Finding his way through a mine field

BAHRAIN — A 2016 Kootenai Bridge High School graduate and Rathdrum native is a part of a Navy team aboard an Avenger-class mine countermeasures (MCM) ship, USS Gladiator MCM 11, tasked to search for and dispose of enemy mines.

Seaman Kody Tanner is a quartermaster aboard one of four MCMs forward-deployed to the Arabian Gulf in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The Navy’s 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

This expanse, comprising 20 countries, includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

Gladiator is 224 feet long, 39 feet wide and weighs more than 1,300 tons. Four diesel engines, designed to have very low magnetic and acoustic signatures, help push the ship through the water at 16 miles per hour.

Tanner is part of a team that patrols and protects sea lanes vital to regional stability and U.S. growth and stability.

“I navigate a Navy warship. I make sure we are in safe water and that we don’t run aground,” Tanner said. “It’s a good crew here and that makes the job easier. They make everyone feel like family.”

Sea-based mines can disrupt the movement of ships transiting critical sea routes. MCMs are outfitted with the means to detect and disable them, ensuring sea lanes remain open for military, commercial and civilian vessels. These ships use a variety of novel and conventional sweeping measures, including sonar and video systems, cable cutters, and remote control mine-detonating devices.

The hulls of the MCMs are constructed of wood with an external coat of glass-reinforced plastic. Oak wood is used because of its flexibility, strength and low weight. This construction allows the hull to withstand a nearby blast from a mine and also gives the ship a low magnetic signature.

Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard Gladiator. Approximately 84 sailors make up the ship’s company and keep all parts of the ship running smoothly — including everything from navigating the ship to handling weaponry and maintaining the engines.

Tanner realizes the significance of serving his country abroad and is very proud of the work he is doing as part of Gladiator’s crew, helping protect America on the world’s oceans.

“This is my first command. There’s tough days when it’s non-stop work, but the skipper makes sure everyone is doing OK on those days,” Tanner said. “Serving means stepping up, being a better person and make sure my family back home keeps the freedoms they have.”

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Lt. Philip Fortnam is with the U.S. Navy Office of Community Outreach.