Search the Site with

General Characteristics

Crew List

Memorabilia

History

Image Gallery

to end of page

USS Chief (MCM 14)

USS CHIEF is the last ship in the AVENGER class of Mine Countermeasures Ships and like all the other ships in this class the USS CHIEF has a wooden hull. She is the second ship in the Navy to bear the name.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS CHIEF. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

• Click here to view the list.

back to top

go to the end of the page

• Click here to see which USS CHIEF memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

back to top

go to the end of the page

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS CHIEF History:

USS CHIEF (MCM 14) was the 14th and final AVENGER-class mine countermeasures ship and the third United States ship to bear the name. Her keel was laid down on August 19, 1991, at Peterson Builders in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. She was christened and launched on June 12, 1993, with Mrs. Susan Bushey - wife of retired Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Duane R. Bushey - serving as sponsor. USS CHIEF was commissioned on November 5, 1994, with Lt. Cmdr. Timothy S. Garolld in command.

On July 19, 1996, Lt. Cmdr. Clliford S. Sharpe relieved Lt. Cmdr. Timothy S. Garolld as commanding officer. After another period not described in detail in the verified day-by-day record, command changed again on December 13, 1997, when Lt. Cmdr. Christopher W. Grady relieved Lt. Cmdr. Clliford S. Sharpe as the fifth commanding officer of USS CHIEF, associated at that time with the Echo crew designation. From February 24, 1998, through March 13, 1998, USS CHIEF was underway for mine countermeasures operations in the Panama City operating area. During that span, she made a brief port visit to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, from March 9-10. On August 28, 1998, Lt. Cmdr. Timothy T. Smith relieved Lt. Cmdr. Christopher W. Grady as commanding officer of USS CHIEF (then associated with the Hotel crew designation). A short shakedown-type underway followed from September 1-3, 1998, and as Tropical Storm Charlie developed in the region, USS CHIEF used the Ingleside Turning Basin "nest" as a safe-haven mooring from September 10-12, 1998. She then resumed local training, getting underway in the Corpus Christi operating area from September 22-24, 1998.

On September 28, 1998, USS CHIEF departed Naval Station Ingleside for a special visit linked to the U.S. Naval Academy. En route, she made a brief stop at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, on October 4, 1998, then called at Morehead City, North Carolina, on October 7, 1998, to onload mine shapes. She continued north to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia, where she was inport from October 9-13, 1998, and then moored at Farragut Field in Annapolis, Maryland, for a four-day port visit beginning October 15, 1998. On the return south, USS CHIEF visited Freeport, Bahamas, from October 23-26, 1998, and made a short call at Key West, Florida, from November 2-3, 1998. She then pulled into Port Manatee, Florida, for a two-day visit beginning November 7, 1998, tied to the annual Manatee Festival, and returned to Ingleside on November 12, 1998. Soon after, she got underway again for a Cart II event on November 19, 1998. From March 1999 through the end of June 1999, USS CHIEF completed a full training and evaluation sequence described in the record as Tsta I, Tsta II, Tsta III, and the Final Evaluation Period, while also participating in Gulf of Mexico Exercise 99-1 - activities that, taken together, reflected the rhythm of late-1990s U.S. mine countermeasures readiness: repeated at-sea training blocks, evaluations, and integrated exercise workups intended to validate a ship's ability to locate and neutralize mines and support fleet freedom of maneuver.

On July 30, 1999, Lt. Cmdr. Christopher W. Grady relieved Lt. Cmdr. Curt W. Steigers as commanding officer of USS CHIEF (again associated with the Echo crew designation), and on August 19, 1999, Lt. Cmdr. Mark V. Dennis assumed command of the Mine Countermeasures Rotational Crew Echo. As hurricane season peaked, USS CHIEF again used the Ingleside "nest" for protection, mooring there for safe haven from Hurricane Bret from August 21-24, 1999. In November 1999, she was underway for a port visit to Port Everglades, Florida, to participate in Broward County Navy Days in Fort Lauderdale, reflecting a recurring pattern for the class: balancing training and readiness requirements with public engagement and local-port relationships.

