May 16, 2002 Two forward-deployed U.S. mine countermeasures ships USS Patriot and USS Guardian arrived off the coast of Thailand to participate in a joint/combined exercise Cobra Gold 2002. The Armed Forces of Thailand, Singapore and the United States are conducting the 21st Exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand May 14-28. obra Gold 2002 is a regularly-scheduled joint/combined exercise and is the latest in the continuing series of U.S.-Thai military exercises designed to contribute to regional peace and enhance the ability of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to defend Thailand and respond to regional contingencies.

May 20, 2004 MCM 7 is currently in dry-dock in Sasebo, Japan, for its maintenance period.

May 9, 2005 Lt. Cmdr. Mike Little, commanding officer for the forward-deployed mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot, received a punitive letter of reprimand and was relieved of command May 7 by Rear Adm. Victor Guillory, commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. 7th Fleet following non-judicial punishment held in Sasebo, Japan. The decision to relieve Little was made following a Judge Advocate General’s investigation into an incident on March 19, when the Patriot sustained damage to the hull and underwater sonar after grounding while transiting Chinhae Bay, Republic of Korea. Guillory cited a loss of confidence in Little’s ability to command based on information from the investigation. Cmdr. Kurt E. Hedberg, commander, Mine Countermeasures Division 11, has assumed duties as commanding officer of USS Patriot. The mine countermeasures ship remains in dry dock, undergoing repair at Sasebo Naval Base.

May 18, Lt. Cmdr. Richard D. Brawley relieved Cmdr. Kurt E. Hedberg as commanding officer of the forward deployed mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot in Sasebo, Japan.

July 11, MCM 7 visited Vladivostok, Russia, July 3-5 to celebrate the 145th anniversary celebration of the city, the Fourth of July, and to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony for Russian sailors who sacrificed their lives in World War II.

August 25, USS Patriot returned to Sasebo after a short but challenging underway training period that was cut short due to a developing typhoon in the region. In three weeks underway, the mine countermeasures ship conducted basic and advanced minesweeping evolutions, basic engineering casualty control exercises and general quarters drills. The ship also made port calls to the Japanese cities of Yokosuka and Kure.

December 3, The Patriot returned to Sasebo after making a two-day port visit to Chinhae, Republic of Korea (ROK).

January 30, 2006 MCM 7 departed homeport for a routine training period. During this underway, the mine countermeasures ship will work on mine sweeping efficiency and overall ship readiness.

May 1, USS Patriot completed a replenishment at sea April 27 with military sealift command ship USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193), 13 days into their western Pacific deployment. Patriot departed Sasebo April 17 on a Southeast Asia deployment intended to enhance international interoperability and increase partnerships with several nations throughout the region. So far in 2006, the Patriot has participated in MINEX-EODEX 06 with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and Reception, Staging, Onward-Movement and Integration/Foal Eagle 06 with the Republic of Korea.

May 3, The Sasebo-based minesweeper stopped in Maura Port, Brunei, for a scheduled port visit, refueling and stores onload as the ship reached its first port and pushed on through its third week at sea of what is a multimonth Southeast Asia deployment.

May 27, USS Patriot departed the Kingdom of Thailand after participating in 25th U.S./Thai exercise Cobra Gold 2006, held from May 15-26.

May 29, The mine countermeasures ship pulled to Singapore for a scheduled port call.

June 16, MCM 7 and personnel from 20 other nations successfully completed the Malaysian-sponsored western Pacific Mine Countermeasures Exercise (WP-MCMEX) 2006 in Kuantan, Malaysia. The WP-MCMEX concluded after three days of at-sea mine hunting and mine neutralization by 12 ships, including Patriot, from six different countries directly involved in the tactical portion.

June 25, The Patriot arrived in Port Maura, Brunei, for a goodwill port visit.

July 1, USS Patriot and USS Salvor (ARS 52) completed a five-hour, navigationally complex transit down the Saigon River to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a scheduled port visit aimed at enhancing U.S.-Vietnam relations and allowing the Sailors of both ships to experience the culture-rich city and outlying area. The visit will be the fourth U.S. Navy visit to a Vietnamese port and the third to Ho Chi Minh City since normalization of diplomatic relations in 1995. This visit will mark the first time that two U.S. Navy ships visit Vietnam concurrently; their combined crew equals 180 Sailors.

July 11, The mine countermeasures ship arrived in Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit.

July 23, USS Patriot returned to Sasebo after a three-month deployment in which the minesweeper enhanced maritime interoperability and bilateral relations with a number of Southeast Asian countries.

September 16, MCM 7 is currently moored at the Ship Repair Facility (SRF) in Sasebo, Japan. The Patriot and other ships under Commander, Task Force (CTF) 76 took measures to avoid damage from the incoming Typhoon Shanshan. She went to the dry dock because it is undergoing a ship’s restricted availability (SRA) period while the other ships sortied out of the area.

Janaury 12, 2007 Lt. Cmdr. Thomas E. Shultz relieved Lt. Cmdr. Richard D. Brawley as commanding officer of USS Patriot.

January 19, MCM 7 and MCM 5 arrived in Yokosuka to begin its training availability period (TRAV).

February 9, USS Patriot pulled into port at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, becoming the first U.S. Navy ship to utilize the air base’s recently built port and harbor facility.

February 17, USS Patriot returned to Sasebo after a successful three-day passing exercise (PASSEX) with Japanese maritime assets. The mine countermeasures ship departed Kure, Japan, Feb. 15 after a brief port visit.

