U.S. Navy Launches Hormuz Mine Clearance With Two Destroyers, Full Ope

Two U.S. Navy destroyers entered the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, formally beginning what is expected to be a months-long mine clearance operation to reopen the world's most important oil shipping lane.

The Ships

CENTCOM confirmed that USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), both Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, completed their transit of the strait. The destroyers are equipped with advanced sonar and mine countermeasure capabilities. Admiral Brad Cooper said forces are working to "establish a safe transit corridor."

The operation will deploy Knifefish unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), autonomous systems designed to detect and classify mines on the seabed. However, the U.S. retired its dedicated mine countermeasure ships (Avenger-class) in recent years, relying instead on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) mine countermeasure mission package, a capability that has faced criticism for reliability issues.

Scale of the Challenge

Iran deployed mines in the strait beginning March 2, 2026. Estimates range from 2,000 to 6,000 mines across the waterway. But the real problem is not the number, it is that Iran's mine-laying was chaotic and poorly documented. Different units used different navigation methods. Some used commercial GPS. Others used manual estimates. Many mines were never logged at all. Ocean currents have since moved an unknown number of them.

Reports indicate that Iran itself cannot locate many of its own mines, it reportedly told mediators during ceasefire talks that it had "lost track" of a significant portion. The area requiring clearance is approximately 200 square miles.

The strait handles approximately $5.5 billion worth of oil per day. Every day it remains closed costs the global economy billions and keeps energy prices elevated. Bloomberg reported that two additional support vessels are expected to join the operation in coming days.