47
TRANSPORT
SITE REPORT
AUGUST 2013
ACT
$440 million launch
Berard Transportation uses 104 axle lines of
Goldhofer PST/ES-E and PST/SL-E heavy-duty
modules to launch the
USS Coronado.
for launch in the water.
“For us, it is naturally a great distinction
to be entrusted with a highly prestigious
job of such importance for our country,”
says Braedon Berard, COO. “It was
a superb experience and also a great
pleasure to cooperate with the specialists
from Austal.”
The project had to be completed in
two days, and Berard says his company’s
experience with these types of projects was
valuable.
“We can always rely on our Goldhofer
axle lines,” he says.
The Goldhofer PST/E-SE and PST/
SL-E modules employed to move the
USS Coronado
have hydrostatic drive and
electronic multi-way steering and offer
maximum flexibility.
In addition to the standard steering
modes (normal, diagonal, transversal and
carousel), the Goldhofer self-propelled
modules can be operated with special
steering programs without the need
for major modifications to the vehicle
combination. The power pack is available
in a 155 kW and a 360 kW version. This is
the drive unit for the hydrostatic drive and
houses all the controls and instruments for
the self-propelled vehicles.
“The U.S. Navy contract is an excellent
reference for our company, too, and I’m
very pleased we were once again able to
help Braedon and his fine team handle
such an impressive project,” says Stefan
Fuchs, CEO, Goldhofer Aktiengesellschaft.
The
USS Coronado
is the latest addition
to the U.S. Navy fleet. It is a littoral combat
ship, a new type of warship that the Navy
will deploy in its fight against terrorism.
The
USS Coronado
will be commissioned
later in 2013 and will be stationed in San
Diego.
■
About
USS Coronado
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a fast and agile, focused-mission platform designed for
operation in near-shore environments, yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed
to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast
surface craft.
The ship was built in Mobile, AL and was outfitted with reconfigurable payloads, called
Mission Packages, which can be changed out quickly. Mission Packages are supported by
special detachments that will deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support
of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions.
DISPLCEMENT:
2,176 tons light, 2,784 tons full, 608 tons deadweight
LENGTH:
418 feet
BEAM:
104 feet
DRAFT:
13 feet
SPEED:
40 plus knots, 47 knots sprint
RANGE:
4,300 nautical miles at 20 plus knots
COMPLEMENT:
40 crew (8 officers, 32 enlisted) plus up to 35 mission crew
ARMAMENT:
BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm gun 4 .50-cal guns
(2 aft, 2 forward Evolved SeaRAM 11 cell missile launcher Mission modules
AIRCRAFT CARRIED:
2 MH-60R/S Seahawks MQ-8 Fire Scout
B
erard Transportation is a
trusted vendor of several U.S.
government entities including
the U.S. Navy. One of the biggest projects
to come down the pike from the Navy was
the project to launch the
USS Coronado,
the latest in the Independence class of
vessels commissioned by the Navy. The
ship cost $440 million to build.
Berard deployed a total of 104 axle lines
in the form of Goldhofer PST/ES-E and
PST/SL-E heavy-duty modules with multi-
way steering. A CAN bus was used for
electronic synchronization of the hydraulic
functions of the two types of vehicle.
That made it possible for the complete
configuration to be handled by a single
operator using remote control.
Loading up the ship
The first step of the project was to load
the 2,800-ton navy ship onto Goldhofer’s
self-propelled PST/SL-E modules in the
Alabama shipyard of Austal USA and
transfer it to a floating dock so that it
could be moved to a dry-dock further
downstream. There, the Goldhofer axle
lines were used to move the 127-meter-
long and 30-meter-wide ship into the dock
Berard Transportation loaded
the 2,800-ton Navy ship onto
Goldhofer self-propelled PST/
SL-E modules in the Alabama
shipyard of Austal USA.
Photos courtesy of Berard Transportation
