The future USS Michael Monsoor passes Fort
Popham travels down the Kennebec River as it heads out to sea for trials,
Monday, Dec. 4, 2017, in Phippsburg, Maine. The ship is the second in the
stealthy Zumwalt class of destroyers. (Robert F. BukatyAP)
BATH, Maine — The second in the U.S. Navy stealthy
Zumwalt class of destroyers headed out to sea for the first time on Monday,
departing from Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works for builder trials.
The future USS Michael Monsoor carefully navigated the
winding Kennebec River before reaching the North Atlantic. It’ll be at sea for
several days before returning to Bath Iron Works for tweaks and adjustments.
Part of the 610-foot-long (186-meter-long) ship’s crew
posed for photos at Fort Popham, in Phippsburg, as the ship cruised past.
The Monsoor is the second in a class of three
futuristic-looking ships that feature electric-drive propulsion, new radar and
sonar, powerful guns and missiles and a stealthy shape.
The first, the USS Zumwalt, has been commissioned into
service and is based in San Diego. The third will be the Lyndon B. Johnson,
which is under construction.
The Monsoor is named for a Navy SEAL, Michael Monsoor,
who died in Iraq in 2006 when he threw himself on an insurgent’s grenade to
protect his comrades. Monsoor, a 25-year-old California native, was awarded the
Medal of Honor posthumously.
The three warships are the largest and most
technologically sophisticated destroyers built for the Navy. They’re also the
most expensive, with an estimated cost of $12.9 billion for all three,
according to Navy budget estimates.
This story has been corrected to show the
second destroyer is named the Michael Monsoor, not the Lyndon B. Johnson.
Original post: navytimes.com
DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class: Details
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