Zumwalt: The Navy's massive, high-tech destroyer is here (pictures)

CNet ^ | September 7, 2014 | US NAVY

[lbryce]

Zumwalt: The Navy's massive, high-tech destroyer is here (pictures) The cutting-edge warship finally enters the water, chockablock with an all-electric integrated power system, an advanced gun system, radar-reflecting angles, and a striking inward-sloping tumblehome hull.

Next-gen Zumwalt-class destroyer General Dynamics Bath Iron Works launched the first of the Navy’s next-generation Zumwalt-class destroyers on Monday at its Bath, Maine, shipyard.

The 610-foot-long ship is chockablock with new technologies including radar reflecting angles, a striking inward-sloping tumblehome hull, an all-electric integrated power system, and an advanced gun system.

[ClearCase_guy]

Exactly. Originally, they wanted to build 32 of these. That's pretty good for world-wide deployment of a new kind of ship. But, as costs escalated, they cut back (to 3 I think) and now it's more of an experimental platform. They will learn a lot, and future ship designs will benefit.

(I love the ship, but I wish DoD could handle acquisitions better -- everything ends up costing far more than it should and so we always seem to end up with very small numbers of really cool weapon systems.)

[llevrok]

Will the crew have to wear generic,unisex uniforms ala zumwalt’s old z-grams?

[freedumb2003]

>>A rubber boat with rag heads on the outboard and a half ton of high explosives while it gives a good will visit to some god awful country and kablueeee<<

I suspect there are built-in safeguards against Cole-type attacks. Deadly, I assume.

[tet68]

One of the problems with tumblehome is that the
farther it lists the less water it displaces so
it doesn’t naturally right itself.
I can see the bow as almost a clipper wave piercing
design though. Not sure I’d want to ride it out
in any heavy weather.
Smaller crews mean less hands in fire control parties
but I suppose it’s all automated...?

[sparklite2]

Ain’t that the truth? It hurt this old RM’s feelings when Radioman disappeared as a rating. Then the BDUs made sailors look like soldiers. And now, a destroyer that could pass for an iceberg. I have outlived my era.

[offduty]

No ugly is a 26’ Clipper double-cabin sailboat...especially with yellow sheer stripe.

[GeronL]

Mandatory pillow fights...

[Flick Lives]

Looks reminiscnt of a Civil War ironclad.

[piasa]

If we really wanted to be sneaky we should design our warships to look like whale hunting protest boats and let the crew wear whatever they like so long as it is tie-dyed.

[piasa]

It would be really embarrassing to see the thing taken out by a school of drones shaped like yellowfin tuna.

[WellyP]

BIW, Pride of Maine!

[USNBandit]

and like in Star Trek,

....it is commanded by Captain James Kirk

[Gideon7]

That's nothing. What you need is a navy vessel with a super-graviton particle beam canon:

 

Now that's firepower, baby!

(Arpeggio of Blue Steel)

[freedumb2003]

Now that's firepower, baby!

I'll take particle canons, the Main Gun and the ability to transform anyday!

The Super Dimension Fortress One (SDF-1) Macross in Cruiser mode.
Description
Original Designer	Kazutaka Miyatake
Preproduction name	Megaroad / Megaload[1]
Length	1210 m[1]
Operational Mass	18,000,000 t[1]
Main Machinery	Overtechnology Macross heat pile system cluster, Overtechnology Macross gravity control system, Overtechnology Macross fold system cluster (lost during maiden voyage)[1]
Main Thruster	Overtechnology Macross nozzle cluster[1]
Vertical Thruster	Overtechnology main nozzle cluster[1]
Vernier Thruster	Overtechnology vernier thrusters[1]
Complement	20000; 76000 civilians (reduced to 56000 and then 40000 by attrition)[1]
Armament
Main Cannons	Overtechnology Macross bow-firing super-dimension-energy cannon with beam polarizing converging system.[1]
Auxiliary Cannons	8 Overtechnology guided converging beam cannon systems, 4 high speed 178-cm-diameter electromagnetic rail cannons.[1]
Missiles	Main: large automatic anti-ship missile launchers. Auxiliary: various missile emplacements.[1]
Mecha
Variable Vehicles and Other Mecha	212 VF-1 Valkyrie (2009 February 7, 120 VF-1A, 12 VF-1D, 50 VF-1J, 30 VF-1S). 300+ VF-1 Super Valkyrie (2010 February 11). Destroids: 587 Destroids initially stationed on docked SLV-111 Daedalus, including 2 HWR-00-Mk. II Monster, 85 MBR-07-Mk. II Spartan, and approximately 500 MBR-04-Mk. VI Tomahawk (reduced to 440 subsequently). A third HWR-00-Mk. II Monster, 40 ADR-04-Mk. X Defender and over 20 MBR-04-Mk. XII Phalanx built in onboard factory.[1]

[Pelham]

What you are thinking of is the CSS Virginia. It was built from the hull of the USS Merrimack

[chrisinoc]

Just viewed the USS Cairo in the Vicksburg National Military Park today. The Cairo looks like a larger version. It was sunk by a Confederate torpedo (mine) in 1862.

[martin_fierro]

I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY DAT

[terycarl]

all that armament information is irrelevant....what’s the gas mileage and will it contribute to global warming??

[CyberAnt]

A former employer was a personal friend of Zumwalt. I’m so sorry he didn’t live to see this ship dedicated to his friend.

[Vermont Lt]

I think the point of the shape is that the Chinese, and their missiles, will not see it. It looks pretty stealthy to me.