[PAR35]

Of course, you still need people to plug the holes and repair combat damage on this "next generation" of ships, don't you? Who feeds those sailors? Who sees to their medical needs? Who makes sure the machinery is maintained? Who manually operates the ship when the systems fail? You still need people standing on the deck.

DD(X) about 14,000 tons displacement Crew about 150
USS Ticonderoga (1983) CG47) about 10,000 tons, crew about 387
USS Albany (1944) (CA123) about 14,000 tons, crew about 1900
USS Georgia (1906) (BB15) about 14,000 tons, Crew about 812

[Wombat101]

I served on three carriers in my 11 years (Midway, Enterprise and Eisenhower), so I cannot vouch for the ships complements on cruisers or cans.

However, I can tell you that while automation DOES reduce the number of people needed to operate the ship, the Navy would NEVER send a ship to sea with "just enough" people in a wartime setting. Only extreme circumstances would even force anyone to even think about doing it.