Image source: topwar.ru
The lead ship of the Zumwalt class destroyer has left Japan, where he was a part of his long hike on the Pacific ocean. Before that ship September 19, visited the naval base of the US island of GUAM. The current campaign – the long voyage of the destroyer from the home port in San Diego, starting from the moment the ship in 2016 was put into operation.
One of the main goals of the campaign is to test all possible stealth destroyers of the Zumwalt class. Although before ship, there are common tasks, the command is closely watching how the journey. In the United States Navy to claim that it is very important for building engagement strategies destroyers of this class with other ships and platforms.
The destroyers of this class, USS Zumwalt, USS Michael Monsoor and USS Lyndon B. Johnson was developed with an advanced artillery system, one of the defining qualities which is the range. Due to long-range artillery, the ships were to provide fire support for the coastal forces and carry out other military operations in coastal waters.
But then the U.S. Navy reduced the number of orders from the military industry ships from 30 to 3. This has led to a significant rise in shells. Because of this, the destroyers no longer able to fulfill originally intended role, so the Navy decided to arm them to the 12 new missiles. Ships now have to remove the guns and replacing them with vertical launchers for Common Hypersonic Glide Body.
In addition, the ships of this class have encountered certain technical issues. For example, once the USS Zumwalt is stuck in the Panama canal. This happened due to a malfunction of the diesel installation. The destroyer had to be towed.
But the ship behaved very well during a storm off the coast of Alaska in 2019. Captain Andrew Carlson said, despite the waves were up to 6 m body design helped to align the ship. The current swimming is also intended to test the ship's capabilities in different situations and to identify the likely problems of a technical nature.
The command of the US Navy official said that the presence of the USS Zumwalt in the Pacific ocean is not a deployment. But the stealth destroyer in the region should emphasize the ongoing nature of the American naval presence in this part of the planet. Moreover, at the present time the United States entered into a confrontation with China, and another U.S. warship in the East Asia and Oceania China demonstrates the capabilities of the U.S. Navy.
