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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Ship Photo Archive

Courtesy of Ron Reeves

Guardian (MCM-5)

Call sign:
November - Bravo - Tango - Xray

Avenger Class Mine Countermeasures Ship:

Built by Peterson Builders Inc., Sturgeon Bay, WI

Ordered, 23 December 1983

Laid down, 08 May 1985

Launched, 20 June 1987

Commissioned, 16 December 1989

Ran aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea, 80 miles ESE of Palawan Island in the western portion of the Philippine archipelago, 17 January 2013

Navy announced plans to dismember the ship into three sections, 29 January 2013

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency awarded a $24.9 million contract to SMIT Salvage of Singapore to provide support for emergency response and

recovery operations for the Guardian grounding

, 01 February 2013

Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 15 February 2013

Final fate, disposed of by dismantling in place

Specifications:

Displacement 1,040 tons

Length 210'

Beam 38'

Draft 10' 6"

Speed 14 knots

Complement 81

Armament: Two M2HB .50 cal. machine guns, two M60 7.62 mm machine guns, two Mk19 grenade launchers

Propulsion: Four Waukesha Motors Co. diesel engines, two controllable reversible pitch propellers, two shafts, two electric light load propulsion motors

Auxiliary Systems: Three Waukesha ship service diesel generator sets, one solar gas turbine generator, one omnithruster bow thruster system

Electronic systems: One AN/SSN-2 Precise Integrated Navigation System (PINS), one AN/SQQ-32 Mine Hunting Sonar, one AN/SPS-55 Surface Radar. one AN/WSN-2 Gyro Compass

Mine Countermeasure Equipment Suite: One AN/SLQ-48 (V) Mine Neutralization System, one AN/SQL-37 (V) 3 Magnetic/Acoustic Influence Minesweeping Gear, Oropesa type 0 size 1 Mechanical

Sweep Equipment, MDG 1701 Marconi Magnetometer Degaussing System.

