The Navy’s next generation stealth destroyer headed out for its very first tests at sea on Monday, according to media reports.
The destroyer Zumwalt, built by Bath Iron Works, is the first of the Navy’s newest class of DDG 1000 destroyers. The ship sailed through the Kennebec River to the open ocean, where it will undergo sea trials.
Construction began on the futuristic-looking ship in 2009. The shape of the ship’s tumblehome hull as well as the arrangement of its antennas make the ship less visible on radar, the Navy said.
Z-gram 1000: Zumwalt sails for first time #DDG1000 #PlatformsMatter pic.twitter.com/lDB8FOwT6Q
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) December 7, 2015
“We are absolutely fired up to see Zumwalt get underway,” said Capt. James Kirk, the ship’s commanding officer, according to the Associated Press. “For the crew and all those involved in designing, building and readying this fantastic ship, this is a huge milestone.”
The ship also includes several technological advancements, including an all-electric integrated power system and a gun system designed to fire rocket-powered projectiles 63-nautical miles, according to a Navy release.
Bath Iron Works is expected to deliver the ship to the Navy sometime next year, the report said.
The Zumwalt, which will cost about $4.4 billion, is the first of three planned destroyers in the class, reduced from a planned buy of 32 because of operational concerns and expanding costs.
