USN christens next-gen destroyer Zumwalt

The lead ship of the USN's new class destroyer, Zumwalt, is christened on 12 April 2014 during a ceremony in Bath, Maine. Source: General Dynamics Bath Iron Works

 

The US Navy (USN) has officially named the lead ship of its new class destroyer.
Zumwalt (DDG 1000) was christened on 12 April 2014 at shipbuilder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works' main shipyard in Bath, Maine.
Named for the USN's 19th chief of naval operations, the late Admiral Elmo 'Bud' Zumwalt Jr, the destroyer is the first in a class of three ships expected in the fleet. The USN originally intended for the Zumwalt class to replace its fleet of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. However, officials in 2008 decided to truncate the Zumwalt class in favour of restarting the Arleigh Burke production line because of new threat assessments at the time.
Zumwalt is being delivered in two phases - hull, mechanical, and electrical delivery in late 2014 followed by combat systems delivery about one year later. The ship is on track to conduct builder's and acceptance trials in 2014. Initial operational capability is expected in 2016.
The Zumwalt-class destroyer is a multimission surface combatant designed for land attack missions and littoral operations. With a low-signature hull design for stealth, the destroyer is expected to provide naval surface fires support with a battery of two Advanced Gun Systems that will fire Long-Range Land Attack Projectiles with a reach of 63 n miles.
The 185.9 m long destroyer will also feature two Mk 46 30 mm gun systems plus an 80-cell Mk 57 peripheral vertical launch system capable of firing a range of missiles including Evolved SeaSparrow, Tomahawk land-attack missiles, and Standard Missile-3s.

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The naming ceremony for Zumwalt originally had been planned for 19 October 2013, but because the US government was shut down due to a budget impasse, navy planners decided to postpone the event.
Zumwalt was launched on 28 October 2013 and was moved to an outfitting pier at General Dyanmics Bath Iron Works, where work is being finalised. Though USN ship christenings are largely ceremonial affairs, the anticipation for this ship's naming has been high because it is the first new design destroyer class that the USN has had in several decades.