LCS Crew Returns Home To San Diego After Extended Singapore Deployment
The crew of the USS Coronado was forced to remain deployed while the Navy overhauled the training program for the littoral combat ship.
The crew of the littoral combat ship USS Coronado are back in San Diego after a longer-than-expected deployment to the Western Pacific.
When the sailors left San Diego in June, they were supposed to be back in time for the holidays, but the original crew of the USS Coronado just arrived home Sunday, after their relief arrived in Singapore late last week.
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Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Steven Arndt, assigned to Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 204, embraces his wife during a homecoming celebration at San Diego International Airport, April 16, 2017.
US NAVY
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Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Josh Grigsby lifts his son in the air during a homecoming celebration at San Diego International Airport, April 16, 2017.
US Navy
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Chief Gunners Mate John Mendoza, assigned to Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 204, embraces his children during a homecoming celebration at San Diego International Airport, April 16, 2017.
US NAVY
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Chief Gunners Mate Adan Macias, assigned to Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 204, embraces his son during a homecoming celebration at San Diego International Airport, April 16, 2017.
US NAVY
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Chief Gunners Mate Adan Macias, assigned to Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 204, embraces his son during a homecoming celebration at San Diego International Airport, April 17, 2017.
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Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class Ryan Leech, assigned to Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Crew 204, carries his son on his shoulders during a homecoming celebration at San Diego International Airport, April 17, 2017.
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The 70 members of Crew 204 were caught in a shake-up of the littoral combat ship program. The Navy ordered changes in how the ships were trained and crewed, after mechanical failures aboard the Navy’s new vessels were tied to crew error on the USS Fort Worth and USS Freedom.
LCS engineers had to be recertified. Crew 204's replacement was required to train on board another vessel before deploying. The Navy also ditched the three crew rotation for a more traditional method — one crew on/one crew off rotation, the same method used on submarines.
The delay left the crew of the USS Coronado crew stuck in Singapore until the changes could be implemented.
