The first-in-class guided missile destroyer
Zumwalt (DDG-1000) is back at the yard after six days of builders trials.
The trials were the first time the long delayed ship – which began construction in 2008 – had left the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) shipyard after a series of delays in construction.
USNI News understands the builder’s trials were primarily staffed by BIW staff with only had a handful of Navy personnel onboard and ended when
Zumwalt returned on Sunday, a BIW spokesman told USNI News on Tuesday.
The BIW spokesman referred all questions on
Zumwalt’s week out to the service.
“During this initial at-sea period, representatives from BIW, PCU Zumwalt, the Navy’s Program Office, SUPSHIP Bath, and various technical subject matter experts including Raytheon personnel, demonstrated several ship systems including small boat operations, anchors, Integrated Propulsion System and auxiliary systems,” read a statement from the service.
“Primary risk reduction objectives were successfully met and, as with any trials, the Navy learned a great deal about ship performance during the more than 100 hours of extensive testing.”
Zumwalt’s trip down the Kennebec River to the Atlantic Ocean will the first of several sets of hull, mechanical and engineering (HM&E) tests which are set to prove the efficacy of the ship’s first-of-type integrated power system (IPS).
The difficulty and development and integration of the IPS for the $22.1 billion, three ship program – in part – been responsible for the several production delays for the ship that have trickled down and held up production for other ships in the yard,
.
The 16,000-ton destroyer is equipped with two high power Rolls Royce MT-30 gas turbines and a variety of diesel generators that can output up to 80 megawatts – giving the ship a wide margin for future power hungry sensors and weapons.
For example, Naval Sea System Command has studied adding an electromagnetic railgun to the third planned Zumwalt ship,
Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1001) NAVSEA commander Vice Adm. William Hilarides told
.
Following the completion of the HM&E trials, the ship will transit to the Pacific to complete the activation of its combat system and is planned to be home-ported initially at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
During the trials the ship was instrumental in aiding in the rescue of a fisherman in peril
.
but still not this angle:
