The US Navy just unveiled its newest warship. The USS Zumwalt is currently the Navy’s largest destroyer and utilizes state-of-the-art technology. Interestingly enough, at the helm of the Zumwalt is Captain James Kirk.
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The USS Zumwalt is named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt and embarked on its first open ocean trials after 8 years of construction. It is the first of three similar ships commissioned for the Navy. It was originally planned that 32 ships be built but that number has since dwindled because of budget cuts, The Register reported.
The USS Zumwalt is a $4 billion warship. The first thing that would strike any onlooker is its unusual design. Some would consider it a cubist painting while others would imagine it to be an iPhone case except for warships.
Captain James A. Kirk was definitely noticed by actor William Shatner who played the iconic Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek universe. Apparently, he even sent the Navy captain a signed photo wishing him and the whole Zumwalt crew god speed.
The USS Zumwalt is meant to perform a variety of roles. It can operate in the deep sea as well as near land. It also has a small crew of 158 because of the many automated functions that this modern ship employs. The Zumwalt and her sister ships are meant to replace the Cold War-era destroyers that the Navy still maintains.
However, ballooning costs of the Zumwalt project has discouraged Congress from exploring the ship further. They are, instead, going with the more proven Arleigh Burke class destroyers instead of the futuristic but expensive Zumwalt destroyers.
The Zumwalt destroyers will most probably be used as experimental test beds and will not see full battle action. In fact, the main focus of the Zumwalt’s maiden sea trials is to see its stability. Its sides are apparently good for radar stealth, among other things. It does not, however, stay upright without computer assistance.
