Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-Class Destroyer Problem Is Embarrassing

Zumwalt-class destroyer. Image Credit: Raytheon.
Zumwalt-class destroyer. Image Credit: Raytheon.

Key Points and Summary: The Zumwalt-class destroyers were envisioned to replace several aging U.S. Navy ships and excel in land-attack and surface combat with novel stealth and advanced technologies.

-However, cost overruns, a failed main gun concept, and budget constraints forced the Navy to truncate the program from 32 ships to just three.

-Each Zumwalt now costs around $8 billion—roughly aircraft carrier territory—and key technologies, like specialized 155mm rounds, became prohibitively expensive.

-While the powerful stealth design and innovative systems offered high-end capabilities, the Navy found these benefits insufficient to justify the steep price tag. Today, the three Zumwalt destroyers are being refitted for hypersonic missiles to remain relevant.

Why Did the US Build So Few Zumwalt-class Destroyers? 

The United States Navy originally built the Zumwalt-class destroyers as successors to the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates and Spruance-class destroyers. The service planned to build 32, acting as much-improved destroyer screens for aircraft carriers and naval gunfire support for land operations. 

But the Navy only built three of the Zumwalt-class destroyers. So, we’ll take a look at why and what the Navy may do in the future.

But first, what made the Zumwalt such an attractive design?

Zumwalt-class Destroyers Design 

The Navy and the designers produced a distinctive, unique appearance, fitting a low radar cross-section (RCS) requirement. The Zumwalt DDG-1000 is larger than any destroyer or cruiser in the Navy’s inventory.

It has a length of 610 feet, a beam of 80.7 feet, and a draft of 27.6 feet. The Zumwalt has a unique ballast system that allows it to lower the hull further during combat operations, which limits its radar signature.

Two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines [35.4 MW (47,500 hp) each] power the Zumwalt. Curtiss-Wright electric generators power the Zumwalt, two × Rolls-Royce RR4500 turbine generators [3.8 MW (5,100 hp) each], and two × propellers driven by electric motors. The ship produces a total of 78 MW and has a top speed of 30 knots.

The 78 mega-watts are the same power produced by nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

Tumblehome Wave-piercing Hull

The rather odd-looking hull and bow design aren’t new. Similar hull shapes were last used during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. The bow, shaped like a knife, inclines inward and reduces radar signature. It was part of the ship’s stealth package. The inverted bow is designed to cut through waves rather than ride over them. 

This design caused much controversy among naval officers, who argued that if a wave hits the ship from the aft as it pitches down, it can lose transverse stability as the stern comes out of the water and roll over.

However, this theory was put to rest during a Zumwalt 2019 deployment to Alaska. Then Captain Andrew Carlson, the commanding officer, said, “All told I’d rather be on that ship than any other ship I’ve been on.” He related that, during the storm, he summoned his executive officer from his cabin to inform him of the Sea State Six conditions. 

Based on the rolls he had experienced in his cabin, the executive officer thought they were, at most, in Sea State Three, where wave height reaches a maximum of four feet (1.2 m). The Zumwalt class’s improved seakeeping is due to its hull form, rudder stop locations, and propeller size.

Failed Main Gun

The Zumwalt’s main gun was arguably its biggest selling point at the time: the Advanced Gun System (AGS). Two 155-mm AGS guns are on board. The stealthy Mark 51 155mm/62 (6.1”) AGSs were supposed to be the largest caliber of offshore naval gunfire support aboard a US Navy warship.

They fire Long-Range Land Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) with a range of 83 nautical miles. However, due to differences in size, shape, and firing charges, they couldn’t fire standard NATO 155 mm rounds. The Navy was forced to build special ammunition for the gun, and the cost of each 155mm round was more than $800,000. The ship could carry 335 rounds per gun or 670 rounds, but with an additional storage compartment for 320 rounds, it could carry a total of 990 rounds.

The cost of the shells made the gun unusable. Although this was a great idea, it couldn’t come to pass. However, the Navy has decided to replace the two guns with 12 Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system missiles.

Built by Lockheed Martin, the CPS is a hypersonic boost-glide weapon system that enables long-range missile flight at speeds greater than Mach 5 and is highly survivable against enemy defenses.

MK57 Peripheral Vertical Launching System

The Zumwalts carry the MK57 Peripheral Vertical Launching System (PVLS). The system consists of pods of VLS cells distributed around the ship’s outer shell, with a thin steel outer shell and a thick inner shell. The PVLS design directs any explosion’s force outward rather than into the ship. Additionally, this design reduces the loss of missile capacity to only the affected pod.

The system, with 80 cells, will host Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, Standard Missiles (SM2-MR) for local air defense, Evolved Seasparrow Missiles for engaging both airborne and seaborne threats, and Vertical-Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets (VL-ASROC) for engaging submarine threats. Two 40mm Close-In Gun Systems will enhance self-defense against air and surface threats.

Why Did the Zumwalts Fail

The Navy canceled the Zumwalt-class destroyers after only three of the 32 ships were built for three simple reasons. 

Exorbitant cost overruns:

The cost of designing, building, and integrating all of these new systems was vastly underestimated. The original cost estimate for the Zumwalt was $1.4 billion, but the entire program ran way over budget to $24 billion. That works out to $8 billion per ship for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt, DDG-1001, Monsour, and DDG-1002 Lyndon Johnson. 

Zumwalt-class. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

An artist rendering of the Zumwalt class destroyer DDG 1000, a new class of multi-mission U.S. Navy surface combatant ship designed to operate as part of a joint maritime fleet, assisting Marine strike forces ashore as well as performing littoral, air and sub-surface warfare.

The ammunition for the main gun was between $800,000 to $1 million per round, which works out to nearly $1 billion to load the ship with ammo.

Budget Constraints:

The Navy has to remain within its budget like the other services. Spending $8 billion on a destroyer, nearly the same cost as an aircraft carrier, was far too rich. The Navy got over-ambitious with the project. 

The Ship Didn’t Work as Advertised:

With the new technology built into the ship, it was supposed to be the surface fleet’s next greatest thing. But the Zumwalts constantly need repairs, and breakdowns are frequent. One broke down in the Panama Canal. 

The Zumwalt program was very ambitious, but it didn’t work out. The change from the main guns to the Hypersonic missiles is a bright idea, however, and may breathe life into keeping the three destroyers relevant.

Zumwalt-Class

Zumwalt-Class. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

About the Author: 

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in other military publications.

Written By

Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Peppino Dilisceao

    January 15, 2025 at 1:36 pm

    If the world emphasize doesn’t ring a bell and the pods keep breaking down and all things are always being insulted allow the Neurons in the ship field regrowth regain and Restrenth there minds better and make a better pods with out break down and can handle the heat when in fire of the Zimwalt of all three them and they artillery wall where they are loaded at in better strength for the seven plant base of Lockheed Martin is building for your intelligence with out downsizing the ships and all jets as well to stand for the USA.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement