LCS 4 arrives for WestPac

The Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) arrived in the U.S. Seventh Fleet on Oct. 3, destined for the first-ever deployment of an Independence class LCS to the Western Pacific, after having to undergo an engineering repairs in Hawaii. Coronado had been deployed since June 22. It departed Pearl Harbor on Aug. 26, but days later suffered an engineering casualty and returned to Pearl Harbor. Coronado, built by Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., has been armed with RGM-84D Harpoon Block 1C cruise missiles. It also has a larger flight deck than Freedom-class LCS; carries two MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with the ZPY-4 search radar. Its helicopter detachment also operates an MH-60S Seahawk, the first time that type has deployed aboard an LCS to the Western Pacific. (Source: Sea Power 10/04/16)