USS Scout (MCM-8)

History of USS Scout (MCM-8)

Counter mines are an extremely important aspect of naval warfare. For the United States Navy (USN), this role is performed by Avenger-class ships equipped with special mission equipment. 14 ships were originally planned, 11 of which are still in service (2017). One of the sets was the USS Scout (MCM-8), ordered on August 20, 1986, and construction by Peterson Builders began on June 8, 1987. The U.S.

Navy took delivery of the ship on November 27, 1990, and it entered service on December 15 of that year. As of this writing (2017), the MCM-8 is still in use.

The warship is designed to combat the presence of mines and other dangers in contested waters. This type of ship combines the talents of ships such as minesweepers and minehunters into a complete and powerful package whose sole purpose is to locate and destroy mines.

The USS Scout carries the AN/SLQ-48(V) Mine Neutralization System (MNS) as well as mine clearance equipment and degaussing systems. Navigation is provided by the AN/SSN-2 unit, while the AN/SPS-73 performs the radar function for surface search and the AN/SQQ-32 performs the sonar function for mine detection.

There are 81 crew members on board. Dimensions include a length of 224 feet, a beam of 39 feet and a draft of 12 feet. Power comes from 4 marine diesel units driving a pair of screws through a shaft under the stern. The boat can reach speeds of 14 knots.

It displaces 1,260 tons under light load and 1,370 tons under full load.

The shape of the warship consists of a unique hull structure that supports the bridge section, main mast and funnel. Smoke funnel included, located amidships. The stern of this warship contains most of the physical mine countermeasure equipment on board.

The stern area is stepped in the side view of the boat.

Due to proximity to fugitive mines, USS Scout and her class were purposely designed to reduce magnetic signatures and low acoustic readings to avoid activating potential water hazards. There are also several remote control systems available to flight crews to reduce direct exposure to such hazards.

Since the anti-mine platform does not have to fight the enemy directly in combat, it is only equipped with a machine gun system. These include 4 x 12.7mm Browning M2 machine guns mounted on a single trunnion mount, 2 x 7.62mm M240B medium machine guns mounted on a single trunnion mount and dual gun M240B mounts.

Throughout her career, USS Scout has contributed to several overseas humanitarian initiatives and participated in several domestic and international exercises (Hurricane Katrina). It recently carried out most of its operations in the waters of the Persian Gulf in Manama, Bahrain.

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