USS Guardian ( MCM - 5 ) USS " Guardian " ( MCM - 5 ) was an " Avenger " - class mine countermeasures ship of the United States Navy . The second ship to bear that name , she was laid down on 8 May 1985 by Peterson Builders , Sturgeon Bay , Wisconsin ; launched on 20 June 1987 ; and commissioned on 16 December 1989 . In 2010 , " Guardian " became the first mine countermeasures vessel in the Seventh Fleet modified for a mixed - sex crew . On 17 January 2013 , " Guardian " ran aground on Tubbataha Reef . Unable to be recovered , the vessel was decommissioned and struck on 15 February 2013 . After the removal of fuel and useful equipment , the minehunter was cut into three sections and lifted off the reef by crane ships . The last section was removed from Tubbataha Reef on 30 March 2013 . History . In late November 2007 , USS " Guardian " and fellow minesweeper sought refueling and refuge from an approaching storm in Hong Kong ' s Victoria Harbour , but were denied entry without explanation by the People ' s Republic of China . Both ships were eventually refueled at sea and returned safely to their homeports in Japan . In February 2010 , USS " Guardian " became the first mine countermeasures vessel in the Seventh Fleet to receive the Women - at - Sea modification , which was intended to allow the small vessel to accommodate a mixed - gender crew . The modification added no additional sleeping space , but did provide for separate toilet and shower facilities for female crew members . However , with the exception of a very few officers , all mine countermeasures vessels in the Seventh Fleet were still manned by all - male crews at that time . January 2013 grounding . On 17 January 2013 , following a port call and fuel stop in Subic , " Guardian " proceeded across the Sulu Sea and entered the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park . where she grounded at 2 : 25 am . About 90 minutes after the grounding she was seen on park radar , at approximately 04 : 00 hours local time . " Guardian " ran aground on Tubbataha Reef about south east of Palawan in the Philippines . At the time of the accident the ship was travelling from Subic Bay in the Philippines to Indonesia . The extent of any damage to the reef was unknown , but there was no evidence that there was a fuel oil leak . Philippines officials later estimated the damage to the reef at 1 , 000 square meters . The U . S . Navy evacuated all 79 crew members from the minesweeper to USNS " Bowditch " and MV " C Champion " on 18 January . On 19 January , an assessment team was deployed to plan and execute the vessel ' s extraction . On 20 January 2013 , " Navy Times " reported the ship was taking on water in multiple places and was experiencing a slight list to port . Originally , only the bow section of " Guardian " rested on the reef , but wave action pushed the entire vessel onto the reef , from the edge . The guided missile destroyer USS " Mustin " , the oceanographic survey ship USNS " Bowditch " and the rescue and salvage ship USNS " Salvor " arrived in the area to help in the intended extraction , as well as tugboats and Philippine navy and coast guard vessels . It was intended for " Guardian " to be removed from the area by crane ships from Singapore and then be placed on a barge or other ship , since the ship was too damaged to be towed due to multiple hull penetrations . During the time that the cranes made their journey from Singapore to the Philippines , preparations were made for the lift . 15 , 000 gallons of diesel fuel were extracted from the tanks in " Guardian " to other ships that were on station and refilled with seawater to keep the vessel stable . Dry food stores and the personal effects of the " Guardian " s crew were removed as well . Salvage experts began to reinforce the wood - and - fiberglass hull of the minesweeper with Kevlar lines to mitigate stresses from waves hitting the vessel . In February 2013 , " Guardian " was replaced with USS " Warrior " in the 7th Fleet , with the crew of " Warrior " returning to San Diego , and the crew of " Guardian " taking over . On 29 January 2013 , the United States Navy announced that the ship would be cut into three sections on the reef prior to removal , resulting in the total loss of the ship . USS " Guardian " was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 February 2013 and is currently pending disposal . Philippine officials are examining whether fines will be levied against the United States , as it may be fined $ 600 per square meter of damaged reef , and the Philippine Senate has called for an investigation into the incident . On 20 February 2013 , Admiral Cecil D . Haney met with the crew of " Guardian " at United States Fleet Activities Sasebo . On 27 February 2013 , salvage crews began to disassemble " Guardian " , a process originally estimated to take a month . The bridge deck was removed on 4 March 2013 . On 30 March 2013 , the stern section of the ship was lifted off the reef , completing the removal process . Original estimates were that 4 , 000 square meters of reef was damaged but a survey done after removal , by the World Wide Fund for Nature – Philippines and the Tubbataha Management Office , measured the damage area at 2 , 345 . 67 square meters . Under Philippine law , the U . S . Federal Government was assessed a fine of 24 , 000 Philippine peso s ( about US $ 600 ) per square meter . With additions for other violations , the total fine came to slightly less than 60 million pesos or about 1 . 4 million U . S . dollars . The U . S . Federal Government has apologized for the incident and have relieved from duty four officers , Lt . Cmdr . Mark A . Rice , his executive officer and navigator Lt . Daniel Tyler , the ship ’ s assistant navigator and the officer of the deck at the time of the mishap . “ The initial investigation findings clearly indicate that ( the four ) at the time of the grounding did not adhere to standard US Navy navigation procedures , ” the Manila Bulletin quoted the U . S . Navy as saying . The U . S . Government has acknowledged that the grounding was entirely preventable and caused by human error and a failure of leadership to provide adequate oversight and direction in planning and executing the Navigation Plan . On April 8 , 2013 it was reported that the U . S . Navy had turned over digital navigation charts and other relevant documents and data of the Guardian to the Philippine Maritime Casualty Investigating Team ( MCIT ) and responded to various " technical and substantive " queries . The MCIT will conduct its own independent investigation and make recommendations about how to avoid such incidents in the future . On July 26 , 2013 it was reported that a chart produced by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency was inaccurate by up to 8 nautical miles . This chart was used by the crew of the Guardian , and played a significant role in the grounding . However , it was also reported that significant errors by the crew and commanding officers should have noted the inaccuracies in comparison to other charts .