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8Maritime Reporter & Engineering News The U.S. Navy continued its program to deliver state-of-the-art, highly flexible platforms when on January 14, 2012Coronado, the second Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), was christened at Austal USA in Mobile, Al- abama. "Today's ceremony is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Austal's talented shipbuilders," said Austal USA President and COO, JoeRella. "We are proud of our accomplish- ments and honored to be building these magnificent warships that are already shaping the future of the modern dayNavy." The Independence-variant LCS, with its trimaran hull?design, offers ma- neuverability, stability, endurance, shal- low draft, three weapon zones, and a flight deck larger than any other U.S. Navy surface combatant. The 127-m all- aluminum vessel is capable of being out- fitted with reconfigurable payloads (mission packages) which can bechanged quickly to support mine coun-termeasure, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions. It has a maximum speed of more than 45 knots. A fast, agile, and high-technology sur- face combatant, Coronado will be a plat- form for the launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles. To meet increased demand for mission-tailoredpackages, its modular design will allow the ship to be reconfigured for antisub- marine warfare, mine countermeasures, or surface warfare missions on an as- needed basis. The LCS class ships have the ability to swap out mission packages in a matter of days - adapting as the tac-tical situation demands. The modular ap- proach allows the Navy to incorporate new and improved systems into the fleet as advanced technologies mature, pro- viding flexibility and evolving capability. WHAT?S IN A NAME? The ship's name recognizes the city ofCoronado, Calif., and honors the city'sties to the U.S. Navy. Coronado has been home to Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base, since 1917. Two previous ships have been named after this city: USS Coronado, a Tacoma- class patrol frigate, earned four battle stars for supporting landings in New Guinea and Leyte during World War II and the USS Coronado, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock later re-desig-nated as an auxiliary command ship,served as flagship for U.S. 3rd Fleet and was decommissioned in 2006. Designated LCS 4, Coronado is an in-novative surface combatant designed to operate in littoral seas and shallow water to counter mines, submarines and fast surface craft threats in coastal regions. The ship is capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots and can operate in water less than 20 feet deep. Coronado will addressa critical capabilities gap in the littorals and conduct the Navy's mission to en- hance maritime security by deterring hos-tility, maintaining a forward presence, projecting power and maintaining sea control. Susan Ring Keith was the ship?s sponsor. Upon her birth in Coronado, Susan joined a long family history asso- ciated with the Navy and Coronado. In addition to her father, both of her grand- fathers and both of her uncles were career Naval Officers. Her two brothers fol- lowed their father into the naval service, with one brother retiring as a Rear Admi- ral. Her godfather (and later step-father) was Rear Admiral Put Storrs, one of The Three Seahawks, the predecessors to the Blue Angels. Susan was the quintessen- tial Navy Junior, and she as well entered the Navy as a Navy wife and Navy mother. In 1966, Susan's mother, Eleanor Ring, christened the previous USS Coro- nado (LPD/AGF-11) and Susan served as Maid of Honor. In 2009, Susan was in- vited by the Secretary of the Navy to serve as Sponsor of Coronado (LCS4). Susan's daughter, Isabella (Belle) Keith Drouin, will follow in Susan's footsteps by serving as the ship's Matron of Honor. Coronado will be manned by two rota- tional crews, Blue and Gold, similar to the rotational crews assigned to large submarines. These core crews are aug- mented by one of the three types of mis-sion package crews and an aviation detachment. The commanding officer of the Blue crew will be Cmdr. John Kochendorfer, from Dana Point, Calif. The commanding officer of the Gold crew will be Cmdr. Michael "Shawn" Johnston, from North Carolina. After commissioning, the ship will be home-ported in San Diego, Calif. LCS 4 Christened Coronado (U.S. Navy photo courtesy Austal USA/Released) NEWSVESSELSGeneral CharacteristicsIndependence Variant Builder: ......................................General Dynamics Length: ..................................419 ft. (127.6 meters) Beam: ...................................103.7 ft. (31.6 meters) Displacement: ..................appr. 3,000 MT full load Draft: ........................................14.1 ft (4.3 meters) Speed: ......................................................40+ knots Ships:USS Independence (LCS 2), San Diego, CA. (future)PCU Coronado (LCS 4), San Diego, CA. (future) -under constructionPCU Jackson (LCS 6) - under constructionPCU Montgomery (LCS 8) - under constructionwww.austal.com The LCS Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Coronado (LCS 4) is rolled- out at the Austal USA assemblybay. Coronado was christened Jan. 14, 2012.MR Feb.12 # 1 (1-9):MR Template 2/7/2012 1:28 PM Page 8