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NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Ship Photo Archive

Chief (MCM 14)

Call sign:
November - Charlie - Papa - Oscar

Avenger Class Mine Countermeasures Ship:

Built by Peterson Builders, Sturgeon Bay, WI

Ordered, 12 December 1989

Laid down, 19 August 1991

Launched, 12 June 1993

Commissioned 05 November 1994

Currently active, attached to Pacific Fleet, homeported at Sasebo, Japan

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.

Size	Image Description	Source
225k	Chief being commissioned on 5 November 1994 at Peterson Brothers in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Naval History and Heritage Command photo UA 474.14	Mike Green
100k
36k	At Port Aransas, TX inbound to NavSta Ingleside	Tom Langford
57k	At Port Aransas, TX inbound to NavSta Ingleside	Tom Langford
44k		Robert Hurst
123k		Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
245k	San Diego Bay	Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
558k	26 January 1995 An early morning port bow view of the mine counter measures ship Chief shortly after mooring at Harbor Island in the Port of Tampa, FL U.S. Navy photo 330-CFD-DN-SC-95-01353 by OS2 John Bouvia from National Museum of the U.S. Navy	Michael Mohl
277k	27 January 1995 Tampa, FL Under "attack" by the S.S. Ybor (actually the tugboat Janet K.) as the mock pirate invasion of Tampa by the Ybor Navy begins as part of the annual Gasparilla celebration Department of Defense photo DN-SC-95-01357 by OS2 John Bouvia	Robert Hurst
105k	c. February 1995 Cover of All Hands magazine	Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
120k	18 November 1997 Gulf of Mexico A port beam view of the Chief underway U.S. Navy photo DN-SD-03-11978	Robert M. Cieri
94k	27 April 2003 Chief's first visit to Valletta, Malta	Anthony Vella Senglea, Malta
131k	3 December 2004 Panama City, FL Chief and the mine hunter coastal ship Osprey (MHC 51) prior to getting underway for the Gulf of Mexico Exercises (GOMEX) 05-1. GOMEX is scheduled quarterly for mine countermeasures units that have completed a basic mine countermeasures training phase. GOMEX marks the transition of a mine warfare readiness group from training to ready-to-deploy status and includes integrated surface, air and explosive ordnance disposal mine countermeasures operations U.S. Navy photo 041203-N-0206B-016 by Jacqui Barker	Original photo: Joe Radigan Replacement photo: Bill Gonyo
221k	23 September 2005 Ingleside, TX In preparation of Hurricane Rita, mine countermeasures ships home ported at Naval Station Ingleside nest in a modified mooring. Ships present (left to right): Unknown, Scout (MCM 8), unknown, Sentry (MCM 3), Champion (MCM 4), Pioneer (MCM 9), Chief, Gladiator (MCM 11), Avenger (MCM 1) and Defender (MCM 2) U.S. Navy photo 050923-N-4913K-006 by Fifi Kieschnick	Robert M. Cieri
413k	c. January 2014 Naval Station San Diego, CA Scout (MCM 8), Ardent (MCM 12), Champion (MCM 4), and Chief	BMCS Richard Miller, USNR, Ret.
277k	23 October 2014 Chief participates in Exercise Clear Horizon 2014 off the coast of the Korean peninsula. Clear Horizon is an annual bilateral exercise between the U.S. and Republic of Korea navies designed to enhance cooperation and improve capabilities in mine countermeasure operations U.S. Navy photo 141023-N-UH865-122 by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Frank L. Andrews	Ron Reeve
93k	Chief's Door Challenge Coin	Tommy Trampp
96k	First Class Petty Officers Association Door Challenge Coin	Tommy Trampp

