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[commedieu]

The largest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy headed out to sea for the first time Monday, departing from shipbuilder Bath Iron Works and carefully navigating the winding Kennebec River before reaching the open ocean where the ship will undergo sea trials.

More than 200 shipbuilders, sailors and residents gathered to watch as the futuristic 600-foot, 15,000-ton USS Zumwalt glided past Fort Popham, accompanied by tugboats.

The Zumwalt-class also generates enough power to incorporate any future railgun or laser weapons the Navy develops, although the construction of the ship has been hit by increasing costs over the years.

The ship has electric propulsion, new radar and sonar, powerful missiles and guns, and a stealthy design to reduce its radar signature. Advanced automation will allow the warship to operate with a much smaller crew size than current destroyers.

All of that innovation has led to construction delays and a growing price tag. The Zumwalt, the first of three ships in the class, will cost at least $4.4 billion.

Automation reduces crew size on these ships: the Zumwalt-class destroyer's minimum complement is 130, less than half of needed by "similar warships"

Thirty-two ships were originally planned for, with this figure dropping to 24, then seven, and then three — each costing just under $4 billion (excluding research and development costs).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumwalt-class_destroyer
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-navys-largest-destroyer-ever-heads-out-sea-first-n475901
http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9870398/uss-zumwalt-ocean-trials

Important:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=188448755&postcount=6

 

[internetwolf]

let's hope it doesn't encounter any icebergs

 

[SolarPowered]

That thing looks like it could take a hell of a beating. I wonder when size comparisons will pop up.

let's hope it doesn't encounter any icebergs

This is why we got automation now.

 

[sarcastor]

Originally the navy had hoped to build 32 destroyers. That number was reduced to 24, then to 7, due to the high cost of new and experimental technologies

So they spent 20 billion dollars on research and only plan on building 3?

 

[The Lamonster]

Wasn't expecting dat sexy exterior.

 

[sflufan]

I wish Captain James Kirk the best of luck for the sea trials of his new command.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Is that thing spaceworthy too?

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

Obama cutting the polygon budget huh?

 

[commedieu]

So they spent 20 billion dollars on research and only plan on building 3?

R&D as far as I know, is separate than that price. Its not included.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9870398/uss-zumwalt-ocean-trials

Thirty-two ships were originally planned for, with this figure dropping to 24, then seven, and then three — each costing just under $4 billion (excluding research and development costs).

So.. lord knows, and I'm sure part of that budget is Black so we wont really know how much Americans paid out.

 

[Dishwalla]

Need to get it to tip top shape so it can go over to the Middle East and kick some ass!

 

[Sealed]

looks like it's made of legos or some shit

 

[Jezbollah]

Wow. Our fleet of 6 Type 45s came to £6bn (including R&D) in comparison.....

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Looks like a paper hat

 

[Any Questions]

Looks radical. I like it

 

[Extollere]

I thought this thing was supposed to have a laser.

 

[Bagels]

"Bath-built is best-built."

 

[Poetic.Injustice]

$20 billion on R & D and 0$ on aesthetics.

 

[GhostWriter24]

looks like it's made of legos or some shit

Very expensive legos. About $4mil per brick.

 

[Kite]

Random facts: The USN's latest destroyer, the USS Zumwalt, is only 24 feet shorter in length than the WWII battleship USS Colorado. We're building jumbo-sized destroyers now.

Also..

"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," the ship's skipper, Navy Capt. James Kirk, said before the ship departed.

http://bigstory.ap.org/a8de5f47afa84886b229a14e28660fb1

 

[Geist-]

Yay, I live in the future now!

 

[Guevara]

Nice to see Brutalist architecture is back in vogue.

 

[Ryaaan14]

Poly count is way too low

 

[injurai]

It's like a sand crawler, but for the ocean.

 

[Dega]

Looks like something from Star Wars but the guys name is James Kirk..



Star Wars x Star Trek future?

 

[reckless]

So billions of dollars wasted for destroyers to fight who?

But we gotta cut entitlements/welfare because we can't afford it.

 

[OnPoint]

On our way...

 

[RSTEIN]

Fire up the rail gun!

 

[mr2xxx]

With those graphics it better stay at a consistent 60 FPS.

 

[Einchy]

That looks crazy.

We Star Wars now.

 

[Sephzilla]

With those graphics it better stay at a consistent 60 FPS.

pffft

 

[Dega]

So billions of dollars wasted for destroyers to fight who?

But we gotta cut entitlements/welfare because we can't afford it.

Dunno


Let's spend billions more on a time machine so we can find out.

 

[NH Apache]

I did an internship at Bath in 2001. They had many of the proposal drawings done and it was blowing everyone's minds at the time.

Rumors are that she'll do 40+ knots and with the bowform, the DDG will cut through bad weather.

Really interested in seeing how the sea trials go.

Some basic specs:

14564 Long tons displacement at DWL

600 ft length on waterline
80.7 ft beam
27.6 ft draft

105,000 shaft horspower

142 complement


Armament:

Oh, and the kicker: Commanding officer is Captain James Kirk.

"Bath-built is best-built."

Hah, I think this started when they split the old DDG contact with Avondale?

 

[Ithil]

Why does it look like an N64 model?

 

[hom3land]

I thought this thing was supposed to have a laser.

Of course it does. They're on the sharks that are in the salt water pools below deck.

 

[univariate]

So billions of dollars wasted for destroyers to fight who?

But we gotta cut entitlements/welfare because we can't afford it.

The terrorists, you commie.

 

[DirtyManos]

These are the shops that will be equipped with rail guns in the future.

Pretty crazy stuff, but it's interesting to see the design go back to shape of the old ironclads, where it goes outwards-inward instead of inward-outward like modern ships.

 

[massoluk]

Holy shit, we're living in scifi now.

 

[jerry1594]

Nice, I love war and subsidizing war.

 

[Real Hero]

why isn't it fully rendered

 

[moojito]

Has there been any naval battles since ww2? The falklands maybe, at a push but otherwise I'm surprised they still spend the big bucks on these.

 

[sflufan]

Fire up the rail gun!

That's planned for 2016.

 

[Sealed]

Holy shit, we're living in scifi now.

if that design is sci fi i want my money back

 

[keffri]

First pic: Oh that isn't that big...

Second pic: That's a destroyer alright.

 

[Majine]

Looks like an old movie prop, lol.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

What a good use of money.

 

[Mimosa97]

No deck ?

It looks more like a submarine than a regular destroyer.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

So they spent 20 billion dollars on research and only plan on building 3?

i guess in the initial build , no point in over committing if they end up being really expensive when theres another program staggered behind it that might be cheaper and can be improved upon by assessing these ships.

 

[davepoobond]

that thing is so cool

 

[Sheytan]

Yay, I live in the future now!

Sweden have a stealth corvette class that was put in commission in 2009

I believe it was the first stealth ship

 

[Enzom21]

Why do we need this?