About this Unit
USS Coronado (LPD-11) was an Austin-class amphibious transport dock commissioned by the United States Navy in 1970. Designed to support amphibious assault operations, she transported Marines, equipment, and landing craft, participating in numerous exercises and deployments, including missions in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In 1980, Coronado served as the flagship for Commander, U.S. Middle East Force during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Later, she was converted into an auxiliary command ship, serving as the flagship for the U.S. Third Fleet until her decommissioning in 2006.
Historical Facts
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Namesake: USS Coronado (LPD-11) was named after the city of Coronado, California, which is home to several major U.S. Navy bases, including Naval Air Station North Island and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.
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Class and Type: She was an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, designed to transport and land Marines, their equipment, and supplies by embarked landing craft or helicopters.
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Commissioning: USS Coronado was commissioned on 23 May 1970, joining the fleet during the Vietnam War era.
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Vietnam War Service: Early in her career, she was deployed to the Western Pacific and supported operations during the Vietnam War, including troop transport and amphibious assaults.
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Flagship Role: From 1980 onwards, USS Coronado was frequently used as a flagship for various commanders, including Commander, U.S. Third Fleet and Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet.
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Technological Pioneer: In 1998, Coronado was converted into the Navy's Sea-Based Battle Lab (SBBL), experimenting with advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) technologies.
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Global Deployments: Throughout her career, Coronado participated in numerous multinational exercises and operations, including RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise) and Operation Desert Shield/Storm.
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Humanitarian Missions: The ship was involved in several humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, including disaster response efforts in the Philippines and other Pacific nations.
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Decommissioning: USS Coronado was decommissioned on 30 September 2006, after 36 years of distinguished service.
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Final Fate: After decommissioning, the ship was sunk as a target during a live-fire exercise in the 2012 RIMPAC, serving her final duty in helping train and test modern naval weapons.
