Construction began on the final of three destroyers in the Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) of ships last week following the Navy’s certification that it was ready for production.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert joined Wednesday’s ceremony at General Dynamics [GD] Bath Iron Works in Maine to commence construction of the ship designed for littoral and land attack operations.
“DDG 1000 is a vessel that fits within our Defense Strategic Guidance,” Greenert said. “With its stealth, incredibly capable sonar system, strike capability, and lower manning requirements – this is our future.”
After years of development, the Navy decided to only build three of the Zumwalt class, instead opting to restart production of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyers.
The DDG-1000 is scheduled for delivery to the fleet in 2014, with the DDG-1001 to follow in 2015 and the third ship in the class scheduled for arrival in 2018.