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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.


    Click on thumbnail
    for full size image
    Size Image Description Source
    Chief 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
    Chief 100k
    Chief 36k At Port Aransas, TX inbound to NavSta Ingleside Tom Langford
    Chief 57k
    Chief 44k Robert Hurst
    Chief 123k Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
    Chief 245k San Diego Bay
    Chief 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
    Chief 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
    Chief 105k c. February 1995
    Cover of All Hands magazine
    Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR, Ret.
    Chief 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
    Chief 94k 27 April 2003
    Chief's first visit to Valletta, Malta
    Anthony Vella
    Senglea, Malta
    Osprey 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
    Scout 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
    Champion 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.
    Chief 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
    Chief 93k Chief's Door Challenge Coin Tommy Trampp
    Chief 96k First Class Petty Officers Association Door Challenge Coin

    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR Timothy Scott Garrold, USN - USNA Class of 198105 November 1994 - 19 July 1996
    02LCDR Clifford Seawell "Cliff" Sharpe, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral19 July 1996 - 16 January 1997 (Crew Echo)
    03LCDR Anthony Ellis Mitchell, USN16 January 1997 - 15 August 1997
    04LCDR Timothy Thompson Smith, USN - USNA Class of 198315 August 1997 - 07 November 1997
    05LCDR Clifford Seawell Sharpe, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral07 November 1997 - 13 December 1997
    06LCDR Christopher Watson Grady, USN13 December 1997 - 28 August 1998 (Crew Echo)
    07LCDR Timothy Thompson Smith, USN - USNA Class of 198328 August 1998 - 23 February 1999
    08LCDR Curt William Steigers, USN - USNA Class of 198523 February 1999 - 30 July 1999
    09LCDR 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)
    10LCDR Mark Victor Dennis, USN - Retired as Rear Admiral19 August 1999 - 25 April 2001
    11LCDR Jon Erik Lux, USN25 April 2001 - 10 March 2002
    12LCDR Scott D. Davies, USN10 March 2002 - 23 November 2004
    13LCDR David Thomas (Tom) Peterson, USN - USNA Class of 199123 November 2004 - 04 April 2005
    14LCDR Warren Ross Buller, II, USN04 April 2005 - 10 June 2005
    15LCDR 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)
    16LCDR William Scott Switzer, USN2006
    17LCDR Angel Castro Cruz, USN2007
    18LCDR 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 MedalsMarch 2007 (Crew Fearless)
    19LCDR John A. Krisciunas, USNNovember 2007 - 2008
    20LCDR Thomas A. Shear II, USN06 March 2009 - 29 March 2009
    21LCDR Samantha Dee Baldwin, USN29 March 2009 - 20 February 2010
    22LCDR Elaine Ann Brunelle, USN20 February 2010 - 10 August 2010
    23LCDR James Anthony (Jim) Rushton, USN10 August 2010 - 08 December 2010
    24CDR Robert S. Smith, USN08 December 2010 - 2011
    25LCDR Edward Jenkins "Ted" Pledger, USN - USNA Class of 20002011 (Crew Exultant)
    26LCDR David Nathaniel Taft, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, four Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement MedalsJanuary 2011 (Crew Constant)
    27LCDR Micah D. Murphy, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals2011 (Crew Exultant)
    28LCDR 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 Medalno date (Crew Reaper)
    29LCDR 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 MedalFebruary 2012 - 20 May 2012 (Crew Dominant)
    30LCDR Leonard Michael Leos, USN - Awarded two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and four Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals20 May 2012 - 16 January 2013
    31LCDR Nathan Scott Wemett, USN16 January 2013
    32LCDR 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)
    33LCDR James Joseph Sordi, Jr., USN - Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy/Marine Corps Achievement MedalsJanuary 2014 - 15 July 2014 (Crew Persistent)(hull swap with MCM 2)
    34LCDR James Linn "Jim" Correia, USN15 July 2014 - March 2015
    35LCDR Shane R. Dennis, USNMarch 2015 - 23 June 2016
    36LCDR 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
    37LCDR William A. Russell, USN25 August 2017 - 03 August 2018
    38LCDR Frederick D. Crayton, USN - Awarded two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, five Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals and four Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals03 August 2018 - 11 October 2019
    39LCDR Joshua J. Cowart, USN11 August 2019 - 03 May 2021
    40LCDR James Clinton Billings, III, USN03 May 2021 - 23 June 2022
    41LCDR Christopher Randy Hayes, USN23 June 2022 - 28 August 2023
    42LCDR Michael Joseph Pires, USN28 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
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 14 December 2023