The U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers, a much-maligned concept that was once considered a total fiasco-is being given a new lease on life.
Once promised as the ultimate vessels for land-attack missions, these destroyers came under an avalanche of technical issues and huge costs that led to their program’s cancellation.
Recently, funds injected by the Department of Defense would revitalize the modernization of these destroyers, which may unlock their revival as Navy forces.
The Zumwalt-class destroyers, with their peculiar tumblehome profile and sophisticated gun systems, were intended to be some of the most powerful naval warfare assets in history.
The ships were loaded up with 155mm Advanced Gun Systems designed to fire Long Range Land Attack Projectiles at ranges of up to 83 miles.
Unfortunately for the program, though, the ships flunked on several counts-including problematic weaponry and stealth capabilities that never came even close to meeting the Navy’s hopes and dreams.
Meanwhile, guided shells for the guns cost about $800 apiece, or roughly the same as a cruise missile.
The renewed interest by the Department of Defense should be enough to give the Zumwalts a second chance.
The fitting of hypersonic missiles can alter the course and make these troubled vessels turn into beacons again.
One of the Iowa-class battleships that saw major conflicts from World War II through the Cold War will undergo scheduled maintenance and repairs at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
The Homeport Alliance, the nonprofit organization under whose care the battleship falls, stressed the importance of scheduled maintenance, pointing out the fact that the ship is 12 years past its scheduled upkeep.
That’s the USS New Jersey, a museum and memorial, which has been moored at the Camden waterfront since 2001.
It will be towed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for its first dry-docking in 32 years.
Indeed, this historic vessel continues to attract nearly 80,000 visitors annually, underlining its staying power and the importance of its legacy.
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