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USS Coronado (LCS-4)

2014 MODERN NAVY

History of USS Coronado (LCS-4)

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) was developed by the United States Navy (USN) for nearshore operations (for coastal, coastal, nearshore and offshore environments). This led to the creation of two distinct classes to fill this role - the free class and the independent class. The Freedom class has a more traditional layout (albeit with a very discreet appearance), while the Independent class is based on the hull design of a trimaran.

In addition to their stealth capabilities and advanced shipboard systems, a key feature of ship types is their modularity, which helps a ship fulfill different roles and sub-roles as neededwhether mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare ( ASW), or general surface warfare, etc.

The Independence class is similar to a frigate battleship, offering speed, agility and compact size for its specific role. USS Coronado (LCS-4) is one of them, her contract was awarded to Austal USA on May 1, 2009.

Her keel was laid on 17 December this year and the vessel was launched on 14 January 2012. She enlisted in the U.S. Navy on April 5, 2014 and is currently serving in the U.S. Navy Fleet.

13 Independence-class ships will be deployed alongside 13 Freedom-class ships, for a total of 26 ships.

The silhouette of the Coronado is unique - arched and curved, pointed and slender, with the turret as the only noticeable protrusion. Behind this section is the main superstructure, which integrates bridges and flat masts. The hangar area is also incorporated into the rear of the superstructure, with a helicopter deck occupying the space above the stern.

The sloping sides feature heavily in the design of the Independence class, giving the ships a very futuristic look (and contributing to their stealth).

When built, the Coronado will displace 2,300 tons under light load and 3,100 tons under full load. She was 418 feet long, had a beam of 104 feet, and had a draft of 14 feetthe latter qualities of which are extremely important for offshore work. The installed power is 2 General Electric LM2500 gas turbines and 4 diesel generators driving 2 shafts.

4 water jets and a retractable azimuth thruster allow for fine-tuning maneuvers. The warship can sail at speeds in excess of 40 knots and has a range of nearly 5,000 miles.

There are 75 crew members on board, 40 of which form part of its core operations (the rest are mission specialists). These systems include the 3D ground-to-air radar "Sea Giraffe", the navigation radar "Bridgemaster-E" and the EO-IR sensor AN/KAX-2.

She carries 4 x BAe Systems Mark 36 SRBOC Rapid Bloom chaff launchers as a countermeasure.

Her main conventional armament is the 57mm BAe Systems Mk 110 series deck gun with turret. Carry 4 x 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns (HMG) for extreme close range work. Her missile package consists of an evolved 11-cell SeaRAM launcher unit that fires the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) - a short-range defense weapon.

A 2 x 30mm chain gun module is also mentioned, as well as future support for AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.

In addition to her installed weapons, USS Coronado is authorized to retrieve and launch a pair of Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk medium helicopters (or similar) from her quarter deck. The warship is also equipped to operate the rotary-wing MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial system (UAS). These devices provide excellent over-the-horizon reconnaissance and tracking services.

The helicopter can also be equipped with anti-ship and anti-submarine equipment to further expand the tactical range of the ship.

After completion and baptism, USS Coronado experienced two fires on board that delayed her commissioning. In 2014, many of her systems were tested in field conditions and against a Marine Corps unit in a field exercise. In October 2014, she tested the MQ-8B UAS.

In July 2016, USS Coronado participated in RIMPAC ("Rim of the Pacific") - a large-scale maritime exercise in Pacific waters, with dozens of US allied participants from around the world.