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April 4 (UPI) -- The USS Zumwalt, which is the lead ship of the U.S. Navy's newest class of guided-missile destroyers, arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for the first time. The Zumalt arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Wednesday. Crew aboard the ship will meet with local officials and organizations.
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"The training ranges only found in the Hawaiian operating area allow Zumwalt to conduct important at-sea evolutions that enhance our crew's warfighting skills," Capt. Andrew Carlson, Zumwalt's commanding officer, said in a U.S. Navy news release. "The world-class facilities found in Hawaii, coupled with its strategic location in the Pacific, make this port visit an important part of our success."
Zumwalt-class destroyers are capable of operating near to shore and in the open sea in missions against adversaries.
"USS Zumwalt possesses stealth, size, power and computing capacity that provide the Navy a multiple-mission ship capable of meeting today's maritime missions as well as the ability to incorporate new technologies to counter emerging threats tomorrow," Carlson said.
The Zumwalt is under operational control of U.S. 3rd Fleet, which coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet "to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations."
The destroyer departed San Diego on March 8 for its first operational underway, arriving in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on March 11. Zumwalt's crew completed a post-delivery maintenance availability designed to thoroughly evaluate the ship's systems and equipment. The ship launched on Oct. 29, 2013.
On March 23, the Zumwalt arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska, giving the crew an opportunity to experience the hospitality of the Alaskan port and showcase the U.S. Navy's newest class of destroyers.
"Alaska is a strategic location when it comes to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and we value Alaskan communities like Ketchikan for their consistent support of our nation's military," Carlson, who took command of the ship last November, said at the time.
Carlson is the ship's third commanding officer of the 158-member crew.
It is named after Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., a veteran of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.
Two other Zumwalt class ships are in operation. The Michael Monsoor was commissioned on Jan. 26 and the Lyndon B. Johnson was launched on Dec. 9, 2018.
