The Defender (MCM 2) is the 2nd Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship and the first United States ship to bear that name. The keel was laid down by Marinette Marine Corp. in Marinette, Wisconsin, on December 1, 1983. She was christened and launcned on April 4, 1987; and commissioned on September 30, 1989. Lt. Cmdr. Charles S. Johnson is the first commanding officer.

In May and June 1990, USS Defender was underway several times for routine training in the Virginia Capes Op. Area.

July 21, The Defender entered the dry-dock at Intermarine Shipyard in Savannah, Ga., for emergent repairs to its hull. Returned to its homeport of Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., on Aug. 20; Underway for a port visit to Charleston, S.C., from Sept. 4-10.

From October 10 through Dec. 18, MCM 2 was underway for Combat Systems Ship's Qualification Trials (CSSQT) in the Panama City OPAREA.

May 10, 1991 Lt. Cmdr. David W. Prothero relieved Lt. Cmdr. Charles S. Johnson as CO of the Defender.

December 4, USS Defender underway for sea trials after an extended 10-month Restricted Availability (RAV) while pierside at NAB Little Creek.

February 16, 1993 USS Defender departed Naval Station Ingleside for its maiden deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR). Brief stop in Key West, Fla., to refuel on Feb. 20.

February 23, The Defender arrived in Naval Station Charleston for an eight-day port call to conduct degaussing checks at the Charleston Magnetic Silencing Range and Crib. Port call to NAB Little Creek from March 4-8; Underway for MCM operations and in support of exercise Unified Spirit from March 8-10; Inport Little Creek again from March 10-16; Inport Naval Annex, Bermuda, from March 19-21.

April 8, USS Defender pulled into Oostende, Belgium, for a week-long port call. Brief stop in Kiel, Germany, to refuel on April 17; Inport Aarhus, Denmark, from April 18-19 before participating in exercise Blue Harrier; Inport Aarhus again from April 30- May 1; Brief stops to refuel in Brest, France, on May 5 and Lisbon, Portugal, on May 10.

May 19, MCM 2 arrived in Lisnave Shipyard in Lisbon, Portugal, for a 19-day port call to conduct emergent repairs after participating in NATO exercise Linked Seas.

May 28, Lt. Cmdr. John J. Muldoon relieved Lt. Cmdr. David W. Prothero as CO of the USS Defender.

June 11, The Defender pulled into Cadiz, Spain, for a three-day port visit; Brief stop in Lisbon to offload mines on June 16.

June 18, The mine countermeasures ship pulled into Vigo, Spain, for a three-day port visit. Port call to La Rochelle, France, from June 25-29; Inport Rouen, France, from July 1-5.

July 10, The Defender moored outboard the USS Simon Lake (AS 33) in Gibraltar, British overseas teritory, for a nine-day Fleet Maintenance Availability (FMAV). Inport Key West, Fla., from Aug. 7-19.

August 13, USS Defender returned to homeport after a six-month deployment.

In November, the Defender was underway four times for routine training in the Corpus Christi Op. Area.

April 22, 1994 MCM 2 departed Ingleside for degaussing checks in Charleston, S.C. Port visit to Palm Beach, Fla., from April 27- May 1; Arrived in Naval Station Charleston on May 4; Underway on May 18; Inport Naval Station Mayport for training availability and upkeep from May 20- June 4; Brief stop in Key West on June 6; Returned home on June 10; Underway for Operational Propulsion Plant Examination (OPPE) from June 27-29; Underway in support of JTFEX 95-1 from Sept. 9-13.

From September 19 through Oct. 21, USS Defender was underway for MCM Refresher Training (REFTRA). Underway for navigation check ride on Nov. 7; Underway for a Dependent's Day Cruise on Nov. 18; Underway in support of GOMEX 95-1 from Dec. 1-9.

January 24, 1995 Lt. Cmdr. James D. Bradford relieved Lt. Cmdr. John J. Muldoon as the 4th commanding officer of Defender.

February 24, USS Defender departed Naval Station Ingleside for a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 6th Fleet AoR. Brief stop in Key West, Fla., to refuel from Feb. 28- March 1.

From March 3- 17, the mine countermeasures ship was in Charleston for degaussing and stray fields testing. Inport Naval Annex, Bermuda, from March 21-23.

