RIMPAC 2016: Another frigate sunk. USS Coronado fires first Harpoon

Navy ships participating in RIMPAC 2016 sunk another ex-warship off Hawaii on July 19.

Live fire from ships and aircraft sank the decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate USS Crommelin (FFG 37) 55 nautical miles north of Kauai, Hawaii.

Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Calgary (FF 335), Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Te Kaha (F77), littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4), and various aircraft from the U.S. and Australia took aim at the surface target.

This exercise also marked the first time that the U.S. Independence-variant littoral combat ship successfully fired a harpoon missile, a weapon typically used by larger classes of ships.

“This SINKEX was the culmination of weeks of training within the RIMPAC scenario,” said Royal Australian Navy Commodore Malcolm Wise. “We know that this opportunity rarely occurs in a Sailor’s career and I’m excited that we were able to provide this unforgettable experience during the world’s largest international maritime exercise.”

Decommissioned USS Crommelin was the 28th ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates, named for three brothers: Vice Adm. Henry Crommelin, who became a surface warfare officer, and Cmdr. Charles and Lt. Cmdr. Richard Crommelin, both of whom died in combat as naval aviators.