Zumwalt-class destroyer visited by Sec. Hagel

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel paid a visit to the brand new Zumwalt-class warship last week, the first of three state-of-the-art stealth ships that will join the U.S. Navy fleet in the coming years.

Hagel toured the ship, now called Pre-Commissioning Unit Zumwalt, which is expected to be commissioned as the USS Zumwalt in about a year.

The super high-tech ship, which touched water in the Kennebec River near Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine on October 28, is the biggest destroyer ever built for the Navy. When ready, Zumwalt will be packed to the gills with new advanced systems, including highly accurate long-range weapons and souped-up power generating abilities.

The Zumwalt "represents an important shift in America's interests to the Asia-Pacific," Hagel said at a dockside statement Thursday, noting the ship will be ported in San Diego, Calif.

The destroyer is the first fully electrical ship built for the U.S. Navy, with a number of automated systems incorporated to reduce the number of crew necessary to sail.

Sharon E. Burke, assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, said Zumwalt can generate 78 megawatts of power -- enough to power of almost 80,000 homes -- that allows it to operate a large range of demanding weaponry.

"You're running a lot of very sophisticated systems on that ship," Burke said. "It gives them a lot of room to be able to run all those systems."

The Zumwalt measures 610 feet and features an angular "tumblehome" hull that makes the sailing smoother for the massive vessel. It also means the ship is much harder to detect on radar.

Bath Iron Works is expected to deliver the Zumwalt to the Navy in 2015, and will be followed by the USS Michael Monsoor in 2016 and the USS Lyndon B. Johnson in 2018.

[American Forces Press Service]