The futuristic, trimaran-hull USS Coronado successfully completed its final contract trials last week and is ready for service.
The Littoral Combat Ship, or LCS, was commissioned at Naval Air Station, North Island in April. The Navy is building 32 littoral ships in two variants.
The contract trials, administered by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey, are part of a series of post-delivery trials through which the ship and its major systems are exercised.
Over a four-day period, the Navy tested air and surface combat systems, fired the ship’s 57mm gun, drove the ship at full power and, and launched and recovered an 11-meter boat.
“It was a pleasure to witness Cmdr. (Shawn) Johnston and his crew put Coronado through her paces. I was equally pleased with the performance of the ship systems during this, the first final contract trial of the LCS Independence variant,” said Capt. Tom Anderson, littoral program manager.
“It is clear that the changes incorporated into Coronado, based on lessons learned from the construction and operation of USS Independence, have contributed not only to her affordability, but to her operational capability.”
The littoral ships are high-speed, agile, shallow-draft warships designed for operation close to shore, yet fully capable of open ocean operations. They carry two helicopters.