April 10, The Defender pulled into Portsmouth, England, for an eight-day upkeep. Inport Aarhus, Denmark, to emarked EODMU-6 Det. from April 21-22; Port visit to Fredrickshavn, Denmark, from April 23-25; Participated in NATO exercise Blue Harrier '95, in the Baltic Sea, from April 25- May 3; Brief stop in Aalborg, Denmark, on April 29; Inport Aarhus again from May 3-4.

May 8, USS Defender arrived in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, for a four-day port visit. Upkeep in Brest, France, from May 15-29; Inport Lisbon, Portugal, from June 1-3.

June 6, The Defender moored outboard the USS Simon Lake in Cartagena, Spain, for a four-day FMAV. Port visit to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from June 11-13.

June 24, MCM 2 pulled into La Maddalena, Sardinia, for a week-long maintenance availability with the Simon Lake after participating in NATO exercise Alcudra '95. Inport Naval Station Rota, Spain, from July 6-10; Brief stop in Key West from July 29-30.

August 3, USS Defender returned to Ingleside, Texas, after more than a five-month deployment.

October 10, The Defender emergency sortied from Naval Station Ingleside to avoid the Hurricane Roxxanne. Returned on Oct. 12.

November 1, USS Defender entered the Braswell shipyard in Ingleside for a three-month Planned Maintenance Availability (PMA). Returned to homeport on Feb. 2, 1996.

March 18, While underway in the Corpus Christi OPAREA, the Defender responded to a distress call and rescued eight passengers from a small craft that was filling with water.

From March 25-29, MCM 2 was underway for S&R operation for a downed T-44 aircraft from NAS Corpus Christi. Underway for routine training on April 29.

May 22, USS Defender entered the Gulf Copper Marine dry-dock at Aransas Pass, Texas, for a three-month Drydocking Planned Maintenance Availability (DPMA). Returned to Naval Station Ingleside on July 8.

August 9, Lt. Cmdr. Andrew B. Fuller relieved Lt. Cmdr. James D. Bradford as CO of the Defender during a change-of-commnad ceremony aboard the ship at sea.

August 17, The mine countermeasures ship departed homeport for a Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA) I. Completed Engineering Certification (ECERT) on Sept. 27; Underway for MCM operations on Nov. 18.

April 4, 1997 USS Defender departed homeport for degaussing checks at the Charleston Magnetic Silencing Range and Crib. Brief stop in Key West, Fla., to refuel on April 8; Departed Charleston, S.C., on April 21; Inport Naval Station Mayport from April 23-28; Port visit to West Palm Beach, Fla., from April 29- May 5; Returned to Ingleside on May 12; Underway for GOMEX 97-2 from May 19-26; Completed TSTA IV on June 20.

August 18, MCM 2 entered the Southwest Marine shipyard in Ingleside for a three-month Phased Maintenance Availability (PMA). Returned to Naval Station Ingleside on Nov. 20; Completed Final Evaluation Problem (FEP) on January 22, 1998.

In February, the Defender participated in Squadron Exercise 98-1 with the USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Robin (MHC 54) and USS Black Hawk (MHC 58). Underway for MCM operations in late March; Underway for GOMEX 98-1 in mid-May; Port visit to Brownsville, Texas, from May 22-25.

June 19, USS Defender departed Ingleside for a East Coast deployment in support of Standing Naval Forces Channel '98 and NATO OCEANLANT exercises in Little Creek, Va., with other mine countermeasures ships from England, Germany, Netherlands andd Belgium.

July 20, The Defender arrived in Naval Stattion Newport, R.I., for a week-long port call.

July 21, Lt. Cmdr. Thomas M. Negus relieved Lt. Cmdr. Andrew B. Fuller as CO of the MCM 2.

July 30, USS Defender arrived in Rockland, Maine, for a four-day port visit to participate in annual Lobster Festival. Inport Annapolis, Md., from Aug. 7-10.

August 13, USS Defender arrived in Naval Station Charleston to offload magnetic material in preparation for degaussing checks. Underway on Aug. 19; Inport Naval Station Mayport from Aug. 21-23; Inport Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga., for storm evasion from Aug. 24-31; Port call to Key West, Fla., from Sept. 3-4; Returned home on Sept. 8.

