Coronado (AGF 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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3RD DIVISION ' .• t I ulna - ' ■aaBBw-jffB X IK FRONT ROW; GMG2 JEFF SHUMATE, GM3 THOMAS INNIS, GMG3 TIM ROBERTS, GMG3 DAVID LATIMORE, GMG2 RAY SEPULVEDA, GMG2 STEVE WILLIAMS CMGl KEVIN FITZS1MMONS, BACK ROW: FROM LEFT: FC2 ED BLOHN, GMG2 CHRISTOPHER LANDRUM, GMG3 MARK HARLEY, FCSN DAN Z1EMER FC2 TIM SUMMERS. FC2 DAVID ALLEN, NOT PICTURED: FC2 BRIAN WILSON, FC3 THOMAS STACY, FC3 DAVID KUFNER. THIRD DIVISIONS GUNNERS MATES AND FIRE CONTROLMAN, LED BY ENS. LUDDY, GMCC FREY, AND FCC OGBURN, MAINTAINED AND OPERATED ALL THE WEAPONS SYSTEMS ONBOARD USS CORONADO. THESE WEAPONS PROVIDED OUR ONLY DEFENSE DURING OUR RIGOROUS 8 MONTH DEPLOYMENT IN THE VOLATILE PERSIAN GULF. THE SHIPS MAIN ARMAMENT INCLUDES TWO TWIN MOUNTED RAPID FIRE 3 50 CALIBRE GUN MOUNTS, TWO 25MM AUTOMATIC CANNONS AND TWO PHALANX CLOSE IN WEAPONS SYSTEMS THE 3 50 PROVIDES EFFECTIVE LONG RANGE PROTECTION FROM BOTH AIR AND SURFACE TARGETS. THE 25MM CANNONS WE RE INSTALLED TO HELP COUNTER ATTACKS FROM SMALL VESSELS USED IN THE CULF TO ATTACK COMMERCIAL SHIPPING. THE GUNNERS MATES ARE ALSO TASKED WITH THE CONTROL AND MAINTENANCE OF THE SHIPS ARMORY AND EQUIPMENT, CONSISTING OF 50 CALIBRE MACHINE GUNS, M-60 MACHINE GUNS, MK-79 GRENADE LAUNCHERS, M-14 RIFLES, 12 GAUGE SHOT GUNS AND 45 CALIBRE PISTOLS. THE FIRE CONTROLMEN MAINTAINED AND OPERATED THE TWO PHALANX CLOSE IN WEAPONS SYSTEMS, CONSISTING OF A FIRE CONTROL RADAR, A DIGITAL COMPUTER, AND A VERY HIGH RATE OF FIRE CATLING GUN THE PHALANX IS DESIGNED TO COUNTER ALL INCOMING AIRCRAFT AND MISSILES. THE HIGH RATE OF FIRE AND RADARCONTROL ENABLE THE SYSTEM TO ENGAGE TARCETS AT SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF MACH2. OTHER THIRD DIVISION RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE THE TRAINING OF THE SHIPS SELF DEFENSE FORCE, AND THE SMALL ARMS FAMILIARIZATION OF VARIOUS SHIPBOARD WATCHSTANDERS. DURING CORONADOS DEPLOYMENT TO THE PERSIAN GULF THIRD DIVISION WAS ALSO TASKED WITH THE MEF SWAP PROGRAM AND STORED VARIOUS TYPES OF AMMUNITION FOR ALL OF JOINT TASK FORCE MIDDLE EAST, THIS INCLUDED MISSILES FROM THE USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS AFTER BEING HIT BY AN IRANIAN LAID MINE. 3 50 RAPID FIRE GUN MT.34. PHALANX CLOSE IN WEAPONS SYSTEM MT.21. 53

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AT WORK TOP LEFT: THE GUNNERS MATES TAKE A BREAK WHILE WAITING FOR ANOTHER LOAD OF AMMO TOP RIGHT: FC2 ALLEN, IF AT FIRST YOU DON ' T SUCCEED THEN GET A BIGGER HAMMER. MIDDLE LEFT: GMG2 SHUMATE TRIES TO KEEP WARM DURING CONDITION 3 WATCHES. CENTER; FC3 KUFNER WORKS ON THE PHALANX AMMO HANDLING SYSTEM. MIDDLE RIGHT: GMG2 WILLIAMS ON A FIRING RUN TO STARBOARD ON THE 25MM MT 251. BOTTOM LEFT: THE GUNNERS MATES TRANSFER A MISSILE FROM THE USS SAM- UEL B. ROBERTS BOTTOM RIGHT: GMG3 HARLEY TAKES A BREAK DURING A WORK- ING PARTY. 54