Posted on 10/17/2016 8:54:25 AM PDT by RitchieAprile
BALTIMORE (NNS) -- The Navy's newest and most technologically advanced warship, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) was commissioned into active service Saturday, Oct. 15, at North Locust Point in Baltimore.
Zumwalt, the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers, features a state-of-the-art electric propulsion system, wave-piercing tumblehome hull, stealth design, and the latest warfighting technology and weaponry available.
Secretary of the Navy, the Hon. Ray Mabus, delivered the ceremony's principal address.
The ship's co-sponsors, Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, are daughters of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., after whom the ship is named. The sisters were an integral part of the ceremony, giving the order to "man our ship and bring her to life," in keeping with naval tradition.
The Zumwalt-class destroyer will be capable of performing a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing the Navy to evolve with new systems and missions. It does all of this while maintaining its stealth - making this visually imposing ship difficult to find whether close to the shore or far out to sea.
In addition to its size, the Zumwalt class will be the first Navy warships to utilize an integrated power system that will produce enough power to run current systems, as well as the power required for future weapons, computing, and sensor systems. Zumwalt generates approximately 78 megawatts of power, almost as much as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This means the ship can operate all of its systems and still generate enough electricity to power a small town, which provides the extra capacity to accommodate future weapons and computing systems.
(Excerpt) Read more at navy.mil ...
Why Baltimore?
Run up the rainbow flag!
How outdated is it technologically already? Saw somewhere that they are only working on 2 more of them.
If they were building 50 of them it would be big news..as it is they are token toys for and imaginary navy run by political hacks with more female and queer Admirals than ships.
Captain Kirk ... the irony is delicious:
“Today’s ceremony marked the culmination of over three years of dedication and hard work by some of the finest Sailors I have had the pleasure to lead,” said Capt. James A. Kirk, commanding officer of Zumwalt.
Baltimore Fleet Week... with the Blue Angles too.
I have wondered why, with that displacement size of theirs, they were characterized as "destroyers" and not "cruisers" and was told by various sources it was for political reasons.
I have long been a fan of American naval engineering, and with vessels as good looking as the Arleigh Burkes, the Belknap and California classes, all the way back to the beautiful and well designed Iowa battleships and nearly all the cruiser classes built in WWII, and the Zumwalts and San Antonio classes of ships are just...unattractive to my eye. That said, even a Zumwalt class ship looks better and more war-like in a little dazzle camo which I photoshopped in...
And look at the size of that thing.
Not technology, cost. You could buy 9 Burke-class destroyers for what these three are costing you.
Still, I think you are right that these are mainly test-beds for new technology.
I saw the Saudis were considering buying the LCS with upgraded missile tubes and something like Aegis air defense.
A bunch of smaller boats with that kind of firepower would provide considerable force projection and air defense for the rest of the fleet.
Sigh.
I want to root for our Naval ships and crews to be well designed and fearsome to our foes in war, but like all the military services, they are being corroded from within by liberalism. I find it hard (even with my naval heritage) to feel any confidence or affection for my former service as it stands at this time.
And I know there are those who formerly served in the Army, Air Force and USMC who feel the same.
All I can hope for now is to find out, if the bullets start flying, that I was wrong about all of this, but I don’t think I am, and the shortcomings of our military are going to be blamed on everything ranging from funding to leadership, and not a single word will ever be spoken about women and open homosexuals on ships and in combat that we will see. The people responsible for this travesty would rather see the country come down in flaming ruins than to place even a smidgen of blame on their own liberal policies, though the people responsible for setting it in motion will likely be long gone at that time.
Sad.
Sigh.
I want to root for our Naval ships and crews to be well designed and fearsome to our foes in war, but like all the military services, they are being corroded from within by liberalism. I find it hard (even with my naval heritage) to feel any confidence or affection for my former service as it stands at this time.
And I know there are those who formerly served in the Army, Air Force and USMC who feel the same.
All I can hope for now is to find out, if the bullets start flying, that I was wrong about all of this, but I don’t think I am, and the shortcomings of our military are going to be blamed on everything ranging from funding to leadership, and not a single word will ever be spoken about women and open homosexuals on ships and in combat that we will see. The people responsible for this travesty would rather see the country come down in flaming ruins than to place even a smidgen of blame on their own liberal policies, though the people responsible for setting it in motion will likely be long gone at that time.
Sad.
Now, those LCS vessels (Freedom class) are NICE looking vessels, though I haven’t been following them closely enough to know if they are any good or not.
Can’t see the ship. Where is it? LOL!
Ugh. Had to read up on them...design flaws, complex designs, inadequate training resulting in multiple instances of engine casualties.
If they spent even a single half hour on any kind of gender/sexuality training BS, the fault doesn’t like with an individual commander who they seem to like to use as scapegoats for their design/training inadequacies and lack of mission focus because they make all this other crap their focus.
Heh, that did make me laugh, your pointing out the irony of putting camo on it...:)
I wouldn’t discount the ‘stealth’ aspect so quickly, though.
I have read a bit about it in aviation (”Skunk Works” by Ben Rich, who discussed the design of the F-117...he was in charge of the program at Lockheed) and interestingly, the size of the object makes very little difference if the principles are applied, which dumbfounded me. IIRC, they could spot a BB at an insane range with the radars available (I forget what it was, something like ten or fifteen miles) and the guy who was doing the calibration for the scale models they were testing basically showed up with a small case he pulled out of his briefcase that had small spheres of various sizes they would affix to the design models they were working on, so they could have a reference point when doing measurements. They eventually realized the wooden pole they were mounting the models on was inadequate, and had to design special mounting poles that they couldn’t pick up. Very interesting stuff.
Bottom line, from a naval perspective, if there is a radar-guided missle incoming, and you can reduce the RCS 50x less than what it otherwise would be (which is a number I have heard for the Zumwalt class) that makes it far harder for a missile to track, and easier to deploy countermeasures to that radar guided missile that will be effective.
But in an age of satellite technology, one has to wonder how useful it is.
How many female sailors are going to wear a dress or skirt on board?
...for that matter, how many male sailors?...
Wouldn't that thermal signature pretty much negate the Stealth aspects if the Zumwalts are fully engaged in battle or battle ready status. Hella thermal bloom... no?
Make the enemy think they’re back at Jutland, all part of the head fake.
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