USS Coronado Completes Survivability Test
The U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Coronado (LCS 4) has completed survivability testing off the coast of California on January 28 in preparation for the ship's maiden deployment later this year.
The purpose of the Total Ship Survivability Trial (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.
"Initial indications are that Coronado's performance met, and in multiple cases exceeded, the survivability requirements for this small surface combatant," said Capt. Tom Anderson, LCS program manager. "I commend the crew for their exceptional performance and dedication while conducting this important test."
During the test event, the crew also gained training experience for handling realistic damage simulations, including fire, smoke, electrical failure, flooding, ruptured piping and structural failure.
"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 Cmdr. 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.
Homeported in San Diego, Coronado is the second LCS of the Independence-variant built by Austal USA.
LCS is a modular, reconfigurable ship, with three types of mission packages including surface warfare, mine countermeasures and antisubmarine 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.