The U.S. Navy Independence class Littoral Fight Ships (LCS) USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, that are configured for minesweeping duties, have appeared in port in Malaysia. Each of those ships have been final identified to be forward-deployed within the Center East, having arrived in Bahrain up to now yr or so to take the place of a bunch of now-decommissioned Avenger class mine hunters. Now, as Iranian assaults on business ships have brought about a digital halt to maritime site visitors by way of the extremely strategic Strait of Hormuz, these ships have emerged 1000’s of miles away. The extent to which Iran has seeded naval mines within the Strait already is unclear, however this stays an enormous menace to the longer term safety of the waterway and should be taken under consideration in any future effort to reopen this essential waterway.
A spotter in Malaysia posted footage of the united statesTulsa and USS Santa Barbara, that are mentioned to have been taken right this moment on the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) within the Port of Penang. Mike Yeo, an Australia-based protection and aviation reporter, was among the many first to name consideration to the actual significance of the pictures. TWZ has reached out for extra info.
Attention-grabbing. The Littoral Fight Ships USS Tulsa and Santa Barbara, which have been assigned rotationally to the Center East and have been presupposed to be the US Navy’s mine countermeasures platforms in that area, at the moment are in Penang, Malaysia h/t @limzeruihttps://t.co/Fe0r7VizQm
— Mike Yeo 杨启铭 (@TheBaseLeg) March 15, 2026
15 Mar – Two US Navy Littoral Fight Ships (LCS) that have been assigned to mine-countermeasure (MSM) missions within the Persian Gulf are presently docked at Butterworth in Malaysia.
Butterworth, Penang
fifteenth March 2026
SC – sherwyndkessier https://t.co/FZN6qH1aSA pic.twitter.com/2kRnHiSeVk
— Justine (@polietzz) March 15, 2026
USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara are amongst a choose variety of Independence class LCSs fitted with a mine countermeasures mission bundle, or “module.” In its present type, the bundle consists of towed mine-hunting sonar for the ships, Widespread Unmanned Floor Autos (CUSV) with mine-sweeping gear, and mine detection and neutralization techniques carried by embarked MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters. We are going to come again to this configuration afterward.
In relation to why the ships at the moment are in Malaysia, TWZ additionally reached out to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which directed us to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. We have been then directed by Fifth Fleet again to CENTCOM. CENTCOM is the highest U.S. army command for operations within the Center East. Fifth Fleet is the Navy’s numbered fleet within the Center East, with its commander dual-hatted as head of Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). Fifth Fleet and NAVCENT are headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, within the Persian Gulf.
We’ve reached out to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), as nicely.
Photos out there by way of the U.S. army’s Protection Visible Data Distribution Service (DVIDS) present USS Tulsa was in port in Bahrain no less than as of February 9. Separate photos additionally present USS Santa Barbara working within the Persian Gulf on January 30. The present disposition of a 3rd Independence class LCS, the united statesCanberra, which had additionally been forward-deployed within the Center East no less than as of January, is unknown. Whether or not another mine countermeasures ships is probably not headed to the Center East can also be not identified.
A evaluation of satellite tv for pc imagery in Planet Labs’ business archive reveals no proof of any U.S. warships being in port in Mamana since February 23. America and Israel launched their joint operation towards Iran on February 28.
Transferring U.S. warships out of port in Bahrain forward of the present battle was a prudent safety measure. The Gulf state is nicely inside vary of Iranian missiles and long-range kamikaze drones, and U.S. army amenities in Manama did subsequently come beneath assault. The U.S. army’s personal strikes on Iranian naval vessels in port have underscored the vulnerability of ships sitting pierside.
Why the choice was made to then ship the united statesTulsa and USS Santa Barbara 1000’s of miles to the east is unknown. A bunch of things could have come into play, together with the provision of appropriate pleasant ports and diplomatic issues.
Regardless, no less than two-thirds of the warships meant to be out there for tasking for mine countermeasures missions within the Center East are presently in a totally totally different a part of the world. As famous, USS Tulsa, USS Santa Barbara, and USS Canberra, have been forward-deployed to the area within the first place explicitly to fill gaps left by the decommissioning of 4 Avenger class mine hunters final yr. The previous USS Devastator, USS Dextrous, USS Gladiator, and USS Sentry left the area for good aboard a heavy elevate ship in January. There are solely 4 Avenger class ships left in lively Navy service, all of that are forward-deployed in Japan, and are additionally slated to be decommissioned within the coming years.
How lots of the Navy’s Independence class LCSs, in complete, have been configured for the mine-clearing mission thus far is unknown. Along with USS Tulsa, USS Santa Barbara, and the united statesCanberra, the united statesKansas Metropolis was no less than being fitted out with this mission module as of final yr.
