Tag Archives: Zumwalt-class destroyer

Second Zumwalt Destroyer Arrives in San Diego; Third Launches in Maine

Second Zumwalt Destroyer Arrives in San Diego; Third Launches in Maine

The guided-missile destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) transits the San Diego Bay. The future USS Michael Monsoor is the second ship in the Zumwalt-class of guided-missile destroyers and will undergo a combat availability and test period. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned into the Navy Jan. 26, 2019, in Coronado, Calif. US Navy photo.

The Navy’s second Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer arrived in San Diego ahead of its planned commissioning ceremony next month, and the third and final ship of the class was launched over the weekend. Read More

Navy Making Room for Railguns in Next Warship, But No Extra Investments

Navy Making Room for Railguns in Next Warship, But No Extra Investments

High-speed camera image of the Office of Naval Research Electromagnetic Railgun located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, firing a world-record setting 33 mega-joule shot in 2010. ONR Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy’s next large surface combatant will have all the space, weight and power margins the sea service could need now and into the future to accommodate new weapons in development – but the director of surface warfare said the Navy would not accelerate weapons development to get them ready in time to outfit the new ships. Read More

Navy's Next Large Surface Combatant Will Draw From DDG-51, DDG-1000 -- But Don't Call it a Destroyer Yet

Navy’s Next Large Surface Combatant Will Draw From DDG-51, DDG-1000 — But Don’t Call it a Destroyer Yet

Artist’s concept of a DDG-51 Flight III with AMDR. Raytheon Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy will buy the first of its Future Surface Combatants in 2023 – a large warship that will be built to support the Arleigh Burke Flight III combat system and will pull elements from the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) and Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) destroyer designs. Read More

Navy Battle Force Tally Dips By 2, After New Ship-Counting Rules Postpone Zumwalt Destroyers

Navy Battle Force Tally Dips By 2, After New Ship-Counting Rules Postpone Zumwalt Destroyers

The U.S. Navy’s newest warship, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) passes Coronado bridge on its way to Naval Base San Diego. Zumwalt is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers, now homeported in San Diego. US Navy photo.

This post has been updated to include an Aug. 22 statement by the Navy.

When the president signed the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act last week, most of the contents of the 788 pages of legislation would take some time to go into effect.

But one thing happened right away: the Navy’s count of deployable battle force ships dropped by two. Read More

Future Ships Classes Will Need Hands-On Trainers Like LCS, DDG-1000 Systems

Future Ships Classes Will Need Hands-On Trainers Like LCS, DDG-1000 Systems

Lt. Caroline Stanton, an instructor at the Littoral Combat Ship Training Facility aboard Naval Station Mayport, teaches Sailors how to simulate navigating an LCS as part of a tour for the annual Reserve Leadership Symposium hosted by Littoral Combat Ship Squadron (LCSRON) 2 on Jan. 26, 2018. US Navy photo.

Future classes of surface ships ought to come with advanced training systems that allow maintenance sailors to practice hands-on troubleshooting, much like the trainers for the Littoral Combat Ship and the DDG-1000, the Program Executive Officer for Ships said last week. Read More

Second Zumwalt Destroyer Needs New Engine After Turbine Blades Damaged in Sea Trials

Second Zumwalt Destroyer Needs New Engine After Turbine Blades Damaged in Sea Trials

Destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) underway during trials. BIW Photo

This post has been updated to include a statement from Rolls-Royce, and again to include a statement from Naval Sea Systems Command.

Zumwalt-class destroyer Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) will need to have a main turbine engine replaced before the ship can sail to San Diego for its combat system activation, after suffering damage to the turbine blades during acceptance trials, the Program Executive Officer for Ships told USNI News. Read More

Price Hikes, Production Delays Mark Navy Shipbuilding for Past Decade

Price Hikes, Production Delays Mark Navy Shipbuilding for Past Decade

A crane moves the lower stern into place on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) at Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. on June 22, 2017. US Navy Photo

Navy shipbuilding has been plagued for the last decade by programs running over-budget and underperforming once completed, according to a new government report, resulting in a smaller fleet than previously planned.

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Top Stories 2017: U.S. Navy Acquisition and Maintenance

Top Stories 2017: U.S. Navy Acquisition and Maintenance

USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2017.

The following is part of a series. Please also see Top Stories: International AcquisitionNavy OperationsMarine Corps OperationsMarine Corps and Coast Guard AcquisitionInternational Operations and New Administration

2017 began with the promise of planning for a larger fleet: at the end of 2016, the Navy announced a 355-ship requirement, and the incoming Trump Administration expressed its support for a larger military and a heftier Navy. Few concrete steps were taken this year, though, to begin a buildup – though many programs that will be pivotal to the 355-ship fleet of the future reached significant programmatic milestones in 2017. 

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