U.S. Says Littoral Combat Ship Now in Singapore Is Combat Ready
- Maintenance, design, training issues addressed, admiral says
- Says presence of ship is not intended to send message to China
The USS Coronado at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on Oct. 16.
Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The latest U.S. Littoral Combat Ship to arrive in Southeast Asia is combat ready, according to a senior Navy officer, after a series of mechanical snafus cast doubt on the ability of the vessels to operate effectively in shallow coastal waters.
The USS Coronado is “ready to go do its job,” said Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, Commander of Task Force 73 and Singapore area coordinator, adding operation, maintenance, design and training issues have been addressed. "Every ship has maintenance issues. Any time you take a new class of ship and you have a new model for taking care of the ship and training the crew, there are going to be things that you learn."