September 10, The Defender moored at Ingleside Turning Basin-Nest for a "safe haven" from Tropical Storm Frances. Underway for MCM operations on Oct. 8; Underway for local operations from Feb. 11-14, 1999; Underway again from March 5-6; Underway for a port visit to Galveston, Texas, from March 26- April 1.

May 5, USS Defender entered the Gulf Copper Marine dry-dock for a three-month DPMA. Undocked on July 2; Underway for sea trials on July 27.

From August 16 through Sept. 25, The mine countermeasures ship was underway for operational evaluation of AN/SQQ-32v3 sonar in the Panama City OPAREA. Underway for local operations from Oct. 7-8, 12-14, 19-21 and 26-28th; Underway in support of RONEX 00-1 from Nov. 13-19; Underway in support of GOMEX 00-1 from Jan. 31- Feb. 10.

February 18, 2000 Lt. Cmdr. Aarhon C. Jacobs relieved Lt. Cmdr. Thomas M. Negus as the 7th CO of Defender.

March 16, USS Defender departed homeport for Caribbean Sea operations as component of Mine Warfare Readiness Group (MIWRG) 1. Inport NAS Pensacola, Fla., from March 19-21 before supporting USS George Washington (CVN 73) BG's COMPTUEX; Brief stops in Key West on March 24 and Guantanamo Bay on March 29.

April 1, MCM 2 arrived in Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, for a three-day port call before supporting UNITAS 00-41; Inport Roosevelt Roads again from April 8-10; Arrived in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for a brief port call to refuel on April 13; Underway on short notice for a Great Lakes Domestic Outreach Recruiting Cruise 2000 on April 14.

April 18, The Defender pulled into Naval Station Mayport, Fla., for a three-day port call. Inport Naval Station Norfolk from April 24- May 4; Brief stops to refuel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 7 and Quebec City on May 11; Port calls to Buffalo, N.Y., (May 15-17); Bay City, Michigan, (May 19-22); Sault St. Marie, Mich., (May 23-25); Duluth, Minn., (May 27-29); and Marquette, Mich., (May 31- June 2).

June 6, USS Defender arrived in Chicago, IL, for a six-day port visit. Inport Green Bay, Wisc., from June 14-17; Port visit to Millwaukee, Wisc., from June 19-24.

June 29, The mine countermeasures ship arrived in Clayton, New York, for a six-day port visit. Port calls to Cleveland, Ohio, (July 9-13); Toronto, Canada, (July 18-23); Oswego, N.Y., (July 25-30); and Quebec City, Canada, (Aug. 2-5).

August 9, The Defender arrived again in Halifax, Canada, for a brief stop to refuel. Inport NAB Little Creek from Aug. 13-14; Port call to Mayport, Fla., from Aug. 16-25; Brief stop in Key West on Aug. 26.

August 31, USS Defender returned to Naval Station Ingleside after a five-and-a-half month deployment.

From October 12-13, the Defender was underway for local operations. Underway again on Oct. 17 and 24th.

January 5, 2001 USS Defender entered the Southwest Marine shipyard for a three-month Planned Maintenance Availability (PMA). Underway for local operations on April 12, May 22-24, June 19-20, July 10-11 and 24-26th; Underway for Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO) familiarization cruise on Oct. 11.

October 12, Lt. Cmdr. Karl A. Hilberg relieved Lt. Cmdr. Aarhon C. Jacobs as CO of the Defender. Underway for local operations from Oct. 26-29, Nov. 11 and 23rd; Underway in support of RONEX 02-1 from Nov. 24-29; Underway for exercise for Gulf of Mexico Exercise (GOMEX) from Dec. 13-14.

June 25, 2003 Lt. Cmdr. Paul H. Hague, Jr., relieved Lt. Cmdr. Karl A. Hilberg as commanding officer of MCM 2.

March 9, 2004 USS Defender departed Ingleside for a scheduled six-month deployment to the U.S. 3rd Fleet Area of Responsibility (AoR).

June 1, The Defender departed Naval Base San Diego, Calif., after a four-day port call. Arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on June 12 for upkeep before participating in a multinational exercise RIMPAC 2004 in July.

