USS Chief (MCM-14)
 Chief in January 1995 at Tampa | |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Chief |
| Namesake: | Chief Petty Officers |
| Ordered: | 12 December 1989 |
| Laid down: | 19 August 1991 |
| Launched: | 12 June 1993 |
| Commissioned: | 5 November 1994 |
| Homeport: | Sasebo, Japan. |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2015 |
| Badge: |
 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship |
| Displacement: | 1,312 tons |
| Length: | 225 ft (69 m) |
| Beam: | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Draught: | 11.5 ft (3.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | four diesels |
| Speed: | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement: | 8 Officers, 6 Chief Petty Officers and 70 Enlisted |
| Armament: | Mine neutralization system, two .50 caliber machine guns |
USS Chief (MCM-14) is an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship of the United States Navy. She was named for Chief Petty Officers.
She was built by Peterson Shipbuilders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. CHIEF is homeported in Sasebo, Japan and is part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
USS Chief is named for the former USS Chief (AM-315), and to honor the service and tradition of the Chief Petty Officer's of the United States Navy. Chief was christened by Mrs. Susan Bushey (the wife of the seventh Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy MCPON Duane Bushey) on 12 June 1993. Construction and fitting-out was done in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, and the ship was accepted from Mr. Ellsworth Peterson on behalf of the United States Navy, and placed in commission by Lieutenant Commander Timothy S. Garrold, USN, her first Commanding Officer, on 8 July 1994.
Crest of Chief
Navy blue and gold are the traditional colors of the United States Navy. The mine in the center of the shield represents the mine countermeasures mission of the Chief while the crossed Officers’ sword and Enlisted cutlass symbolize Surface Warfare excellence. The fouled Navy anchor, insignia of a Chief Petty Officer, is further symbolic of the United States Navy’s leadership and commemorates the fact that Chief was launched on 12 June 1993 during the centennial of the Chief Petty Officer Corps. The three silver stars above the fouled anchor depict the leadership and service of the Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy (MCPON) – past, present and future and honor the ship’s Sponsor.
The stars are also arranged in the same manner about the anchor as the international navigational symbol for lights and shapes about the mast; signifying a vessel engaged in mine clearance operations. There are 84 links in the fouled anchor chain, one for each plank owner, the ship’s sponsor, and the Matron of Honor. The trident atop the crest denotes seapower. The blue and white surface from which it rises represents both the sea, upon which the ship was born.
Surrounding the trident are seven stars representing the seven Battle Stars won during the Second World War and the Korean War by the first ship to bear the name “Chief”, USS Chief (AM 315). The five above the trident for World War TWO and the two alongside for the Korean War.
References
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
External links
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