USS Coronado Leaves Austal USA Yard

The Navy accepted delivery of the future USS Coronado (LCS 4) during a ceremony at the Austal USA shipyard Sept. 27. Coronado is the fourth littoral combat ship (LCS) to deliver to the Navy, the second of the Independence variant – noted for its trimaran hull – to join the fleet.

Delivery marks the official transfer of LCS 4 from the shipbuilder, a General Dynamics-led team that includes Bath Iron Works, Austal USA, and Advanced Information Systems, to the Navy. It is the final milestone prior to commissioning, which is planned for April 2014 in Coronado, Calif.

Following commissioning, Coronado will be homeported in San Diego with her sister ships USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Independence (LCS 2) and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3).

The Navy is committed to a 52-ship LCS class. Twelve more ships (LCS 5 through LCS 16) are currently under construction or in the pre-production phase. The first 24 ships of the class are evenly comprised of two variants, the steel monohull Freedom variant (odd numbered hulls) and the aluminum trimaran Independence variant (even numbered hulls).

The 127 metre all-aluminium vessel is capable of being outfitted with reconfigurable payloads (Mission Packages) which can be changed quickly to support mine countermeasure, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions. The vessel has a maximum speed of more than 45 knots.

To deliver capabilities against these threats, the Navy introduced LCS with innovative concepts, such as modular mission packages, to quickly respond to an evolving threat.

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Press Release, September 30, 2013