Click on thumbnail for full size image	Size	Image Description	Source
USS Guardian (MCM 5)
	47k	U.S. Navy photo
	40k	U.S. Navy photo
	139k	Entering a Canadian port	BMCS Richard Miller, USNR, Ret.
	148k	Inboard of Avenger (MCM 1)	BMCS Richard Miller, USNR, Ret.
	37k	Guardian steaming to starboard of USS Patriot (MCM 7) U.S. Navy Photo by Charles Whorton from the October 2001 edition of U.S. Naval Proceedings	Joe Radigan
	246k	28 January 2002 A crewmember prepares to give the order for a Side Scanning Sonar "fish" to be lowered into the ocean off the coast of Japan. The “Fish” is a portable device, which provides ships the ability to conduct precision underwater mapping operations of ports and ocean floors, critical to planning mine countermeasure operations. U.S. Navy photos 020128-N-0401E-002 and 020128-N-0401E-004 by JOSN Wes Eplen	Robert M. Cieri
	318k		Robert M. Cieri
	285k	22 July 2002 Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan Loved ones wait to greet their sailors aboard Guardian as the ship return to India Basin, Sasebo, Japan, after three months underway. She has recently traveled throughout the Pacific region participating in Exercise Cobra Gold 2002 conducting Mine Warfare Refresher Training. U.S. Navy photo 020722-N-0401E-001 by JO3 Wes Eplen	Robert M. Cieri
	280k	9 November 2002 Leaving port U.S. Navy photo	Robert Hurst
	345k	23 April 2003 U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan Lt. Cmdr. Stanley Keeve, Commanding Officer of Guardian conducts a "Captain's Call" following a dress white uniform inspection. U.S. Navy photo 030423-N-8937A-003 by Photographer’s Mate Airman Ian W. Anderson	Bill Gonyo
	311k	13 November 2003 Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan At sea for a day, the Guardian steams out of Sasebo Bay in search of open seas in which to conduct shipboard training exercises. U.S. Navy photo 031113-N-2420K-001 by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Jonathan R. Kulp	Robert M. Cieri
	488k	18 February 2004 Inland Sea, Japan Deck personnel aboard Guardian recover gear after completing a mine sweep during the Mine Countermeasures Exercise/Explosive Ordnance Demolition Exercise 2004 off the coast of Shimonoseki, Japan. U.S. Navy photo 040218-N-0000W-001
	341k	10 March 2004 Sasebo, Japan USS Patriot (MCM 7) and Guardian sit moored in a shipbuilding dry dock for a one-month maintenance and repair schedule in Sasebo. U.S. Navy photo 040310-N-7217H-002 by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Marvin Harris
	394k	8 July 2005 Sasebo, Japan Guardian pulls into the India Basin in Sasebo, Japan. The ship returned to Sasebo after completing a successful three-month deployment that included three joint exercises and port visits in six countries. U.S. Navy photo 050708-N-4124C-007
	238k	19 September 2006 Vladivostok, Russia Guardian is moored alongside USS Chancellorsville (CG 62) in Russia’s largest naval base in the Far East. During their stay in Vladivostok, the ship’s approximately 90 crew members had a chance to participate in sporting matches, cultural exchanges and community relations events with the local population. U.S. Navy photo 060919-N-7899C-001
	498k	16 February 2007 Sea of Japan Guardian and USS Patriot (MCM 7) split two Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ships, JDS Tsushima (MSO 302) and JDS Hachijo (MSO 303), during a photo exercise at the conclusion of a passing exercise between the two navies. Guardian and Patriot met with the JMSDF ships for bi-lateral training as they headed back to their forward-deployed home of Sasebo. U.S. Navy photo 020716-N-0000X-001 courtesy of Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Public Affairs.
	311k	24 June 2007 Yonaguni, Japan Guardian pulls into Port Sonai for a two-day port visit while supporting the U.S. 7th Fleet’s interoperability and training commitments. Yonaguni, part of Okinawa Prefecture, is a small island located at the end of the Ryukyu Islands chain. U.S. Navy photo 070624-N-3019M-001 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan C. McGinley
	261k	24 June 2007 Yonaguni, Japan Guardian and USS Patriot (MCM 7) are moored abreast at Port Sonai for a two-day port visit. The port call marked the first time a Navy vessel visited the island since the United States returned Okinawa to Japan in 1972. U.S. Navy photo 070624-N-3019M-006 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ryan C. McGinley
	86k	Lieutenant Commander Steve DeMoss (L), commanding officer of Guardian, and Lieutenant Commander Thomas Shultz, commanding officer of USS Patriot (MCM 7), walk in the northeastern Vietnam port of Haiphong, about 100 km (62 miles) east of Hanoi November 14, 2007. The two vessels are the first U.S. Navy ships to visit northern Vietnam since the former foes ended the war in 1975 and established diplomatic relations in 1995. Reuters Newsservice photo	Bill Gonyo
	305k	21 November 2009 Chinhae, South Korea Guardian and USS Patriot MCM 7) are moored at Chinhae for Exercise Clear Horizon. Clear Horizon, an annual exercise conducted with the Republic of Korea Navy, is one of the largest, international, mine counter-measures exercises in the world U.S. Navy photo 091121-N-8335D-035 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Richard Doolin	Lee Wahler
	312k	26 January 2010 Sasebo, Japan Guardian moors in dry-dock at SSK Shipyard, Sasebo, during a scheduled dry-dock selective restricted availability. Guardian is assigned to Amphibious Force, U.S. 7th Fleet, forward-deployed to Sasebo U.S. Navy photo 100126-N-0807W-004 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua J. Wahl	Robert Hurst
	156k	8 January 2013 Guardian arrives at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa for a port visit and supply replenishment during its 2013 patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility U.S. Navy photo 130108-N-VD190-012 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Steve Whitel	Mike Green
	153k	17 January 2013 Aground on Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island in the western portion of the Philippine archipelago ABC News website photos	Ron Reeves
	142k
	122k
	367k	Heavy waves crash against the grounded mine countermeasure ship Guardian, which ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea on 17 January 2013 U.S. Navy photo	Robert Hurst
	175k	19 January 2013 Turned 90 degrees on Tubbataha Reef Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (AFP-WESCOM) photos	Joe Radigan
	200k		Joe Radigan
	419k	22 January 2013 The mine countermeasures ship Guardian sits aground on the Tubbataha Reef. Operations to safely recover the ship while minimizing environmental effects are being conducted in close cooperation with allied Philippines Coast Guard and Navy U.S. Navy photo 130122-N-ZZ999-061 by Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 3rd Class Geoffrey Trudell	Ron Reeves
	387k	22 January 2013 U.S. Navy salvage assessment team members board the mine countermeasures ship Guardian U.S. Navy photo 130123-N-ZZ999-027 by Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 3rd Class Geoffrey Trudell
	353k	25 January 2013 Malaysian tug Vos Apollo prepares for defueling operations near the grounded Guardian while a U.S. Navy small boat approaches with a salvage team. The U.S. Navy contracted Vos Apollo to assist with removing fuel from the mine countermeasures ship, which ran aground on the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea on January 17. No fuel has leaked since the grounding and all of the approximately 15,000 gallons onboard Guardian was safely transferred to Vos Apollo during two days of controlled defueling operations on January 24 and January 25. The U.S. Navy continues to work in close cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard and Navy to safely remove Guardian from the reef while minimizing environmental effects U.S. Navy photo 130124-N-ZZ999-001 by Naval Aircrewman 3rd Class Geoffrey Trudell
Scrapping Operations
	4.8m	Photo slide show on the salvage and dismantling of Guardian	Ken Sayers
	199k	25 February 2013 Sailors from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 1 and U.S. Navy contracted salvage crew members from the M/V Jascon 25 safely remove the exhaust funnel structure from the Guardian. The funnel's removal was a milestone in the dismantling process of the Guardian. The U.S. Navy and contracted salvage teams are safely dismantling and removing the ship from Tubbataha Reef. The U.S. Navy continues to work in close cooperation with the Philippine authorities to safely dismantle Guardian from the reef while minimizing environmental effects U.S. Navy photos 130226-N-VF350-235 and 130226-N-VF350-247 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim	Lee Wahler
	161k
	385k	2 March 2013 The second deck level of the mine countermeasures ship Guardian is guided onto the U.S. Navy contracted vessel M/V Jascon 25 U.S. Navy photo 130302-N-VF350-078 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim
	176k	2 March 2013 Guardian is seen with the upper half of its superstructure, funnel and mast removed while undergoing the process of being salvaged and dismantled U.S. Navy photo 130302-N-KL617-056 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby Sanders
	51k	6 March 2013 Decommissioning program	Ron Reeves
	320k	8 March 2013 What remains of ex-Guardian U.S. Navy photo 130308-N-VF350-142 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim	Ron Reeves
	441k	12 March 2013 The U.S. Navy contracted vessels Jascon 25 and the tugboat Archon Tide are positioned next to the ex-Guardian during salvage operations U.S. Navy photo 130312-N-VF350-059 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson Bomjardim	Original photo: Ron Reeves Replacement photo: Lee Wahler
	84k	26 March 2013 The crane vessel M/V Jascon 25 removes the bow of the ex-Guardian Philippine Coast Guard photo via the Associated Press	Lee Whaler
	220k	26 March 2013 The crane vessel M/V Jascon 25 removes the bow of the ex-Guardian U.S. Navy photo 130326-N-KL617-075 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby Sanders	Joe Radigan
	228k	30 March 2013 The U.S. Navy contracted crane vessel M/V Jascon 25 removes the final hull section of the ex-Guardian U.S. Navy photo 130330-N-KL617-113 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby Sanders	Ron Reeves
	188k	30 March 2013 The U.S. Navy contracted crane vessel M/V Jascon 25 removes the stern section from the mine countermeasure ship ex-Guardian, and places it onto the barge Seabridge. The removal of the stern section completed the removal of the Guardian from the reef U.S. Navy photo 130330-N-KL617-137 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelby Sanders	Ron Reeves

