Posted on 09/07/2016 8:18:01 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Edited on 09/07/2016 9:32:11 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
The largest and most expensive destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy once headed to sea in a snowstorm during builder trials. Now, it's heading into the remnants of a tropical storm as it leaves Maine for good.
The skipper is watching the weather as the stealthy Zumwalt destroyer prepares to depart from Bath Iron Works on Wednesday en route to its commissioning in Baltimore, and then to its homeport in San Diego.
Captain James Kirk! Love it.
Captain James Kirk?
Is it on it’s 5 year mission ?
They call it a destroyer bit it is actually significantly bigger than a Ticonderoga class cruiser.
I wonder how at 15 tonnes the ship was designated as a destroyer. The Zumwalt is 50% heavier than the Ticonderoga class cruiser.
Is the chief engineer Scotty?
Captain James Kirk? Shut the front door.
“Battleship” is a hard sell, politically. No one builds battleships anymore!
The Zumwalt is, in fact, basically a pocket battleship. It is multi-role, but land attack is a major focus. Imagine the USS New Jersey standing offshore from Lebanon in 1983 pounding the hills around Beirut. That’s pretty much what the Zumwalt would do.
And, of course, the railgun (which I don’t think is installed yet) would add to the capability.
Destroyers are not normally for “power projection” but I think the Zumwalt is.
Yeah, because the bad guys call a timeout for snow, and/or rain.
Neat Technology. A 10,000 ton destroyer is pretty big, though.
On radar it looks like a simple fishing boat. Nothing remarkable.
Interesting that reverse angle on the bow. Seems like it would have much less resistance, as it would cut waves in two, whereas with the conventional bow, the waves smash into the hull and deck.
Kirk, cavorting in the new, "Askable/Tellable" Navy:
Personally, I preferred the old one:
The Jolly Green Giant’s favorite centerfold.
Yes.
“Destroyer” is a general utility term these days meaning something like:
“Heavily armed non-aviation surface combatant of variable tonnage.”
The Ticonderoga class cruisers were built on the hull of Adams class destroyers and Ticonderoga was supposed to be the DDG-77 (vice CG-47). I have a booklet from pre-christening that calls it that, in fact. However congress thought it cost to much for a mere destroyer so the Navy said “Destroyer? Who said destroyer? It’s a ... a ... cruiser! yeah, that’s the ticket” and congress paid up.
Looks so tall and narrow... like a good-sized wave will knock it over.
“On radar it looks like a simple fishing boat. Nothing remarkable.”
What will it look like to 7 small Iranian speed boats zipping past it at 100 yards?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.