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Associated Press

The largest and most incredible-looking destroyer ever built for the US Navy has headed out to sea for the first time, departing from Maine shipbuilder Bath Iron Works and carefully navigating the winding Kennebec River before reaching the open ocean where the ship will undergo sea trials.
More than 200 shipbuilders, sailors and residents gathered to watch as the futuristic 183-metre, 13,600-tonne USS Zumwalt glided past Fort Popham, accompanied by tugboats.
Kelley Campana, a Bath Iron Works employee, said she had goose bumps and tears in her eyes.
“This is pretty exciting. It's a great day to be a shipbuilder and to be an American,” she said. “It's the first in its class. There's never been anything like it. It looks like the future.”
“Zumwalt sails for the first time,” the US Navy Sea Systems Command tweeted.
Bath Iron Works will be testing the ship's performance and making tweaks this winter. The goal is to deliver it to the Navy sometime next year.
The ship has electric propulsion, new radar and sonar, powerful missiles and guns, and a distinctive stealthy design to reduce its radar signature.
Despite its huge size, it appears on radar as no bigger than a small fishing boat, according to its designers.
Advanced automation will allow the warship to operate with a much smaller crew size than current destroyers.
All of that innovation has led to construction delays and a growing price tag. The Zumwalt, the first of three ships in the class, will cost at least US$4.4 billion.
The ship looks like nothing ever built at Bath Iron Works.
The inverse bow juts forward to slice through the waves. Sharp angles deflect enemy radar signals. Radar and antennas are hidden in a composite deckhouse.
The builder sea trials will answer any questions of seaworthiness for a ship that utilises a type of hull associated with pre-dreadnought battleships from a century ago.
Critics say the “tumblehome” hull's sloping shape makes it less stable than conventional hulls, but it contributes to the ship's stealth and the Navy is confident in the design.
Eric Wertheim, author and editor of the US Naval Institute’s Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, said there’s no question the integration of so many new systems from the electric drive to the tumblehome hull carries some level of risk.
Operational concerns, growing costs and fleet makeup led the Navy to truncate the 32-ship programme to three ships, he said. With only three ships, the class of destroyers could become something of a technology demonstration project, he said.
The ship’s innovative integrated power system may one day also support an array of energy-intensive weapons like lasers and electromagnetic rail guns.
It is intended to be capable of operating in shallow coastal waters, laying down fire to support forces on shore, as well as conducting anti-aircraft and naval surface warfare.
Only three Zumwalt-class ships will be built, as Congress cut back funding for original plans for 32 ships, driving up the costs per ship.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


‘It looks like the future’: Incredible US stealth warship heads to sea for the first time

In this US Navy handout photo, the future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is underway for the first time conducting at-sea tests and trials on December 7, 2015 on the Kennebeck River in Massachusetts. The multimission ship will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / US NAVY == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / US NAVY / NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==

epa05058664 A handout picture provided by the US Navy shows the future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) conducting its first at-sea tests and trials on the Kennebec River, Maine, USA, 07 December 2015. According to the US Navy, the multimission ship will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. EPA/US NAVY / GENERAL DYNAMICS BATH HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

The future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) is underway for the first time conducting at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean December 7, 2015. The multimission ship will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / US NAVY / DENNIS GRIGGS == RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE / MANDATORY CREDIT: "AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / US NAVY / NO MARKETING / NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS / DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS ==

The USS Zumwalt is underway for the first time, conducting at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean. Photo: AFP

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