The Independence class LCS is a much more superior ship than the Avenger class mine hunter, and does provide new standoff mine countermeasures capabilities, together with aforementioned CUSV drone boats and helicopter-borne techniques. Nonetheless, questions proceed to be raised about whether or not metal-hulled LCSs with mine countermeasures packages are satisfactory replacements for ships purpose-built for this mission. As TWZ beforehand wrote again in January:
The [Avenger class] ships themselves have fiberglass-coated picket hulls to cut back their very own vulnerability, notably to mines that detect targets by their magnetic signature.
The Navy has lengthy meant to switch the Avenger class ships with LCSs configured for the mine countermeasures duties. Nevertheless, delays with the LCS mine countermeasures and different mission packages, or “modules,” in addition to different persistent points with each subclasses of these ships, repeatedly delayed these plans. The LCS program had additionally initially envisioned it being doable to readily reconfigure the ships for various mission units by swapping out modules. Nevertheless, the Navy is now deploying LCSs in largely fastened configurations.
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Questions and criticism in regards to the suitability of metal-hulled LCSs to tackle the mine countermeasures mission have come up up to now. Each subclasses of LCS are additionally a lot bigger than the Avenger class design, which may impose limits on how shut they will get to mined or probably mined areas. LCSs are higher in a position to defend themselves towards different threats than the Avengers, however they nonetheless have comparatively restricted firepower, which has been a separate supply of criticism for years now. There would nonetheless be a big want for tertiary help to guard LCSs throughout mine-clearing operations, that are sluggish and sophisticated, and carry important dangers, even in benign environments.
In Could 2025, a high U.S. Navy mine warfare officer gave an unclassified briefing detailing important ongoing points with the LCS mine countermeasures, in keeping with a narrative printed simply this previous week by Hunterbrook Media. Copies of the briefing slides that the outlet printed say that using the CUSV requires hours of prep time, and that the drone boat’s sonar typically has hassle recognizing threats, however that the operators could haven’t any indication of this till information is assessed after a mission. Visible affirmation of mines utilizing the AN/AQS-20 mine-hunting system has additionally confirmed difficult “even [in] the comparatively benign turbidity of SoCal [Southern California] waters,” one other slide explains. The briefing additionally highlighted quite a few potential “single-point failures” each by way of mine countermeasures techniques included within the module, and the tools required to deploy and get better them.
The unmanned sonar automobiles want 4+ hours of upkeep earlier than every mission and 1.5 hours of calibration as soon as launched.
On a number of missions, the sonar did not file information completely — and no one knew till after the mission was over. pic.twitter.com/guTf3OJ8eH
— Hunterbrook (@hntrbrkmedia) March 13, 2026
Essential tools has no backups. The platform elevate, the deployment crane, the take a look at laptops — all single-point failures.
On the crane: “It’s a troubling system. It’s extremely advanced for what it does, and when it breaks, I am out of a job, I am out of a mission.” pic.twitter.com/j57pzItqis
— Hunterbrook (@hntrbrkmedia) March 13, 2026
Lastly, and maybe most significantly, one of many briefing slides famous that “LCS was designed as a multi-mission platform” and “all of those different missions scale back time for the ship and Minemen to realize proficiency in MCM [mine countermeasures].” To reiterate, the Avenger class ships have been purpose-built for this mission set and had crews educated to match. Mine-clearing operations are sluggish and sophisticated, and carry important dangers, even when carried out by skilled personnel in benign environments.
Within the context of the present battle, there have been experiences up to now week or so saying Iran has no less than tried to put mines in and across the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. army additionally says it has been actively concentrating on mine-laying property. On the similar time, Iran has laid mines in and across the Persian Gulf up to now, and this stays an actual level of concern. Iranian anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles, kamikaze drones, and uncrewed explosive-laden boats additional complicate the menace image for business vessels and any warships trying to assist clear the best way.
A Thai-flagged cargo vessel, Mayuree Naree Bangkok, was attacked close to the Strait of Hormuz on March 11, leaving 3 of its 23 crew lacking. The ship had departed Dubai and was heading to India when struck close to its stern. #Iran pic.twitter.com/0BYBjqJIt1
— NOELREPORTS
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(@NOELreports) March 11, 2026
Because it stands now, U.S. officers have mentioned that American warships are unlikely to start escorting business vessels by way of the Strait of Hormuz for no less than some variety of weeks. Convoy operations carry their very own dangers and would require a number of supporting property at sea and in different domains, as TWZ has beforehand defined. Restricted availability of mine countermeasures property would create further challenges.
It stays to be seen how lengthy the united statesTulsa and USS Santa Barbara will stay in Malaysia, and the place they may sail after they depart. The place USS Canberra is presently continues to be unknown, as is whether or not any further mine countermeasures configured ships are on the best way to the Center East.
For the second, no less than, a considerable portion of the Navy’s minesweeping capability within the area, amid a serious battle with an opponent skilled in mine warfare, is now 1000’s of miles away in a totally totally different a part of the world.
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