A major maintenance period began on January 10, 2000, when USS CHIEF entered the Peterson Builders shipyard in Ingleside for a three-month Planned Maintenance Availability. After maintenance, she conducted sea trials on March 30, 2000, then moved through a sequence of readiness events: "CO's time" from April 18-21, 2000; an inspection rehearsal from May 3-4, 2000; and a friends-and-family day cruise on May 5, 2000. She went to sea for a Board of Inspection and Survey assessment in mid-May 2000, then conducted a port visit to Cancun, Mexico, from May 31-June 9, 2000, before returning to underway periods for "CO's time" from June 11-16, 2000. Later in the year, she conducted an engineering certification event in early August 2000 and then shifted to East Coast operations: from August 25-September 11, 2000, she was underway for Fleet Battle Experiment Hotel off the East Coast. Additional underway periods followed, including "CO's time" from September 19-22, 2000, and an extended Port Everglades visit from September 25-October 14, 2000, tied to Fleet Week. She then returned to structured training with Tailored Ship's Training Availability III from November 6-10, 2000, followed by a Final Evaluation Problem from November 12-17, 2000 - events that, within U.S. Navy readiness practice, represented a culminating validation of the ship's ability to execute assigned missions safely and effectively.

On February 15, 2001, USS CHIEF departed homeport for a scheduled six-month eastern Pacific deployment. During that deployment, on April 19, 2001, Lt. Cmdr. Jon E. Lux relieved Lt. Cmdr. Mark V. Dennis as commanding officer. The ship continued operating within the Navy's broader post-Cold War pattern of rotating specialized mine countermeasures capability across fleet areas to sustain readiness for contingencies in key maritime chokepoints. On March 10, 2002, Lt. Cmdr. Scott D. Davis relieved Lt. Cmdr. Jon E. Lux as commanding officer.

Following the strategic shift after September 11, 2001, USS CHIEF surged again: on January 13, 2003, she departed Ingleside for a surge deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism, as part of Mine Readiness Group 3. On April 27, 2003, she pulled into Valletta, Malta, for a liberty port visit - an indicator that her surge employment included Mediterranean operations or transits associated with that theater. Additional ports or specific mission tasking for the remainder of that 2003 surge deployment not not publically known. On November 23, 2004, Lt. Cmdr. David T. Peterson relieved Lt. Cmdr. Scott D. Davis as commanding officer. Soon afterward, on December 3, 2004, USS CHIEF pulled into Panama City, Florida, for a brief port call before participating in Gulf of Mexico Exercise 05-1, described in the record as a quarterly exercise sequence for mine countermeasures units that had completed basic training phases - an event type that effectively marked the transition of a mine warfare readiness group from training status toward a ready-to-deploy posture through integrated surface, aviation, and explosive ordnance disposal mine countermeasures activity.

In late summer 2005, Gulf Coast hurricane response again shaped operations for the class. On September 21, 2005, USS CHIEF moored outboard USS PIONEER (MCM 9) and USS GLADIATOR (MCM 11) as part of a modified "nest" moor of five mine countermeasures ships at Ingleside in preparation for Hurricane Katrina.

A major basing shift followed several years later: on April 15, 2009, USS CHIEF arrived in her new homeport of Naval Base San Diego, California, after a four-week transit from Ingleside, Texas, as mine warfare commands and ships relocated under Base Realignment and Closure decisions that directed the closure of Naval Station Ingleside.

Command changed on December 8, 2010, when Cmdr. Robert S. Smith relieved Lt. Cmdr. James A. Rushton as commanding officer. In 2011, USS CHIEF deployed to the Middle East: on March 1, 2011, she was documented participating - along with USS GLADIATOR and six Royal Navy ships - in a mine countermeasures exercise in the Arabian Gulf, a region where the risk of mine warfare has long been treated as a central operational concern because even limited mining can disrupt commercial shipping and naval movement. On July 8, 2011, USS CHIEF returned to San Diego after a six-month Middle East deployment. She continued training closer to home later that year: from October 17-20, 2011, USS CHIEF participated in a bilateral mine countermeasures exercise off the coast of southern California.

