Europe Erodes Western Alliance By Refusing Trump Minesweepers Ask

In 2012 I urged the US Navy to reconsider retiring the American Osprey class ships. At one time, there were twelve Osprey mine hunters in the U.S. Navy; two were home ported in Bahrain. All have been decommissioned and a number have been sold.

Two (MHC 51 and MHC 54) ​w​ere berthed in Beaumont, T​exas in 2012.​ MH-51 was marked for disposal. MH-54 was sold for scrap. MHC 52 and MHC 53 ​w​ere transferred to Greece. MHC 55 and 59 ​w​ere sold to Taiwan. MHC 56 and 57 were offered to Lithuania but not sold.​ Later these two vessels were sold to India. MHC 58 and MHC 62 ​were sold to Turkey and MHC 61 ​w​as​ sold to Egypt​ while MH-62 sold for scrap.

​Consider the case of MH-62 which the Navy scrapped. Called the USS Shrike, it served between 1992 to 2007, or only 15 years. The typical service life of a US warship is 30 years, and the timeline can often be extended if needed. It was the last Osprey class ship manufactured in the United States.

The result of the divestment is the US Navy lost much of its mine hunting and mine disposal skills.

Ospreys have fiberglass hulls to minimize the chance of setting off a magnetic mine, and very quiet trolling engines. Equipped with excellent sensors, they played a major role in clearing Soviet-type mines placed in the Gulf by Iraq during the First Gulf War. They not only cleared transit waterways, but also proved effective at clearing mines from harbors, including Basra, and have significant advantages over helicopter anti-mine systems.

MHC-61 Raven operated in the North Arabian Gulf and participated in exercises in the Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Other ships of the class, such as Cardinal (MHC-60), Heron (MHC-52), and Pelican (MHC-53), were active around this time, though the Raven is the most specifically mentioned in 2003 Iraq operations. (MH-60 and 61 were transferred to Egypt; MH-52 and MH-53 were sent to Greece.)

Greece says it will not participate in any military operations near Iran, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced. The Egyptians decommissioned their minesweepers in 2025-2026.

The Europeans have between 150 and 170 active minesweepers and minehunters. They have experienced operators and well trained crews, and they practice their trade as part of NATO requirements.

NATO conducts specialized mine countermeasures (MCM) operations using standing naval forces to ensure maritime safety and security, focusing on locating and destroying naval mines, particularly in the Baltic and Black Seas. Operations in both areas in the framework of the Ukraine war and tensions with Russia suggest that Europe is not adverse to conducting military operations under the NATO flag against what they perceive as their main adversary.