Say hello to the USS Zumwalt, the futuristic 600 foot (183 metre) and 15 000-tonne beast that is the US Navy’s largest ever stealth destroyer.

Yesterday was the big guy’s first day on the open ocean, departing from shipbuilder Bath Iron Works in Maine to spend a few days in open water as part of its sea trial. This was quite the occasion for those who had worked on the four year project, production costs running as high as $4,3 billion (R63 billion).

Below are some details and pictures courtesy of the Daily Mail:

The ship has electric propulsion, new radar and sonar, powerful missiles and guns, and a stealthy design to reduce its radar signature. 

Advanced automation will allow the warship to operate with a much smaller crew size than current destroyers…

The inverse bow juts forward to slice through the waves. Sharp angles deflect enemy radar signals. Radar and antennas are hidden in a composite deckhouse…

The goal is to deliver it to the Navy sometime next year.

It certainly won’t win any prizes for aesthetics, although that’s not exactly what one has in mind when they design a stealth destroyer.

[source:dailymail]