USS Coronado LSC-4 Papercraft Model

4 Oct, 2021

The sun on the coast of Jakarta was scorching hot when a group of journalists entered the entrance of the Tanjung Priok International Port to visit a warship from the United States Navy which was on a visit to Indonesia.

Arriving at the edge of the harbor, you can see a large warship with hull number "4" with a very modern shape; if you don't want to be called futuristic.

This trimaran or three-hulled warship looks unique and has an unusual appearance, very much different from the designs on warships in general which only have one hull and are densely packed with weapons all over their bodies.

If conventionally designed ships usually have rigid or even curved angles, not with ships in this class of Littoral Combat Ships which use sharp angles at every corner of the ship, even the main hull has a line pull on the sides making it shaped like a diamond cut when viewed from the front.

This diamond shape design concept clearly pursues technological advantages that are still rarely applied to marine war machines in the world, namely stealth or "stealth ability".

The United States Armed Forces so far have applied the diamond shape concept as a capital to make stealth technology defense equipment limited to the retired F-117 Nighthawk fighter, the F-22 Raptor, and most recently the F-35 Lightning II.

However, through great desire and financial support, finally this revolutionary concept that is able to minimize radar reflectance (RCS) was successfully applied to the corvette type warship, USS Coronado (LCS-4).

It was Lieutenant Colonel Douglas K Meagher, commander of the USS Coronado (LCS-4), who during this visit also served as a guide for journalists to explain a number of features and take a look at the contents of the 129-meter long and empty 2,300-ton ship.

As an opening, Meagher invited the group to get into the ship and visit a "hall" which is right at the stern.

Meagher explained that this large space is a mission bay or a location where all preparations for a parachuting mission are carried out, including for storing two 11-meter rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) and a number of other supporting equipment.

"USS Coronado also has an additional RHIB with a smaller size, seven meters, located on the outer left side of the mission bay," said Meagher.

He added that thanks to the RHIB's special launch-lift system in the form of a crane mounted on the rear ramp, the USS Coronado was able to deploy the rubber boat in just 15 minutes after the command was issued by the commander.

In addition to accommodating the RHIB, in the mission bay room there are also sports facilities and accommodation containers for the crew of the flying vehicle on the various USS Coronado (LCS-4) cruise missions. Finished with the mission bay, Meagher took the group to the ship's deck.

As a warship intended for action in coastal areas or shallow waters, the ship which officially joined the US Navy in 2014 is required to have high speed.

Aluminum was also chosen as the main material of the ship, again different from conventional warships that use steel.

In addition to being lighter, the selection of aluminum will make it the fastest ship in its kind with the use of two gas turbine engines made by General Electric LM2500.

Literally this ship uses a jet engine commonly used in modern warplanes, whose power is channeled to four waterjets as the main propulsion of this ship.

As a result, the USS Coronado (LCS-4) is capable of cruising at sea at speeds of up to 41 knots or about 75 km/hour, with an operating cruising range of about 7,800 kilometers.

In addition to the four water jets at the rear, the Independence Class ship also has an azimuth thruster at the front which allows it to maneuver in harbors or narrow waters without the aid of tugboats.

"Not only the main frame and skin that use aluminum, inside the deck is also coated with aluminum protection to reduce heat," said Meagher.

Heat protection is important for defense equipment with a stealth concept. In addition to being able to reflect radar waves through their physical shape that forms sharp angles, stealth defense equipment must also be able to reduce heat to reduce the potential for thermal imaging of the enemy.

The inside of the USS Coronado is covered in aluminum foil, from the walls of the mission bay, the deck aisle, to the aircraft hangar which creates a brilliant impression. Only the anchor room, kitchen and dining room, and platform are not covered with aluminum foil.

If you imagine a warship, of course the imaginary display that appears is a large ship, gambot, with many weapons of various sizes and types attached to its body.

However, the shadow seemed to be broken when he saw the USS Coronado (LCS-4) due to its appearance, although it had a sharp silhouette but was smooth.

There is practically only one Bofors 57mm Mk110 cannon turret and four Harpoon launch tubes which are prominently visible in the bow as the ship's weaponry.

Meagher further explained, the cannon made by BAE Systems is capable of spewing up to 220 bullets per minute and is claimed to have very high accuracy.

As for its long-range weaponry, the USS Coronado is also equipped with four Harpoon Block 1C missiles capable of reaching surface targets for more than 120 kilometers at a speed of around 850 km/hour.

Harpoon is a special anti-ship missile that can be operated in all weather conditions that can be launched through the footing of warships, aircraft, and submarines.

"The Harpoon on the USS Coronado is actually not a patent weapon, it can be replaced with other devices. Given the LCS concept, which is modular and can change weapons settings according to the needs of the mission to be undertaken," said Meagher, who previously also commanded a ship of a similar class, the USS Jackson (LCS). -6) and USS Independence (LCS-2).

The minimalist appearance of the USS Coronado is also to compensate for the stealth concept that he has, where the body parts must be made as smooth as possible by hiding the weapons in his body in order to reduce the reflectance of radar waves.

Including the Bofors Mk110 cannon dome which is designed to follow the sharp-angled design of the USS Coronado.
As for defense, the ship is equipped with four 12.7mm heavy machine guns and 11 RIM-116 RAM missiles.

In addition, this ship also carries a helicopter fleet in the form of one MH-60S Sea Hawk multi-mission helicopter and two MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aircraft.

"Both can carry out reconnaissance missions and if needed can be for combat missions. But for this helicopter it can also be used for SAR and anti-submarine or anti-ship missions by installing special weapons," said Meagher.

As a cutting-edge warship, Meagher did not deny that the ship with a crew of only 75 people was able to win coastal battles and provide support for landing troops on the coast thanks to its myriad of capabilities.

Indeed, the USS Coronado (LCS-4) has not been battle proven because it is a new ship and has never been deployed in a real war mission, but Meagher dares to claim that his ship is ready to fight when needed anytime and anywhere.