On Saturday, the Navy christened the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) during a ceremony at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. The christening was originally scheduled for Oct. 19, 2013, but was postponed due to the government shutdown.
The 610' Zumwalt is the first of three next generation multimission Zumwalt-class destroyers currently under construction at Bath. The lead ship and class are named in honor of former Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt Jr., who served as the 19th CNO from 1970-1974.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus delivered the ceremony's principal address. In accordance with Navy tradition, the ship's co-sponsors, Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, Zumwalt's daughters, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the ship's bow.
"The christening of the future USS Zumwalt represents the beginning of another era of service for this great name," said Mabus. "Just as Adm. Elmo R. "Bud" Zumwalt helped shape our nation's Navy as the 19th chief of naval operations, DDG 1000 will help shape the future of surface combatants."
Zumwalt was a veteran of World War II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Following the World War II Battle for Leyte Gulf, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for his valorous actions aboard the USS Robinson. During the Vietnam War, he served as commander naval forces, Vietnam before being nominated by President Richard Nixon to become CNO in July of 1970. He is credited with implementing a series of policies intended to improve opportunities within the Navy for minorities and women during his tenure as CNO.
Zumwalt died Jan. 2, 2000. During his eulogy, President Bill Clinton described Zumwalt as the "conscience" of the Navy.
The Zumwalt-class destroyer represents the next-generation of multi-mission surface combatants and will enable access in the open ocean, littoral and ashore.
The ship includes new technologies that deliver capability now and serve as a springboard for incorporation into future ship classes. DDG 1000 is the first Navy surface combatant to employ an innovative and highly survivable Integrated Power System which will provide power to propulsion, ship's service, and combat system loads from the same gas turbine prime movers. DDG 1000's power allocation flexibility allows for potentially significant energy savings and is well-suited to enable future high energy weapons and sensors.
The ship features two advanced gun systems firing long-range land attack projectiles that reach up to 63 nautical miles, providing precision, high volume and persistent fire support to forces ashore, along with an approximate five-fold improvement in naval surface fire range. DDG 1000 will employ active and passive sensors and a multi-function radar capable of conducting area air surveillance, including over-land, throughout the extremely difficult and cluttered sea-land interface.
Construction on Zumwalt commenced in February 2009, with the keel laying ceremony held in November 2011, and ship launch successfully completed in October 2013. The ship is expected to join the fleet in 2016.
Watch a time-lapse video of the deckhouse being installed on the USS Zumwalt here.
