detect with sonar, can move around, and make very good guesses at what is and is not a ship.

The days of blowing the up by plane were over before the age of biplanes.

Salty Walty, wrong again.

 

[Matt Dillon]

The designers of mines thought of that (over a 100 years ago), and now mines are no longer visible from above the water.

These days we are dealing with mines that are very difficult to detect with sonar, can move around, and make very good guesses at what is and is not a ship.

The days of blowing the up by plane were over before the age of biplanes.

Biih, I bet they look like 2 Weber green eggs stuck together with metal stud switches to set them off if anything runs into them.

We probably have underwater remote electric minesweepers now like RC cars.
The "Robot Wars" champion pilots them.

 

[Diogenes]

Fun fact: "Trump" didn't "pull" any minesweepers.

The Navy did, last year, and they were replaced with more modern units. OP is a liar.

 

[Walt]

I bet they look like 2 Weber green eggs stuck together with metal stud switches to set them off if anything runs into them.

So you think Iran is using 80 year old mines?

 

[T. A. Gardner]

As President Donald Trump warns Iran against using mines to threaten oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy’s purpose-built minesweepers are sitting stateside thousands of miles away with no plans to put them to use while the war rages on.

As gas prices in the U.S. continued to skyrocket, Trump on Tuesday took to Truth Social to demand that Tehran “immediately” remove any mines placed in the vital seaway and to do so “forthwith” lest the Iranian military suffer “consequences ... at a level never seen before.” That warning came after multiple news outlets reported Iran had begun mining the strait, a narrow waterway that is the only passage from the Persian Gulf into open ocean.

He also threatened to use drone strikes to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait” and boasted of having done so against 10 Iranian “inactive mine-laying boats” in a separate post several minutes later.

He also threatened to use drone strikes to “permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait” and boasted of having done so against 10 Iranian “inactive mine-laying boats” in a separate post several minutes later.

But it’s unclear to what extent the U.S. now has reliable capacity to seek out and remove any mines that have already been deployed or are subsequently dropped in the strait because the ships the American Navy spent decades relying on for that purpose have been removed from the Persian Gulf region.

On Monday, a massive cargo ship, M/V Seaway Hawk, was spotted on camera arriving in Philadelphia carrying a quartet of Avenger-class Mine Countermeasure Ships that were based at U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as the Navy’s front-line deterrent against mining operations in the Middle East until this past fall, when the last of those ships, U.S.S. Devastator, was decommissioned.

On Monday, a massive cargo ship, M/V Seaway Hawk, was spotted on camera arriving in Philadelphia carrying a quartet of Avenger-class Mine Countermeasure Ships that were based at U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as the Navy’s front-line deterrent against mining operations in the Middle East until this past fall, when the last of those ships, U.S.S. Devastator, was decommissioned.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-pulled-mine-sweepers-middle-155733810.html

View attachment 78076

Another bullshit commentary

The USN withdrew the dedicated minesweepers stationed in Bahrain as they were about 40 years old and had outdated, inadequate, defense systems. They were replaced by LCS ships with a minesweeping module fitted for the same purpose. The decommissioning started early last year and was in the planning stages during the last year of Biden's term.

The US Navy decommissioned Middle East minesweepers last year. Here’s what they did.

Four Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships stationed in Bahrain were decommissioned in 2025 after each serving for over 30 years.

www.navytimes.com

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/why-us-navy-decommissioning-minesweepers-ps-092725