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The largest naval exercise in the world is continuing in Hawaii. Rimpac 2016 consists of 45 ships, five of which are from China. But the vast majority are from the U.S. And this gives the host nation a chance to show off their power.
Two symbols of U.S. Naval power—the aircraft carrier John C Stennis and the much smaller nimbler Coronado both projecting U.S. power in the Pacific.
The Stennis, 335 meters long, is the ultimate symbol of power capable of carrying 70 aircraft and more than 6,000 sailors.
Just a few weeks ago this carrier and another conducted a show of force in the South China Sea—near the Phillipines, which was criticized by China—back in April the U.S. secretary of defense was aboard as it sailed near islands and features claimed by China, however the crew says the mission was routine.
The ship goes where it goes, I guess the one difference in the South China Sea is so busy just with commercial traffic other traffic there always thing to look at the horizon.
But there is nothing routine about the USS Coronado, with a crew of just 200 it is built of aluminum—very light and very fast—adaptable to any mission. It can also dock itself in very shallow waters—in the South China Sea, for example.
My four-year-old says it looks like a space ship.
It has actually been compared to a Ferrari, and the commander sees that comparison.
Speed is a weapon on a ship like this and we use it to our advantage to the maximum extent possible.
The Coronado also got a shape and the capability to avoid detection, unlike an aircraft carrier it is likely you would not even see the Coronado coming.
