MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Shame on the USS Navy state of the art missile destroyer breaks down in Panama canal and has to be towed
USS Zumwalt is 180 meters long warship and has an angular shape to minimize its radar signature. It cost more than US$4.4 billion The most expensive destroyer ever built for the United States Navy has suffered an engineering problem in the Panama Canal and had to be towed to port. U.S. The 3rd Fleet spokesman Commander Ryan Perry says a vice admiral has directed the USS Zumwalt to remain at ex-Naval Station Rodman in Panama to address the issues. The ship was built at Bath Iron Works in Maine.
The 180 meters long warship has an angular shape to minimize its radar signature. It cost more than US$4.4 billion and was commissioned last month in Maryland. The guided missile destroyer, whose stealth capabilities give it a strikingly angular shape, needed to be towed Monday after suffering an “engineering casualty,” the U.S. Naval Institute’s news site reported.
The Zumwalt was en route from Baltimore, where she was commissioned Oct. 15, to San Diego.
Navy spokesman Perry said in a statement that “the timeline for repairs is being determined now.”
An unnamed defense official told USNI News that repairs to the Zumwalt could take up to 10 days.
The US$4.4 billion Zumwalt is the first in a new line of revolutionary guided missile destroyers. The ship is roughly 180 meters long and displaces nearly 15,000 tons, making it the largest destroyer in the U.S. fleet.
But thanks to its angled hull and deck house, it is designed to look no bigger than a fishing boat on radar.
Its engines are electric powered, driven by an innovative integrated power system that may one day also support an array of energy-intensive weapons like lasers and electromagnetic rail guns.
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Read all commentsThe ship had passed it's sea trials and been accepted.
Nov 26th, 2016 - 07:16 pm +4Whatever went wrong is most probably related to the new energy system vital to power the rail gun which uses an immense current over a very short time to provide the 'grunt' to work the new weapon.
No surprise that a NEW machine as complex as this would have 'teething problems' and only those with either an axe to grind or having just half-a-brain would make merry over it.
The one thing you be sure of: it will be made to work as expected and WILL scare the shit out of those countries presently taking the piss.
Well done the US.
@ Idlehands
Nov 27th, 2016 - 01:23 pm +4“won't be powerful enough to replace cruise missiles any time soon.”
I would have thought never as they are not even in the same category of weapon.
BA Systems, the main contractor of the ship mounted rail gun, have put a number of promising videos online, so they must be far more advanced than that.
The real problems on these electric motor 'engines' is they cannot take the winding current when rapid changes to speed in either direction are made, at least this is what is causing the cruise ships to set fires in the engine room.
Better it breaks down now, instead of on patrol or on a war footing,
Nov 26th, 2016 - 09:09 pm +3But like the type 45, both will come right in the end.
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