Dumpsters Afloat: The Zumwalt Chronicles Continues

The weapons system removed from the Zumwalt

They were going to build 30 and ended up building three of these dysfunctional monstrosities. Commissioned in 2016, it has only taken them eight years to retrofit the weapons system.

The Navy’s priorities have changed since the post-9/11 era, and shore bombardment no longer figures prominently, especially in an era of high-tech competition in the Indo-Pacific. China and Russia both possess antiship missiles that greatly outrange Zumwalt’s cannons, even if shells were available. Recognizing this reality, the Navy is repurposing the high-end Zumwalt-class with the high-end weapon of the 2020s: hypersonic missiles.

Huntington Ingalls is in the middle of modifying first-in-class USS Zumwalt at Ingalls Shipbuilding, and the extra-sized destroyer went back in the water again last week. While in drydock, Ingalls replaced the twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems on the foredeck with new tubes for the Conventional Prompt Strike system. Zumwalt can now carry four all-up round CPS canisters, each containing three hypersonic missiles. This will augment her small arsenal of 80 conventional Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells. 

Initial plans called for leaving one of Zumwalt’s nonfunctional guns intact on deck; however, aerial drone photos obtained by the AP appear to show that both guns have been removed. 

Second-in-class USS Michael Monsoor will be next in line for conversion, and the work will be performed at Bath Iron Works. The total program cost for the upgrade is estimated at $1.1-2.0 billion.