March 21, The Patriot arrived in Chinhae, Republic of Korea, in preparation for the upcoming bilateral exercises Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (RSOI) and Foal Eagle (FE) 07.

May 2, MCM 7 recently departed Muara, Brunei, after a brief port call to take fuel and replenishment.

May 29, The crew of USS Patriot sailed through calm seas from Republic of Indonesia's Surabaya through the Riau Islands to arrive at the island of Batam May 17. The three-day stop at the island gave Sailors a chance to enjoy liberty and socialize with the local population, who welcomed the crew wholeheartedly. Batam island, known for a free trade zone as a part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located just 15 miles south of Singapore, merely 45 minutes by boat from Sentosa Island.

June 7, Two mine countermeasures ships departed Palawan, Philippines, after a scheduled port call.

June 26, USS Patriot departed Yonaguni, Japan, after a two-day port visit.

June 29, MCM 7 returned to Sasebo after a three-month spring patrol to Pacific Rim nations.

September 20, USS Patriot departed homeport for a fall patrol throughout the Pacific region.

September 24, The mine countermeasures ship, along with USS Lassen (DDG 82), arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, to participate in Pacific Eagle, a bilateral exercise with the Russian Federated Navy.

October 23, MCM 7 is currently off the coast of Chinhae, ROK, participating in bilateral mine warfare exercise Clear Horizons 2007.

November 7, USS Patriot pulled to Hong Kong for a scheduled port visit.

November 14, Two Sasebo-based mine countermeasures ships arrived in Hai Phong, Vietnam, for a first port visit by a U.S. Navy ship since 1973.

November 28, USS Patriot returned to Sasebo after a two-month deployment, continuing U.S. 7th Fleet's interoperability and training in mine warfare maritime operations and strengthening U.S. commitments to regional partners throughout the western Pacific region.

May 29, 2008 MCM 7 is currently in Singapore to participate in MERCURYEX 2008, the U.S. Navy's 10th annual bilateral mine countermeasures exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy.

August 7, Lt. Cmdr. Robert E. Shu relieved Lt. Cmdr. Thomas E. Shultz as CO of USS Patriot during a change of command ceremony in Sasebo, Japan.

February 18, 2009 The Patriot is currently participating in a bilateral mine countermeasures exercise 1JA, between the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

May 9, The mine countermeasures ship arrived in Bali, Indonesia, for a scheduled port visit.

May 19, MCM 7 arrived in Puerto Princesa, Republic of the Philippines, for a goodwill port call.

June 7, USS Patriot returned to homeport after a nearly four-month underway period. The ship participated in exercise Foal Eagle 2009 in Chinhae, South Korea, and visited nine ports.

October 30, The Patriot pulled to Hakodate, Japan, for a scheduled port visit.

January 19, 2010 USS Patriot, commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Walter C. Mainor, departed Sasebo for an extended Spring Patrol. The mine countermeasures ship will set course to Sattahip, Thailand, to participate in exercise Cobra Gold. The Patriot will also conduct exercises with the navies of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bangladesh.

February 15, MCM 7 pulled to Sihanoukville for a weeklong visit to conduct exercises with the Cambodian Navy.

March 3, USS Patriot anchored off the coast of Phuket, Thailand, for a scheduled port call. The ship departed Batam, Indonesia, Mar. 1 after a four-day port visit.

March 13, The Patriot arrived in Chittagong, Bangladesh, for a week port call.

March 23, The mine countermeasures ship arrived in Port Blair, India, for a rare port visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

March 30, USS Patriot pulled to Lumut, Malaysia, for a scheduled port visit.

April 20, MCM 7 departed Singapore after two weeks of repairs.

May 6, The Patriot departed Hong Kong after a four-day port call.

May 12, USS Patriot returned to homeport after a four-month deployment.

July 23, The mine countermeasures ship arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, for a four-day port visit.

September 29, The Patriot recently entered the dry-dock at SSK Shipyard in Sasebo for a Selective Restricted Availability (SRA) period.

April 1, 2011 Lt. Cmdr. Suzanne L. Schang relieved Lt. Cmdr. Walter C. Mainor as CO of MCM 7 during a change-of-command ceremony aboard the ship at Fleet Activities Sasebo.

October 28, USS Patriot, along with USS Guardian (MCM 5), pulled into Kagoshima, Japan, for a port visit before participating in a bilateral Annual Exercise (ANNUALEX) 2011.

January 23, 2012 USS Patriot departed Fleet Activities Sasebo for a western Pacific patrol.

January 27, The mine countermeasures ship arrived in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, for a four-day port visit.

February 3, MCM 7 pulled into Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a brief port call.

February 10, USS Patriot arrived in Tomakomai, Japan, for a goodwill port visit that coincides with the nearby Sapporo Snow and Ice Festival. The ship departed Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, Feb. 9 after a two-day port call.

February 14, The Patriot arrived in Hakodate, Oshima Subprefecture, for a brief port visit.

February 21, The mine countermeasures ship arrived again in Yokosuka for a week-long port call.

March 5, USS Patriot arrived in Sakaiminato, Japan, for a goodwill port visit. The last U.S. Navy ship to visit the coastal city was USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) in 2006.

March 9, The Patriot pulled into Chinhae, Republic of Korea, for a port visit before participating in exercise Foal Eagle 2012.