Military Power

Not real good with my ships and naval craft, but I found something of interest to me and could not find any information on it. The USS Black Hawk (MHC-58) as far as I gathered was a 'mine hunter'. It's been decommissioned, but I am curious about the ship or really any mine hunters in general. Anybody know anything about it?

Call sign: November - Bravo - Hotel - Kilo

Osprey Class Coastal Mine Hunter: Laid down 3 September 1992 by Intermarine USA, New Orleans, LA; Launched 27 August 1994; Commissioned 11 May 1996; Decommissioned 1 December 2007 at Naval Station Ingleside, TX and struck from the Navy register; Towed to Beaumont, TX 4 December 2007 to be laid up for possible future use in the Foreign Military Sales program.

OK, that covers the information about the Black Hawk. Now, does anyone know anything about how it hunted mines? Would it detect them? Would it destroy them or collect them for later disposal?

Well, the Black Hawk has never been on any Operations or Tactical Assignments (according to Globalsecurity)

Black Hawk is of the Ospery class of ships, which are the world's largest glass reinforced plastic (GRP) ships and the first U.S. Navy ships designed solely for mine hunting. (The technique of locating mines with sonar and neutralizing them with a remotely controlled underwater vehicle.)

The ship's mission is to clear harbor, coastal, and ocean waters of acoustic, magnetic and pressure/contact type mines utilizing reconnaissance, classification and neutralization tactics. Exceptionally low magnetic and acoustic signatures protect the ship against detonations during mine hunting operations.



As a humorous side note, The Navy's coastal mine hunters are named after birds but in the case of USS BLACK HAWK the Navy appearently did not realize that the name "BLACK HAWK" is not a bird but the name of an Indian tribe.

KnightTemplar wrote:As a humorous side note, The Navy's coastal mine hunters are named after birds but in the case of USS BLACK HAWK the Navy appearently did not realize that the name "BLACK HAWK" is not a bird but the name of an Indian tribe.

That is actually pretty funny, I'm surprised I didn't catch on to that.

Forestry_manDCNR07 wrote: Now, does anyone know anything about how it hunted mines? Would it detect them? Would it destroy them or collect them for later disposal?

The Osprey class mine warfare vessels are equipped with Raytheon /Thompson Sintra SQQ-385(v)3 variable depth sonar for detecting mines, with countermeasures provided by MCM-Alliant SLQ-48 ROV mine neutralisation remote operated vehicle.

How would the vehicle neutralize the mine? Blow it up or disarm?

Forestry_manDCNR07 wrote:How would the vehicle neutralize the mine? Blow it up or disarm?

The SLQ-48 carries out detection, location, classification and neutralisation of moored mines and mines resting on the seabed. The vehicle uses high-frequency, high-resolution sonar, low-light-level television, cable cutters and charges to dispose of mines.

Now that is pretty cool. Having a remote controlled vehicle being able to disable a mine under water.