MOBILE, Ala., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy's fourth littoral combat ship is en route to California for commissioning and home-porting following acceptance trials in Alabama.
The future USS Coronado (LCS 4) is the second LCS Independence variant -- an aluminum trimaran -- and was constructed by Austal USA.
The Navy said it left Austral's shipyard in Mobile, Ala., Monday for San Diego. While en route, the ship's U.S. Navy crew will conduct hull, mechanical and electrical system shakedown events, as well as navigation checks and combat systems test events.
The crew will also conduct training events to sharpen familiarity with the Independence variant.
The littoral combat ship class is designed to defeat asymetic threats in coastal waters, such as mines, submarines and small boat swarms, yet is capable of open-sea operations. The Independence variant is 418.6 feet long, 103.7 feet in the beam and has a speed of more than 40 knots. It features modular mission/weapon payloads, which can be quickly fitted for various types of threats.
The future USS Coronado is scheduled to be commissioned in early April.
