November12, 2006:
The growing potential for naval mine warfare by China, North Korea or
Iran, or even terrorists, has caused the U.S. Navy to rethink its plan to
retire its 14 Avenger-class minesweepers. These 1,400 ton ships are to be
replaced by mine clearing equipped LCS ships, and similar gear carried on some
destroyers. The current schedule called for the first Avenger to retire in 2017
(after 30 years of service), and all of them to be gone by 2025. Now the
thinking is more towards keeping the Avengers for as long as they are
serviceable, and increasing the use of special mine clearing kits for the LCS
and other ships. In a decade, it is believed hostile nations will have a lot of
very capable naval mines.