On November 17, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works celebrated the keel laying of 'Zumwalt' (DDG 1000), the first ship in the planned three-ship Zumwalt class of guided-missile destroyers for the US Navy.
The keel unit is the 4,000-ton, heavily outfitted mid-forebody section of the ship, which was moved from the shipyard's Ultra Hall construction facility onto the building ways in late October.
The ship is named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt (1920-2000), regarded as the father of the modern US Navy. He served with distinction on destroyers during WWII in the Pacific and later oversaw littoral operations during the Vietnam War. In 1970, he was named the youngest-ever chief of naval operations. He applied his knowledge of sailors and ships to modernise the US Navy, introducing major policy changes to boost morale and create greater efficiency while also conducting a campaign against racism and sexism throughout the fleet.
The DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer is the US Navy's next-generation, guided-missile naval destroyer, leading the way for a new generation of advanced multi-mission surface combat ships. The ships will feature a low radar profile, an integrated power system and a total ship computing environment infrastructure. Armed with an array of weapons, the Zumwalt-class destroyers will provide offensive, distributed and precision fires in support of forces ashore. Bath Iron Works is the lead designer and builder for the program, which employs approximately 5,500 people.