Commanding Officers
01	LCDR Timothy Scott Garrold, USN - USNA Class of 1981	05 November 1994 - 19 July 1996
02	LCDR Clifford Seawell "Cliff" Sharpe, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral	19 July 1996 - 16 January 1997 (Crew Echo)
03	LCDR Anthony Ellis Mitchell, USN	16 January 1997 - 15 August 1997
04	LCDR Timothy Thompson Smith, USN - USNA Class of 1983	15 August 1997 - 07 November 1997
05	LCDR Clifford Seawell Sharpe, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral	07 November 1997 - 13 December 1997
06	LCDR Christopher Watson Grady, USN	13 December 1997 - 28 August 1998 (Crew Echo)
07	LCDR Timothy Thompson Smith, USN - USNA Class of 1983	28 August 1998 - 23 February 1999
08	LCDR Curt William Steigers, USN - USNA Class of 1985	23 February 1999 - 30 July 1999
09	LCDR Christopher Watson Grady, USN - Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals with Combat "V", and the Joint Service Achievement Medal Retired as Rear Admiral	30 July 1999 - 19 August 1999 (Crew Echo)
10	LCDR Mark Victor Dennis, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral	19 August 1999 - 25 April 2001
11	LCDR Jon Erik Lux, USN	25 April 2001 - 10 March 2002
12	LCDR Scott D. Davies, USN	10 March 2002 - 23 November 2004
13	LCDR David Thomas (Tom) Peterson, USN - USNA Class of 1991	23 November 2004 - 04 April 2005
14	LCDR Warren Ross Buller, II, USN	04 April 2005 - 10 June 2005
15	LCDR Michael Scott Sciretta, USN - Awarded four Legions of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, five Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals and the Joint Service Meritorious Unit Ribbon Currently (2022) Commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, Naples, Italy - Rear Admiral (Lower Half)	10 June 2005 - July 2006 (Crew Fearless)
16	LCDR William Scott Switzer, USN	2006
17	LCDR Angel Castro Cruz, USN	2007
18	LCDR James LeRoy Storm, USN - Awarded two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, five Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	March 2007 (Crew Fearless)
19	LCDR John A. Krisciunas, USN	November 2007 - 2008
20	LCDR Thomas A. Shear II, USN	06 March 2009 - 29 March 2009
21	LCDR Samantha Dee Baldwin, USN	29 March 2009 - 20 February 2010
22	LCDR Elaine Ann Brunelle, USN	20 February 2010 - 10 August 2010
23	LCDR James Anthony (Jim) Rushton, USN	10 August 2010 - 08 December 2010
24	CDR Robert S. Smith, USN	08 December 2010 - 2011
25	LCDR Edward Jenkins "Ted" Pledger, USN - USNA Class of 2000	2011 (Crew Exultant)
26	LCDR David Nathaniel Taft, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, four Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	January 2011 (Crew Constant)
27	LCDR Micah D. Murphy, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	2011 (Crew Exultant)
28	LCDR Wayne P. Liebold, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, five Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the Army Achievement Medal	no date (Crew Reaper)
29	LCDR Matthew Thomas Erdner, USN - Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal	February 2012 - 20 May 2012 (Crew Dominant)
30	LCDR Leonard Michael Leos, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and four Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	20 May 2012 - 16 January 2013
31	LCDR Nathan Scott Wemett, USN	16 January 2013
32	LCDR Robert Myers Laird, Jr., USN - USNA Class of 2000 Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, six Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	28 October 2013 - January 2014 (Crew Leader)
33	LCDR James Joseph Sordi, Jr., USN - Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	January 2014 - 15 July 2014 (Crew Persistent)(hull swap with MCM 2)
34	LCDR James Linn "Jim" Correia, USN	15 July 2014 - March 2015
35	LCDR Shane R. Dennis, USN	March 2015 - 23 June 2016
36	LCDR Michael George Tyree, USN - USNA Class of 2004 Awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal	23 June 2016 - 25 August 2017
37	LCDR William A. Russell, USN	25 August 2017 - 03 August 2018
38	LCDR Frederick D. Crayton, USN - Awarded two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, five Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and four Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals	03 August 2018 - 11 October 2019
39	LCDR Joshua J. Cowart, USN	11 August 2019 - 03 May 2021
40	LCDR James Clinton Billings, III, USN	03 May 2021 - 23 June 2022
41	LCDR Christopher Randy Hayes, USN	23 June 2022 - 28 August 2023
42	LCDR Michael Joseph Pires, USN	28 August 2023 - present

Courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler, Ron Reeves, Joe Radigan and Thomas Shear

There is no DANFS history available for Chief (MCM 14)

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This page was created by Joseph M. Radigan & David L. Wright

Last Updated 14 December 2023