From the December 27, 2012, San Diego Union-Times "Back to the future warships take shape" by Gary Robbins.
The 900-ton deck house of the first Zumwalt-class destroyer was delivered to Maine's Bath Iron Works by barge after being built in Mississippi.
The first ship of the class will be homeported in San Diego.
Looking at the deck house and what the ship will finally look like, one can not miss the resemblance to Confederate Civil War ironclads like the CSS Virginia which fought the USS Monitor in 1862. Bath Iron Works are building three of the ships: the Zumwalt, Michael Monsoor and Lyndon B. Johnson.
The ships are 610-feet long, 105 feet longer than the current Burke-class destroyers.
When completed, the Zumwalt will be the largest destroyer ever built and the first to be powered by an entirely electric drive system. Burke-class ships are gas-powered and the old Confederate ironclads were steam-powered.
Deck houses are made separately and then placed on the deck. Crews onthe ships will be from 130 to 150, less than half of the Burke-class.
Did I Say They really, Really Look Like Confederate Ironclads. --Old B-Runner
No comments:
Post a Comment