July 30, 2005 Lt. Cmdr. Patrick T. Britt relieved Lt. Cmdr. Paul H. Hague, Jr., as the 10th CO of USS Defender.

September 21, The Defender moored outboard the USS Avenger (MCM 1) in a modified moor of five MCM ships at Ingleside Turning Basin-Nest, in preparation for Hurricane Catrina.

June 3, 2009 USS Defender was offloaded from heavy lift ship Condock IV at Fleet Activities Sasebo’s India basin during a float on/float off (FLO/FLO) operation. The ship recently change its homeport to Naval Base San Diego, Calif., in accordance with the Defense Base Relocation and Closure Commission, and departed for an extended western Pacific deployment in May.

October 18, USS Defender arrived in Miyanoura, Yakushima, Kagoshima Prefecture, for a three-day port visit. She is the first U.S. Navy ship to visit this small island located 225 miles south of the Japanese mainland.

November 21, The Defender pulled into Chinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, to participate in annual mine counter-measures exercise Clear Horizon.

In December, USS Defender became permanently homeported at Commander, Fleet Activities Sasebo (CFAS).

May 24, 2010 MCM 2 departed Okinawa, Japan, after a five-day port call. During the visit, the crew conducted personnel exchanges and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) counterparts at White Beach Naval Facility; Returned to Sasebo on May 27.

June 24, Lt. Cmdr. Andria L. Slough relieved Lt. Cmdr. Patrick H. O'Mahoney as CO of the Defender.

From July 7-8, the Defender was underway for local operations. Underway for routine training from Aug. 20- Sept. 7.

September 21, USS Defender arrived in Hirara Port on Myako-jima Island, Okinawa Prefecture, for a rare port visit. Returned home on Oct. 18 after a month-long underway.

From July 10 through August 1, 2011, the Defender was underway for routine training.

August 14, USS Defender departed Naval Base Sasebo for its first western Pacific patrol.

August 15, The mine countermeasures ship moored at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, for a routine port call.

September 12, The Defender arrived in Port Blair, India, for a two-day visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

September 18, USS Defender pulled into Chittagong, Bangladesh, to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh exercise. Completed at-sea phase on Sept. 23.

November 18, USS Defender returned to homeport after a three-month Fall Patrol.

From January 10-16, 2012, MCM 2 was underway for local operations.

February 27, The Defender joined JS Amagiri (DD 154) and FNS Vendemiaire (F 734) for a passing exercise (PASSEX) off the coast of Kyushu, Japan.

July 17, USS Defender returned to Sasebo after a 19-day underway period.

July 21, Lt. Cmdr. Gordon S. Wells relieved Lt. Cmdr. Andria L. Slough as the 16th commanding officer of Defender.

October 5, The Defender returned to Fleet Activities Sasebo after a four-week western Pacific patrol.

November 19, USS Defender returned to Sasebo after a two-week underway with the USS Patriot (MCM 7).

December 1, MCM 2 recently commenced a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) while pierside at Fleet Activities Sasebo.

August 26, 2013 USS Defender moored at Berth 13 in Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, for a training availability (TRAV) after a two-day transit from Sasebo. Moved to Berth 1 1\2 on Sept. 11; Underway on Sept. 18; Returned home on Oct. 4; Underway for routine training from Oct. 30- Nov. 8; Underway for local operations on Nov. 12.

January 31, 2014 Lt. Cmdr. James Correia relieved Lt. Cmdr. Gordon S. Wells as CO of the USS Defender.

February 19, The Defender departed Fleet Activities Sasebo for a three-day underway. Underway in support of exercise Foal Eagle 2014 from March 21- April 4; Underway again on May 3; Brief stop in Sasebo from May 12-13.

July ?, Lt. Cmdr. James S. Sordi assumed command of the MCM 2 during an exchange of command and crew ("hull swap") ceremony, while moored outboard the USS Chief (MCM 14) at Berth 1, India Basin.

July 12, USS Defender departed Sasebo, Japan, for the last time en route to San Diego, Calif.

October 1, USS Defender (MCM 2) was officially decommissioned after 25 years of active service, during a ceremony at Naval Base San Diego, and transfered to the inactive reserve.