On February 29, 2012, USS CHIEF - commanded at that time by Lt. Cmdr. Matthew T. Erdner (Dominant crew) - departed San Diego for a two-day certification verification, reflecting the continued emphasis on maintaining validated mine countermeasures proficiency as the Navy's operational focus expanded across both the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. A second major homeport shift and forward-deployment move occurred in 2014. On May 31, 2014, USS CHIEF - then commanded by Lt. Cmdr. James S. Sordi (Persistent crew) - departed San Diego after being loaded aboard the Military Sealift Command-chartered heavy-lift ship M/V EIDE TRANSPORTER for transport to Japan. The heavy-lift approach reduced wear associated with long open-ocean transits for specialized ships. The transport ship arrived in Yokosuka, Japan, on June 26, 2014. USS CHIEF was offloaded on July 3, 2014, during a float-on/float-off evolution at Fleet Activities Sasebo, and moored at Berth 1, India Basin, for the first time. In July 2014, Lt. Cmdr. James L. Correia assumed command of USS CHIEF during an exchange of command and crew ("hull swap") ceremony with USS DEFENDER (MCM 2). On August 30, 2014, USS CHIEF returned to Sasebo after a 10-day underway period in support of the Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Readiness and Evaluation Measurement exercise. On October 19, 2014, she moored at Chinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, for a brief port call before participating in the annual mine countermeasures exercise Clear Horizon 2014 - an example of recurring mine warfare interoperability training with regional partners in Northeast Asia.

In 2015, USS CHIEF sustained a pattern of short underways and regional exercises. On January 28, 2015, she departed Berth 10, India Basin, for a three-day underway to conduct routine training. From February 28-March 4, 2015, she operated underway with USS PIONEER (MCM 9). In March 2015, Lt. Cmdr. Shane R. Dennis relieved Lt. Cmdr. James L. Correia as commanding officer. On March 27, 2015, USS CHIEF, along with USS WARRIOR (MCM 10), departed Sasebo to participate in mine countermeasures operations as part of the annual exercise Foal Eagle off the coast of Chinhae, Republic of Korea, from March 30-April 11, 2015. USS CHIEF returned to Sasebo on April 13, 2015. Additional underways followed from August 26-September 3, 2015, October 26-November 4, 2015, and November 16-21, 2015.

In early 2016, USS CHIEF departed homeport in early February 2016 for squadron-level mine countermeasures training off Okinawa, with brief stops at White Beach Naval Facility noted on March 11 and March 21, 2016, and an inport period at Sasebo from March 23-25, 2016. On March 26, 2016, she moored at Pier 11 in Chinhae for a two-day port call before participating in annual Foal Eagle exercise activity, and then proceeded to Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a training availability from April 7-18, 2016, returning to Sasebo on May 5, 2016. On September 13, 2016, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 9, India Basin, after a four-day underway period for routine training. In November 2016, she departed Sasebo to participate in a bilateral mine countermeasures exercise designated 3JA off Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, with the at-sea window given as November 20-28, 2016.

In 2017, USS CHIEF again aligned operations with major alliance exercises on the Korean Peninsula. On March 17, 2017, she departed homeport for a 17-day underway in support of Foal Eagle, then got underway again on April 21, 2017, and made a brief port call at White Beach Naval Facility on April 23, 2017, returning to Sasebo on April 28, 2017. On August 25, 2017, Lt. Cmdr. William A. Russell relieved Lt. Cmdr. Michael G. Tyree as commanding officer. Shortly after, on August 31, 2017, USS CHIEF departed India Basin for a brief underway to conduct navigation checks and anchor-drop tests, followed by further underways from September 2-4, 2017, September 12-14, 2017, and September 25, 2017. On September 26, 2017, USS CHIEF moored at Berth F2, Jeju Civilian-Military Complex on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, for a week-long port call. On October 10, 2017, she moored at Berth 2 in Busan Naval Base, Republic of Korea, for a five-day port visit before participating in a multinational mine countermeasures exercise. She later moored at Chinhae Naval Base from October 20 and returned to Sasebo on October 28, 2017. On November 21, 2017, USS CHIEF departed Sasebo to participate in the annual mine countermeasures exercise again designated 3JA in the Hyuga-nada Sea, anchored off Hososhima, Miyazaki Prefecture, from November 25-26, 2017, and then moored back at India Basin on November 30, 2017.

Through 2018, USS CHIEF's documented activity centered on readiness inspections, certification events, and regional training. On January 18, 2018, she moored at India Basin after a one-day underway off Sasebo, then got underway again from January 22-23, 2018. She completed a day-long Type Commander Material Readiness Inspection underway on February 21, 2018, and a day-long Board of Inspection and Survey assessment underway on March 27, 2018. On April 21, 2018, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 9, India Basin, after a 16-day underway in support of Foal Eagle. On July 7, 2018, she departed for Mine Exercise-Explosive Ordnance Disposal Exercise 18-2JA. On July 9, 2018, she pulled into Niigata, Japan, for a brief port call, then moored in Hakodate from July 14-16, 2018, before returning home on August 5, 2018. She got underway again on October 11, 2018, and on October 15, 2018, moored at Berth 1 in Busan Naval Base for a scheduled port visit before participating in another multinational mine countermeasures exercise, returning to Sasebo on October 29, 2018. From November 24-27, 2018, she participated in a bilateral mine countermeasures exercise 3JA in the Hyuga-nada Sea with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Navy ships, underscoring the increasingly trilateral and multilateral character of mine warfare training in the Indo-Pacific.

