10/07/2016
Something you might see in the Chesapeake Bay today - the Navy's newest and most technologically advanced surface ship.
The USS Zumwalt will be arriving today for Maryland Fleet Week and Air Show Baltimore. The Pride of Baltimore II will be escorting her in.
According to the U.S. Navy, the ship was "Developed under the DD(X) destroyer program, the Zumwalt-class destroyer (DDG 1000) is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission surface combatants tailored for land attack and littoral dominance with capabilities that defeat current and projected threats. DDG 1000 will triple naval surface fires coverage as well as tripling capability against anti-ship cruise missiles. DDG 1000 has a 50-fold radar cross section reduction compared to current destroyers, improves strike group defense 10-fold and has 10 times the operating area in shallow water regions against mines. For today's warfighter, DDG 1000 fills an immediate and critical naval-warfare gap, meeting validated Marine Corps fire support requirements.
The multi-mission DDG 1000 is tailored for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack, and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. Its multi-mission design and littoral capabilities make it a 100 percent globally deployable asset to the Fleet.
Designed to combat the threats of today as well as those of coming decades, these ships are equipped with numerous advanced technology and survivability systems.
Elmo Zumwalt the 19th Chief of Naval Operations passed away Jan. 2, 2000. His legacy will live on in the ship that bears his name, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000). Mirroring the actions of her forbearer, the ship aims to change the Navy, both tactically and socially in regard to Sailors' quality of life."
The commissioning ceremony will take place in Baltimore on October 15. The USS Zuwalt's commanding officer is Captain James Kirk, a native of Bethesda, Md. and graduate of the United States Naval Academy