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eof [soylentnews.org] writes:

The Boston Globe asks if the US Navy's new destroyer is a "marvel or floating boondoggle". [bostonglobe.com] The ship is unusual and reminiscent of "an Aztec pyramid welded atop a machete blade".[pictures and specifications in article]

After two decades on the drawing board and a tortured history, the $22 billion Zumwalt program is seen by numerous critics as a prime example of Pentagon budget bloat, delays, and misplaced priorities.

The Navy doomed the ship to sideline status when it slashed its order to just three of the vessels, from an original plan for 32. It disclosed in 2008 that the warship would be vulnerable to enemy missiles and submarines. And it has publicly questioned the destroyer’s mission and usefulness.

Yet plans to build three of the pricey ships — at $4.3 billion each — went ahead.

Of course, the story includes politicians fighting for constituent jobs and maintaining the "industrial base" in their region.

The ships were originally designed to "sneak in relatively close to shore and shoot hundreds of low-cost bombs deep inland, to blow up enemy targets during an American land invasion of, say, the Korean Peninsula or Iran." Changes in strategic thinking led to the Navy seek more traditional ships. The eventual mission for the Zumwalts is unclear, but will probably involve serving as test platforms. One Naval War College professor says “I wouldn’t describe fleet experimentation as the ‘best’ use for the Zumwalts, but more as the way to make lemonade out of lemons.’’

What are the features of a Zumwalt?

It is loaded with ambitious gear, starting with twin turbines capable of producing 78 megawatts of electricity. All that power — yes, enough to power a decent-size town — can drive it through the waves with a quiet electric motor while simultaneously allowing it to shoot 155mm shells a distance of 72 miles from two foredeck guns, and fire vertically launched missiles from tubes embedded in the deck.

The extra electrical capacity also will be available for lasers and other weapons of the future, Navy officials said.

Its angular surfaces and use of composite materials reduce its signature on enemy radar to that of a fishing boat. Its computerized control systems will allow for a vastly reduced crew, 158, for a ship of such size and complexity.

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