LCS-4 Trials Halted After Engine Fires

By Michael Fabey
April 13, 2013

The fourth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-4), the USS Coronado, is expected to resume pre-delivery builder’s trials next week after minor engine-related problems prompted a temporary pause in testing April 13, U.S. Navy sources confirm.

LCS-4 was being put through full-power trials before engine problems developed on port and starboard diesel engines, creating smoke and a small fire first on the starboard engine and then the port one, Navy sources said. There were no injuries and the ship returned to port so engineers could ascertain the cause of the problems.

Such problems are not uncommon during builders’ trials, which are meant to put a vessel through its paces, often pushing the ship to the outside parameters of its performance requirements.

Navy officials were quick to acknowledge the issues during the trials and said they anticipate no problems resuming the tests.

LCS-4 is one of the LCS-2 Independence-class ships being developed by a contractor team lead by Austal USA and General Dynamics. The Navy is now splitting its block buy of LCS vessels — it ultimately wants more than 50 of them — between the Austal/General Dynamics ships and the LCS-1 USS Freedom-class ships built by a team lead by Lockheed Martin.

The Freedom — the first-of-class LCS vessel — is now making its way to Singapore on its first Asian deployment. The ship arrived in Manila last week.