USS Pioneer ( MCM - 9 ) USS " Pioneer " ( MCM - 9 ) , an " Avenger " - class mine countermeasures ship of the United States Navy , and is the ninth ship of the class , and the second Navy ship of that name . " Pioneer " was laid down by Peterson Builders , Inc . , Sturgeon Bay , Wisconsin , on 5 June 1989 . Mrs . Sally McGuire Tobin christened the ship on 25 August 1990 . Construction and fitting out progressed on schedule and , on 14 August 1990 , Lieutenant Commander Jerald Tyler Ballance , USNR , accepted " Pioneer " on behalf of the Navy from Mr . Ellsworth Peterson of Peterson Builders . " Pioneer " began her commissioned service on 1 September 1992 and , after completing initial crew training , sailed to her new homeport of NS Ingleside , Texas . " Pioneer " was formally commissioned on 7 December 1992 , a tribute to the many U . S . servicemen who had served at Pearl Harbor . Service history . In January 1993 , " Pioneer " began an intense shakedown year filled with numerous evaluations , training periods , exercises , and inspections . These included the first major mine warfare exercise in the western Gulf of Mexico , two visits to the Magnetic Silencing Facility in Charleston , South Carolina , port visits to Port Canaveral and Port Everglades , Florida , an Operational Propulsion Plant Examination , Combat Systems Qualification and Testing in Panama City , Florida , mine sweeping performance trials , Final Contract Trials , and a Logistic Management Assessment . For the remainder of 1993 and throughout 1994 , " Pioneer " continued her aggressive training cycle and conducted post - shakedown maintenance , repairs , and pre - deployment exercises . In February 1995 , " Pioneer " set sail for Europe on her maiden cruise . During this deployment , " Pioneer " participated in Exercise Blue Harrier ' 95 and visited Bermuda , Portsmouth England , Aarhus Denmark , Kiel Germany , Russia , Azores , La Spezia Italy , and Cartagena , Spain , Palma de Mallorca and Benidorm Spain . During her visit to St . Petersburg , the " Pioneer " and her crew were greeted by hundreds of Russians ; eager to see the Americans that had arrived to participate in the 50th Anniversary of V - E day . She returned to Ingleside in August and , after a well - deserved break , began her next training cycle . In January 1996 , " Pioneer " joined , , and as a training ship for the Mine Force ' s Rotational Crews . For the next four years , the Navy ' s eight Mine Countermeasures Rotational Crews conducted their pre - deployment training in these Ingleside - based ships before completing a six - month deployment in the Persian Gulf in or . But by early 2000 , the Navy no longer manned its forward - deployed MCM ships with rotational crews , and on 20 January 2000 , the remaining members of MCM Rotational Crew BRAVO embarked in " Pioneer " — a ship they knew well — as her permanent crew . " Pioneer " now serves in Mine Countermeasures Squadron 1 ( MCMRon 1 ) , the squadron responsible for planning and overseeing the Navy ' s Mine Countermeasures operations in the Western Pacific . The crew moved aboard and quickly made the ship their home by resealing decks , painting , and generally taking ownership . Along with this came a plethora of repairs and upgrades , which increased " Pioneer " s material readiness . " Pioneer " then completed a successful CART II and N43 visit and made its way to Panama City , Florida for a Squadron 1 exercise . En route to this exercise , LCDR Samuel Norton relieved CDR Clay Harris as Commanding Officer of " Pioneer " . The crew remained focussed and performed admirably during the Mine Warfare Exercise . Following a brief port visit to Tampa , Florida , the ship returned to Ingleside , Texas to complete preparations for another mine warfare exercise ( GOMEX 2000 ) . " Pioneer " participated in the exercise off the coast of Corpus Christi , Texas and the ship and crew ' s performance was outstanding . With precision and polish , they led the way for mine countermeasures . Members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 ' s Detachment 15 aided " Pioneer " in this task . " Pioneer " then prepared to make its first extended underway period with a permanent crew since 1995 . On 12 September 2000 " Pioneer " set off for Beaumont , Texas for Navy Days , its first stop on an East Coast cruise . During this period " Pioneer " participated in Unified Spirit 2000 , a multi - national exercise off the coast of North Carolina . " Pioneer " again identified and neutralized its fair share of mines , aided by members of Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic 8 , a Canadian Explosive Ordnance Disposal dive team . The crew worked well with the divers , and claimed a few victories with its Mine Neutralization Vehicle , performing the first live activation of a Mission Package One cutter arm since USS " Pioneer " gained its permanent crew , bringing a moored mine safely to the surface and completing the neutralization and recovery . " Pioneer " then began her journey back to homeport , stopping again in NAB Little Creek , Virginia and briefly in Key West , Florida en route to Mobile , Alabama — the last stop before returning to Ingleside . In Mobile " Pioneer " was once again greeted by the warm southern hospitality for the members of the Mobile Navy League and the people of Mobile as a whole . " Pioneer " bid Mobile a fond farewell as she traveled to Ingleside , Texas returning on 15 December 2000 . Following the landfall of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 , " Pioneer " was ordered out - to - sea as a part of Joint Task Force Katrina . During her underway time , " Pioneer " was tasked with conducting sonar sweeps and maritime safety checks of the shipping lane s off the coast of Louisiana , Alabama and Mississippi . The ship and crew , MCM Crew Exultant , were awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for their work during the operation . The ship has since shifted her homeport to San Diego , California in 2009 .