The US Navy destroyer is on a tour of the Pacific.
Since it entered service, the ship has only been from home once.
The ship's role in the fleet has been debated for years.
After years of maintenance delays, budget headaches, and debates, the US Navy's most advanced destroyer may finally be turning over a new leaf.
The lead ship of the stealth destroyers arrived in Japan on September 26 after making a port call in Guam. On October 8th, it left Japan.
Since it was commissioned, the ship has been from San Diego. It is a chance to figure out what the class will do for the Navy.
While the ship and crew are being tasked as ships normally would be, their employment is part of the fleet integration process of introducing a class of ship into the operational environment and understanding how it can best operate with other ships/ platforms.
The Advanced Gun System was to fire Long Range Land-Attack Projectiles, a rocket-assisted 155mm round that was to be used in the construction of the three ships.
The cost of those rounds went up as the Navy reduced the number of ships from 30 to just three.
The Navy decided to give the Zumwalts up to 12 new hypersonic missiles because they couldn't fulfill their role.
The guns on the ships are to be removed and replaced with the vertical launcher for the common hypersonic glide body. A US Navy official told USNI News that the modifications are going to start in 2023.
In addition to technological challenges, the ships have faced years of maintenancehiccups, such as a malfunction in the propulsion system that left the ship stuck in the Panama Canal in 2016 and needed to be towed out.
Sailors have complemented the design of the new technology.
The crew used a storm to test the ship's handling in heavy seas. The tumble home hull design, which works to right the ship more quickly than previous designs, made it easier to handle.
Carlson told Defense News that he would rather be on that ship than any other ship he's been on. "For those of us who have been on a cruise ship, especially up top, you wonder if you will come back." We didn't see any of that.
The port call in Guam shows the US's continued presence in the region.
The commanding officer of the ship said that the port call was a testament to the crew's hard work and resilience.
The sailors took on supplies while in Japan. Andrew Zalewski, the ship's command master chief, said that the stop in Japan was a culmination of years of hard work.
The operating of the destroyer with the US Navy's 7th Fleet and alongside allies and partners is an important step for the fleet, according to a public affairs officer with Task Force 71.
"Zumwalt-class destroyers maximize stealth, size, power, and computing capacity - fielding an array of weapons systems and cutting-edge technologies to fight forces in the air, on and under the sea, and on land," Serrano said.
Beijing has criticized US military activity in the region, including the Navy transiting through waters claimed by Beijing.
China's Foreign Ministry said in July that the US's freedom of navigation exercises were an attempt to undermine regional peace and stability.
US officials emphasize their network of alliances in the region and say their forces will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows.
Rachel Nostrant is a US-based journalist with work published in a number of magazines. She covered the murder of a US Army soldier, rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and the war inUkraine.
Business Insider has an article on it.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