USS CHIEF began 2019 with a longer patrol. On February 4, 2019, she departed Fleet Activities Sasebo for an Indo-Pacific patrol. On February 10, 2019, she conducted a replenishment-at-sea with USNS MATTHEW PERRY (T-AKE 9) while underway in the South China Sea, then moored at Berth 3, Conventional Terminal, in Muara, Brunei, from February 15. On February 24, 2019, she conducted another replenishment-at-sea with USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200). On February 26, 2019, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 205, Jakarta International Container Terminal 2, in Tanjung Priok, Indonesia, for a three-day visit, then transited the Singapore Strait westbound on March 5, 2019. On March 17, 2019, she moored at Berth 4, Pier 15, in Manila South Harbor, Philippines, for a four-day port visit, participated in a passing exercise with BRP RAMON ALCARAZ on March 21, 2019, and returned inport to Manila again in late March. USS CHIEF moored back at India Basin in Sasebo on April 2, 2019, concluding the documented two-month patrol sequence. On October 11, 2019, Lt. Cmdr. Joshua J. Cowart relieved Lt. Cmdr. Frederick D. Crayton as commanding officer during a change-of-command ceremony at Berth 8, India Basin.

In 2020, USS CHIEF's verified record shows mine countermeasures operations concentrated near Japan and the Korean Strait. In April 2020, she departed Sasebo for mine countermeasures operations in the Korean Strait with USS PIONEER (MCM 9) and returned home on April 6, 2020. She then got underway again from April 17-25, 2020. On May 11, 2020, USS CHIEF returned to homeport after a 10-day underway for a mine warfare training exercise off Okinawa alongside USS PATRIOT (MCM 7) and USS PIONEER.

A further command transition occurred on May 3, 2021, when Lt. Cmdr. James C. Billings III relieved Lt. Cmdr. Joshua J. Cowart as commanding officer during a ceremony at Berth 10, India Basin. Later that year, on November 25, 2021, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 10 after an eight-day underway for a mine countermeasures exercise 3JA off Miyazaki Prefecture and got underway again on December 14, 2021.

In 2022, USS CHIEF continued a cycle of port periods, exercise support, and forward-deployed readiness. On April 14, 2022, she was documented moored at Berth 8, India Basin. In early May 2022, she was underway in support of the mine countermeasures exercise Noble Vanguard. She shifted berths within India Basin, moving to Berth 3 on June 6, 2022, and then back to Berth 8 later in June. On June 23, 2022, Lt. Cmdr. C. Randy Hayes relieved Lt. Cmdr. James C. Billings III as commanding officer during a ceremony at the base chapel. On July 9, 2022, USS CHIEF departed Sasebo to participate in Mine Exercise-Explosive Ordnance Disposal Exercise 22-2JA with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, arriving in Mutsu Bay on July 17, 2022, and mooring outboard USS PATRIOT at Ominato from July 22-24, 2022, before returning to Sasebo on July 28, 2022. She got underway again beginning August 7, 2022, moved to Berth 1, India Basin, on September 6, 2022, for safe haven from Typhoon Hinamnor, and got underway again on October 3, 2022. On October 7, 2022, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 13S in Yokosuka for a week-long port call. On October 21, 2022, she moored outboard USS PIONEER at Berth 2, India Basin, back in Sasebo. On November 16, 2022, USS CHIEF got underway for mine countermeasures exercise 3JA and moored at Berth 8 on November 22, 2022.

