USS Ardent (MCM-12)

USS Ardent (MCM-12) was an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship in the United States Navy.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Ardent and HMAS Ardent.

USS Ardent at sea in the Persian Gulf, July 2005
History
United States
NameArdent
Ordered12 December 1989
Laid down22 October 1990
Launched16 November 1991
Christened20 August 1993
Commissioned18 February 1994
Decommissioned27 August 2020
HomeportSan Diego, California
StatusDecommissioned
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeAvenger-class mine countermeasures ship
Displacement1,312 tons
Length224 ft (68 m)
Beam39 ft (12 m)
Draft11.5 ft (3.5 m)
Propulsionfour diesels
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement8 Officers, 6 Chief Petty Officers and 58 Enlisted
ArmamentMine neutralization system, two .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns
AN/SLQ-48 MNS (Mine Neutralization System) in use aboard Ardent. This remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is controlled through an umbilical cable, has low acoustic and magnetic signature, and is equipped with low-light television (LLTV) cameras, allowing it to get close to mines to place destructive charges or cut their mooring lines without triggering them.

She was built by Peterson Shipbuilders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Ardent was homeported at San Diego, California and was part of the U.S. 3rd Fleet.

Her Command History for 1993-94 indicates that '.. on 1 November 1994 a reorganization of the U.S. Navy's Mine Countermeasures Community took place. Commander, Mine Warfare Command ceased to be Type Commander for the ships homeported in Ingleside, Texas; and a new entity, Naval Surface Group Ingleside, was created to serve as local agent for the new Type Commander, Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic. NSG Ingleside was also intended to give the Ingleside ships "cradle to grave" assistance and supervision. In the new organization, ARDENT was assigned to Mine Countermeasures Squadron 3 (MCMRON 3). ARDENT remained in MCMRON 3 through the end of 1994.

Ardent was featured in a front-page article in the 31 July 2006 edition of DefenceNews that pointed out that Ardent and USS Dextrous were suffering from equipment failures that made them unable to perform their role.[1]

Ardent held a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Base San Diego on 17 August 2020 and was officially decommissioned on 27th of the same month.[2]

References
  1. DefenceNews
  2. "CHAMPION, SCOUT, ARDENT Decommission After Distinguished Service" (Press release). United States Navy. 20 August 2020.

This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.


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