Commanding Officers
01	LCDR George Joseph Smith, Jr., USN	16 December 1989 - 15 October 1991
02	CDR Daine Edward Eisold, USN	15 October 1991 - 02 March 1992
03	LCDR William Steven McGee, USN	02 March 1992 - 03 September 1993
04	LCDR Jeffery Scott Jones, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral	03 September 1993 - 25 September 1994
05	LCDR Thomas John Strei, Jr., USN	25 September 1994 - 04 March 1995
06	LCDR Terry Tyrone Miller, USN	04 March 1995 - 16 August 1995
07	LCDR Anthony Michael Kurta, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral	16 August 1995 - 02 February 1996
08	LCDR Glenn Michael Irvine, USN	02 February 1996 - 20 August 1996
09	LCDR Alan Charles Westphal, USN	20 August 1996 - 14 March 1997
10	LCDR Robert Paul Girrier, USN - USNA Class of 1983 Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, five Legion of Merits, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals and the Navy Achievement Medal - Retired as Rear Admiral	14 March 1997 - 18 September 1998
11	LCDR Alfonso Lee Woods, USN	18 September 1998 - 26 May 2000
12	CDR Bernard Mark Gately, Jr., USN - USNA Class of 1986	26 May 2000 - 28 May 2002
13	LCDR Stanley Ollie Keeve, Jr.,USN	28 May 2002 - 26 May 2004
14	LCDR Delbert Guy Yordy, USN	26 May 2005 - 06 June 2006
15	LCDR Steven Harlow DeMoss, USN	06 June 2006 - 08 May 2008
16	LCDR Theodore Elliot Essenfeld, USN	08 May 2008 - 02 July 1009
17	LCDR Bryce A. Benson, USN	2 July 2009 - 15 October 2010
17	LCDR Kenneth R. Brown, USN	15 October 2010 - 21 October 2011
18	LCDR Timothy R. Carter, USN - Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, five Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals	21 October 2010 - 29 October 2012
19	LCDR Mark A. Rice, USN	29 October 2012 - 15 February 2013

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves Bill Gonyo and Joe Radigan

There is no DANFS history available for Guardian (MCM-5)

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This page was created by Gary P. Priolo & maintained by Joseph M. Radigan & David L. Wright

Last Updated 14 December 2023