USS Coronado (LCS-4) successfully completed the U.S. Navy’s Total Ship Survivability Trial (TSST) off the coast of California, January 28. During the test event, the crew handled realistic damage simulations, including fire, smoke, electrical failure, flooding, ruptured piping, and structural failure. The scenarios benefited the crew by offering realistic damage control training in preparation for Coronado’s maiden deployment later this year.
«Initial indications are that Coronado’s performance met, and in multiple cases exceeded, the survivability requirements for this small surface combatant», said Captain Tom Anderson, Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program manager. «I commend the crew for their exceptional performance and dedication while conducting this important test».
The purpose of the TSST is to evaluate the ship’s systems and procedures following a simulated conventional weapon hit. The primary areas that are evaluated include the ship’s ability to contain and control damage, restore and continue mission capability, and care for personnel casualties. The test is also designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the survivability features inherent in a ship’s design.
«The experience provided the crew, through realistic scenarios, an appreciation for what it would take to operate following battle damage on board an Independence-variant warship», said Commander Troy A. Fendrick, commanding officer of Coronado. «It also provided Sailors, from the deckplate level, the opportunity to provide critical input to the LCS program office, which will result in the improvement of overall ship survivability».
The TSST, along with the Full Ship Shock Trial scheduled June 2016, is a component of the Live-Fire Test and Evaluation program. Coronado is the second LCS of the Independence-variant built by Austal USA and is homeported in San Diego.
LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, with three types of mission packages including surface warfare, mine countermeasures, and anti-submarine warfare. The Program Executive Office Littoral Combat Ships (PEO LCS) is responsible for delivering and sustaining littoral mission capabilities to the fleet. Delivering high-quality warfighting assets while balancing affordability and capability is key to supporting the nation’s maritime strategy.
The Independence Variant of the LCS Class
| PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS | |
| Construction | Hull and superstructure – aluminium alloy |
| Length overall | 417 feet/127.1 m |
| Beam overall | 103 feet/31.4 m |
| Hull draft (maximum) | 14.8 feet/4.5 m |
| PAYLOAD AND CAPACITIES | |
| Complement | Core Crew – 40 |
| Mission crew – 36 | |
| Berthing | 76 in a mix of single, double & quad berthing compartments |
| Maximum mission load | 210 tonnes |
| Mission Bay Volume | 118,403 feet3/11,000 m3 |
| Mission packages | Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) |
| Surface Warfare (SUW) | |
| Mine Warfare (MIW) | |
| PROPULSION | |
| Main engines | 2 × GE LM2500 |
| 2 × MTU 20V 8000 | |
| Waterjets | 4 × Wartsila steerable |
| Bow thruster | Retractable azimuthing |
| PERFORMANCE | |
| Speed | 40 knots/46 mph/74 km/h |
| Range | 3,500 NM/4,028 miles/6,482 km |
| Operational limitation | Survival in Sea State 8 |
| MISSION/LOGISTICS DECK | |
| Deck area | >21,527.8 feet2/2,000 m2 |
| Launch and recovery | Twin boom extending crane |
| Loading | Side ramp |
| Internal elevator to hanger | |
| Launch/Recover Watercraft | Sea State 4 |
| FLIGHT DECK AND HANGER | |
| Flight deck dimensions | 2 × SH-60 or 1 × CH-53 or multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/Vertical Take-off and Land Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs/VTUAVs) |
| Hanger | Aircraft stowage & maintenance for 2 × SH-60 |
| Launch/Recover Aircraft | Sea State 5 |
| WEAPONS AND SENSORS | |
| Standard | 1 × 57-mm gun |
| 4 × 12.7-mm/.50 caliber guns | |
| 1 × Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launcher | |
| 3 × weapons modules | |
Independence-class
| Ship | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
| USS Independence (LCS-2) | 01-19-2006 | 04-26-2008 | 01-16-2010 | San Diego, California |
| USS Coronado (LCS-4) | 12-17-2009 | 01-14-2012 | 04-05-2014 | San Diego, California |
| USS Jackson (LCS-6) | 08-01-2011 | 12-14-2013 | 12-05-2015 | San Diego, California |
| USS Montgomery (LCS-8) | 06-25-2013 | 08-06-2014 | ||
| USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) | 04-16-2014 | 02-25-2015 | ||
| USS Omaha (LCS-12) | 02-18-2015 | 11-20-2015 | ||
| USS Manchester (LCS-14) | 06-29-2015 | |||
| USS Tulsa (LCS-16) | 01-11-2016 | |||
| USS Charleston (LCS-18) | ||||
| USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) | ||||
| USS Kansas City (LCS-22) | ||||
| USS Oakland (LCS-24) |
