Three Avenger-class minesweepers (68 metres, 1,400 tonnes), which date back to the 1990s, are permanently stationed at the U.S. Naval Base in Manama, Bahrain, for any minesweeping work that may be required in the Persian Gulf. To reduce their magnetic radiation, the hull consists of a wooden shell covered with fibreglass-reinforced plastic.
However, this design proves to be excessively expensive to maintain with increasing age. In addition, the boats' technical equipment is outdated and they are slow - even on the best days, it is almost impossible to achieve more than 15 knots. Incidentally, the eleven boats in this class represent the entire floating mine defence capacity of the USA. Since the end of May, the three boats in Manama have been gradually being replaced by the LCS trimarans of the Independence class (Littoral Combat Ship), which have long been intended for this purpose. These ships have been under construction for 20 years and were supposed to demonstrate their initial capability for mine hunting back in 2015, but certification of the corresponding mission equipment was not granted until 2023, eight years behind schedule. They are made of aluminium, can use state-of-the-art sub-hunting drones and deploy equipment with two helicopters - and they can run at speeds of up to 50 knots with their water jet propulsion, but only on good days. The "Canberra" (LCS 30, commissioned in July 2023) was the first LCS in the minehunting version to reach its new home port on the island in the Gulf. It is also the first LCS ever to be deployed in the Gulf region. Nothing less than a generational change!