The USS Zumwalt, the most advanced USA surface warship ever built and which includes a sleek stealth design, departs the Bath Iron Works in ME to start a three-month-long journey to its homeport of San Diego.
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The stealthy destroyer arrived at Naval Station Newport Thursday afternoon.
The U.S. Navy’s futuristic Zumwalt destroyer has arrived in Rhode Island for its first port visit since leaving the shipyard to join the fleet. Each ship in the class features a battery of two Advanced Gun Systems, capable of firing Long-Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) that reach up to 63 nautical miles, providing three-fold range improvement in naval surface fires coverage.
The 610-foot-long warship with an angular shape cost more than $4.4 billion.
The Zumwalt is due to be commissioned in October, and will undergo more testing before becoming fully operational in 2018.
In addition to its advanced weapon and propulsion systems, Zumwalt is much larger than today’s destroyers. Kirk said that the ship’s commissioning will bring the admiral’s legacy as a reformer back into the fleet.
It’s notable for its composite superstructure and wave-piercing tumblehome hull created to make it 50-times stealthier than current ships to help it in its task as a multi-mission land attack and littoral dominance warship.
“Stealthy, powerful and lethal, Zumwalt integration into the fleet will provide a vital link from the Navy’s current needs to its future capabilities”, the U.S. Navy said in a statement Monday. “They have demonstrated superb technical expertise, teamwork and toughness over the last three months”, says Capt. James A. Kirk, Zumwalt’s commanding officer.
According to the US Naval Institute, the USS Zumwalt is created to operate close to shore, shares several features with stealth aircraft – like avoiding curves in the design – to keep its radar cross section low. A veteran of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, Adm. Zumwalt served 32 years of dedicated naval service, earning a Bronze Star with Valor for his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
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U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, visited the Zumwalt on Friday, and he and Rowden said technologies aboard will likely be added to other classes of Navy ships moving forward.
