10 facts about the Navy’s new ‘stealth’ destroyer
The USS Zumwalt, built at Bath Iron Works in Maine, headed out to sea for the first time on Monday.
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The largest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy made its first trip to sea on Monday, sailing past hundreds of Maine residents gathered along the Kennebec River to see the historic ship.
Here are 10 things to know about the futuristic-looking warship:
1.) The ship, known as DDG 1000, is the first of three planned ships in its class, produced as part of a $22.1 billion program. The cost of the Zumwalt alone is estimated to be $4.4 billion.
2.) The three “Zumwalt Class Destroyers’’ are named after former chief of naval operations, Elmo R. “Bud’’ Zumwalt Jr. The other ships — Michael Monsoor DDG-1001 and the Lyndon B. Johnson DDG-1003 are also being constructed at Maine’s Bath Iron Works.
3.) At 600 feet long and 15,000 tons, the USS Zumwalt is the largest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy.
4.) Construction on DDG 1000 began in February 2009, and it was launched on October 29, 2013. Adjustments will be made after the ship’s current tests in the open water, and it will be “home-ported’’ in San Diego after it is officially commissioned. It is expected the ship will be delivered to the Navy in 2016.
5.) The ship can reach up to 30 knots— or roughly the equivalent of 35 mph on land.
6.) The Zumwalt has a radar cross-section that is one-50th the size of a current destroyer, the size of a fishing vessel.
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7.) The Navy said the ship is part of the “next-generation multi-mission surface combatants tailored for land attack and littoral dominance with capabilities that defeat current and projected threats.’’
8.) In addition to the smooth surfaces and angles of the ship, the destroyer brings back a “wave-piercing tumblehome’’ hull design, allowing it to slice through the waves with less wake. Antennas, dishes, and other tools are tucked away.
9.) The ship has enough power from its single gas-turbine to light 780,000 100-watt light bulbs.
10.) The ship is captained by James Kirk, who said before the ship departed on Monday, “We are absolutely fired up to see Zumwalt get underway. For the crew and all those involved in designing, building, and readying this fantastic ship, this is a huge milestone.’’
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