On January 18, 2023, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 7 after a one-day underway off Kyushu, then got underway again on February 27, 2023. She moored at Berth 1 in early March, got underway again later in March, moored at Berth 10 on March 18, 2023, and got underway again in late March 2023. On April 13, 2023, she moored at Navy Pier, White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, for a four-day port visit to participate in White Beach Festival 2023 and held an open house on April 15-16, 2023, before returning to Berth 1, India Basin, on April 19, 2023, and later moving to Berth 10 on May 19, 2023. On June 11, 2023, USS CHIEF moored at Berth 9 after an 11-day underway for routine training off Kyushu and Okinawa, conducted a brief underway on July 19, 2023, and moved to Berth 8 on August 4, 2023. On August 28, 2023, Lt. Cmdr. Michael J. Pires relieved Lt. Cmdr. C. Randy Hayes as commanding officer.

On September 29, 2023, USS CHIEF departed homeport for routine operations following a Continuous Maintenance Availability, anchored briefly in Sasebo Harbor on September 30, 2023, moored at Berth 8 on October 2, 2023, got underway again on October 7, 2023, and anchored briefly again on October 10, 2023. On October 11, 2023, she made a brief stop off the north coast of Geoje Island, Republic of Korea, then moored outboard USS WARRIOR (MCM 10) at Berth 3 in Busan Naval Base in support of the Multinational Mine Countermeasures Exercise and Symposium 2023 from October 13-19, 2023, and moored at Pier 11 in Chinhae from October 22-23, 2023. USS CHIEF returned to Sasebo and moored at Berth 6, India Basin, on October 27, 2023.

In 2024, USS CHIEF sustained the same forward-deployed tempo, with multiple Korean port calls and operations off Pohang. On January 4, 2024, she moored at Berth 2, Akasaki Pier, to refuel, moved to Berth 3, India Basin, on January 5, 2024, and conducted routine training underway off the northwest coast of Kyushu from January 12-16, 2024. On January 22, 2024, she moored at Berth 8 after a four-day underway off the southwest coast of Kyushu, moved to Berth 1 on January 29, 2024, and got underway again on March 17, 2024. On March 19, 2024, USS CHIEF moored outboard USS PIONEER at Mokpo Naval Base, Republic of Korea, for a four-day visit, anchored at A-13 roughly eight nautical miles west of Mokpo from March 25-27, 2024, then moored at Berth 3 in Busan Naval Base from March 29-April 1, 2024, and conducted operations off the coast of Pohang on April 2, 2024. On April 3, 2024, she moored outboard USS PIONEER at Berth 5 in Busan Naval Base for a two-day port call, conducted further operations off Pohang from April 6-7, 2024, moored at Berth 4 in Busan from April 8-12, 2024, anchored briefly in Sasebo Harbor on April 16, 2024, and moored at Berth 1, India Basin, on April 17, 2024. On August 28, 2024, Lt. Cmdr. Sean J. Barner relieved Lt. Cmdr. Michael J. Pires as commanding officer.

In November 2024, USS CHIEF anchored in Sasebo Harbor following a six-month Selected Restricted Availability, then got underway for sea trials on November 12, 2024, moored at Berth 1 on November 14, 2024, and anchored again in Sasebo Harbor from December 2-3, 2024. On February 1, 2025, USS CHIEF moved from Berth 1 to Berth 8, India Basin. She anchored in Sasebo Harbor from March 10-11, 2025, and then conducted multiple short underway periods recorded as March 21, July 18-20, July 22-25, July 29-30, and August 14-15, 2025. On September 20, 2025, USS CHIEF moored at Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kurashima Pier K4 in Sasebo in support of the Autumn Festival 2025 and moved back to Berth 8, India Basin, on September 21, 2025. On September 25, 2025, Lt. Cmdr. Daniel M. Baxter relieved Lt. Cmdr. Sean J. Barner as commanding officer during a change-of-command ceremony at Berth 8.

back to top

go to the end of the page

USS CHIEF Image Gallery:

The photos below were taken by me and show the CHIEF at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on March 23, 2010.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CHIEF at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on September 29, 2011, a few days before getting underway for San Francisco to participate in the city's Fleet Week celebrations.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CHIEF arriving at San Francisco to participate in the city's Fleet Week celebrations. The photos were taken on October 8, 2011.

The photos below were taken by me on October 10, 2011, during an open house aboard USS CHIEF as part of Fleet Week San Francisco.

			Click here for more photos.

The photo below was taken by me and shows the CHIEF at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., on March 15, 2012.

The photos below were taken by me and show the CHIEF undergoing maintenance at San Diego, Calif., on May 8, 2012.

back to top

---

Back to Mine Countermeasure Ships site. Back to ships list. Back to selection page. Back to 1^st page.