An announcement was made on Thursday by Donald Winter, Secretary of the Navy, with regards to the christening of the fourth and latest littoral combat ship of the U.S. Navy. Staying true to the practice of naming LCS after American cities, towns or communities, the new LCS has for a namesake a rather important American city for Navy operations – it has been named the USS Coronado.

Coronado has been called ‘home’ by many Navy servicemen since 1917. It currently hosts the Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) and the Naval Amphibious Base (NAB). NASNI serves as the residence for 90 tenant commands. This includes the Naval Aviation Depot, touted as “the largest aerospace employer in San Diego”.

NAB, of course, is home to the Naval Special Warfare Command, a number of SEAL Teams and special boat teams as well as the BUD/S Training Center. It houses 30 tenant commands, which include Naval Surface Force Pacific and Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Pacific, and is manned by approximately 5,000 personnel.

This is the third time that Coronado, California lends its name to a Navy ship. A Tacoma-class patrol frigate named USS Coronado (PF-38) earned four battle stars after serving in World War II landings in New Guinea and the island of Leyte in the Philippines between 1944 and 1945. It was decommissioned in July 1945. Another ship named USS Coronado (AGF11) served as the Third Fleet’s flagship. It was decommissioned in 2006.

The new USS Coronado’s designation is LCS 4, and it is designed to defeat what is known as ‘littoral threats’ – threats to the littoral zone, which are the areas close to the shore. The LCS is a relatively small vessel which is especially suited for operations in these areas. It may be slightly smaller than other Navy vessels, but it is large enough to hold added capabilities such as a flight deck and hangar that can accommodate two SH-60 Seahawk helicopters.