1973-1998, U.S. Park Ranger (Retired) Grand Canyon NP, Longfellow/Washington's Headquarters NHS, John F. Kennedy Birthplace NHS and Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP
2002-Present, Ship's Historian, USS Terrebonne Parish (LST-1156) Association, Pittsburgh, PA
2007-Present, Volunteer, Senator John Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, PA
USS Coronado (AGF-11) ex USNS Coronado (T-AGF-11) (2003 - 2005) USS Coronado (AGF-11) (1980 - 2003) USS Coronado (LPD-11) (1970 - 1980)
Cleveland Class Amphibious Transport Dock:
Laid down, 3 May 1965, at Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction, Seattle, WA.
Launched, 1 July 1966
Commissioned, USS Coronado (LPD-11), 23 May 1970, CAPT. Grant J. Walker, USN in command
Converted to Miscellaneous Command Ship(AGF-11) in August 1980
USS Coronado (AGF-11) was designated the command ship for the Commander, United States Third Fleet
Decommissioned in 2003, and assigned to the Military Sealift Command (MSC) as USNS Coronado (T-AGF-11)
Navigation, deck, engineering, laundry and galley services provided by MSC civil service mariners. Navy commanding officer and Navy mission crew when fully operational
Recommissioned, 25 February 2005
Placed in Reduced Operational Status (ROS 30 days) by MSC at San Diego, circa 2006
Removed from reduced operational status, 30 September 2006 and struck from the Naval Register
Final Disposition, disposal of in support of Fleet training exercise off Guam, 12 September 2012
Specifications: Displacement LPD 9,687 t.(lt) 17,425 t.(fl) AGF 9,559 t.(lt) 13,634 t.(fl) Length 570' Beam 100' Draft 23 ft. Speed 21 kts. Complement
LPD 420
USN AGF Crew
30 Officers
451 Enlisted
USNS AGF Crew
146 Civilian Mariners
117 US Navy
USNS ROS Crew
21 Civilian Mariners
25 Navy AGF Flag Staff Accommodations
45 Officers
90 Enlisted Troop Accommodations LPD 900 Armament LPD four 3"/50 guns eight 50 cal. machine guns AGF two 5"/38 gun mounts two Phalanx (CIWS) 20mm Close-In Weapons Systems six .50 cal. machine guns. Aircraft space for up to six CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopters Main Propulsion Power Plant two Foster Wheeler 600 psi boilers two steam turbines two propellers, 24,000shp
The USS CORONADO (LPD-11), the eighth Austin class amphibious transport dock, was commissioned on 23 MAY 1970. Built by Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle, Washington, CORONADO's construction was delayed by a year long strike. After commissioning and shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, CORONADO took up duty with the Atlantic Fleet.
After ten years of Atlantic service, CORONADO was re-designated as AGF-11, a miscellaneous command ship for duty in the Persian Gulf. Serving in the Middle East until October, 1985, her next station was Gaeta, Italy.
Moving on to Pearl Harbor in July, 1986, CORONADO spent the next five years homeported in Pearl, then changed station to San Diego, CA in August 1991. The remainder of her service life had CORONADO based in San Diego, but undergoing a number of changes. She was the first U.S. Navy combatant to have female crew members.
For a short period CORONADO was transferred to Military Sealift Command, but returned to Navy commissioned status due to Fleet requirements. CORONADO hosted number of innovative command technologies including, the GroupSystems collaborative real time joint command decision platform. USS CORONADO served her country for 36 years, 4 months and 7 days, until decommissioned on 30 SEP 2006. USS CORONADO is laid up at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, HI.
DEPLOYMENTS - MAJOR EVENTS
MAY
1965
-
Keel Date: 3 MAY 1965
at Lockheed Shipbuilding
JUL
1966
-
Launch Date: 30 JUL 1966
JAN
1970
-
JAN
1984
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
MAY
1970
-
Commissioned: 23 MAY 1970
AUG
1970
-
Shellback Initiation - 1 AUG 1970 - Pacific Ocean
AUG
1970
-
Shellback Initiation - 10 AUG 1970 - Pacific Ocean
Chain of Command USS Coronado (LPD-11) 5/23/1970 - 9/30/2006 CAPT Grant J. Walker, USN (CO) 5/23/1970 Flagship COMPHIBRON Ten 3/25/1971 CAPT S.R. Foley, Jr., USN (CO) 8/13/1971 Flagship COMPHIBRON Six 4/7/1972 CAPT Martin J. Twite, Jr., USN (CO) 5/30/1972 LT L.B. Elliott, USN (OPS)
Other Memories 8/24/1972-2/21/1973 USS Coronado (LPD-11) CR-Division-CPR-6 9/12/1972-10/27/1972 Carib 1-72 cruise 1/10-22/1973 Exercise Agile Jouster 2/5-15/1973 Exercise Agile Jouster 2/21/1973 Separated from active duty-USNR-R 3/26/1975 Honorably Discharged 1980 USS Coronado (AGF 11) was converted to a flagship and served the Sixth and Third Fleets 1997 USS Coronado (AGF 11) completed an 18-month extensive modification of her well deck to a command facility 10/2000 USS Coronado designated as the Navy's first sea-based battle lab 11/2003 USS Coronado transferred to the Military Sealift Command for a yard period 2004 USS Coronado served as the Seventh Fleet flagship 2/25/2005 USS Coronado decommissioned and transferred to MSC as USNS Coronado (T-AGF 11) 9/30/2006 Decommissioned at San Diego and transferred to the Inactive Ship Facility at Pearl Harbor for disposition (2010). A live-fire exercise, part of Valiant Shield 2012, sank the ex-USS Coronado (LPD/AGF-11) in waters 3,045 fathoms (18,270'), 102 nautical miles south of Guam at about 3:20 PM local time on September 12, 2012.
YN Pierson, Al (USview, NTWS Chief Admin ), YN2 
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