Chief Petty Officer Patrick Henri, who is also an Ansonia Alderman, toured the Navy’s newest warship as it made a liberty call in Newport, Rhode Island, this weekend while on its maiden voyage.
During what was expected to be a typical monthly Navy Reserve drill weekend, news of the USS Zumwalt’s arrival gave Chief Henri an opportunity to see the Navy’s most advanced ship up close and personal.
The USS Zumwalt is the first of three guided missile destroyers featuring stealth technology, automated operations, a uniquely shaped tumblehome hull, advanced weapon systems and an electric propulsion system. Though larger than current destroyers at 610 feet, the ship is manned by far less personnel, 147, while having the equivalent fire-power of the commonly recognized WWII era battleship. The Zumwalt can accurately target up to 20 simultaneous objectives up to 50 miles away.
The ship’s exterior architecture makes its radar signature that of a small fishing vessel. Zumwalt’s electrical plant has a capacity equivalent to powering 10,000 homes. The ship’s aft flight deck and hanger bay can accommodate two Sikorsky H‑60 helicopters or one Boeing Osprey or three unmanned automated vehicles (UAV). The ship boasts an additional mission operation center and berthing spaces for aviation crews and special operation forces. It has a boat bay that hosts two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) for various security, utility and special operation missions.
The Zumwalt’s next stop to what will be its homeport in San Diego, California, is Norfolk, Virginia, and then it will backtrack to Baltimore, Maryland, for its official commissioning in October. The Navy accepted delivery of the Zumwalt in May and is scheduled to join the fleet, fully operational, in 2018.
Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Surface Warfare Officer School, among other Navy schools, whose students were able to get a first-hand glimpse of what their futures and the future of the US Navy has in store for them. Active duty and Reserve sailors stationed in Newport toured the ship and mingled with the Zumwalt’s crew, all of whom were proud to be part of Navy history. “The significance of the advancement in technology onboard this ship is akin to when the Navy switched from sails to steam and from wooden hulls to steel. This is a definitive 21st century warfighting ship” said Chief Henri.
For more information on the USS Zumwalt, DDG 1000, go to http://usszumwalt.org/.
For more information about careers in the US Navy, go to https://www.navy.mil/.
