US Navy christens huge $3 billion destroyer ship USS Zumwalt

[Larry Gude]

That portable air force part is a big deal...its a huge capability that we have in great quantity that is matched by nobody else. But....anti-ship missile technology is evolving rapidly, especially in places like China that see that as a better direction/use of their resources than would be a symmetric response to try and match our carrier strength. The consequence of that is, inevitably, an ever-shrinking area of operations for our carriers..

China also has the enormous benefit of not seeing themselves as 'US/World Cop' making a global reach navy not only a waste of time and resources but, not in the national interest to boot.

 

[MMDad]

China also has the enormous benefit of not seeing themselves as 'US/World Cop' making a global reach navy not only a waste of time and resources but, not in the national interest to boot.

True dat. They can focus on the wars they want to fight - Spratlys, Taiwan, etc. - and just being strong enough to make us not want to get involved. They don't need to have a force that can support a large desert fight, a small tropical island "military action," and an arctic operation all at the same time.

 

[Larry Gude]

True dat. They can focus on the wars they want to fight - Spratlys, Taiwan, etc. - and just being strong enough to make us not want to get involved. They don't need to have a force that can support a large desert fight, a small tropical island "military action," and an arctic operation all at the same time.

We don't need to either. Unlike China, we have two friendly borders with very open commerce. We go look for trouble because we're freaking stupid. And, we treat China like THEY are our customer which is insane but, again, we are a stupid people or, fast getting there. Great post running around Facebook this week; "Everything happens for a reason. And, sometimes, that reason is because you're stupid and make bad decisions."

America.

 

[kom526]

Looks like the Nautilus from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

 

[Gilligan]

China also has the enormous benefit of not seeing themselves as 'US/World Cop' making a global reach navy not only a waste of time and resources but, not in the national interest to boot.

Perhaps so...but the large and capable navy that they ARE so aggressively building will sure as heck dominate the Pacific areas that they want to eventually dominate. They clearly intend to "be the boss" in that region at some point in the not-to-distant future.

What that ultimately would mean for us?...really hard to say.

 

[MMDad]

Looks like the Nautilus from League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Let's hope it doesn't sink as easily.

 

[MMDad]

One interesting fact about DDG-1000. The composite dechouse has to be built on a frame. When they were developing the processes, they looked at all kinds of different materials to form the frame. The found that for strength to weight, workability, flamability, and products of combustion balsa wood was the best choice.

Even with all of our technology, there are still a lot of things that nature does better than we can.


http://www.marinelink.com/news/composite-deckhouse-navy342118.aspx

“We place layers of carbon fiber cloth over the balsa core, then seal with a plastic vacuum bag connected to the resin system. When we evacuate all the air and pull a vacuum on the bag, it draws resin in,” says Jenkins. “When the material is saturated the resin undergoes a chemical transformation and cures while inside the vacuum bag.”

 

[Gilligan]

The found that for strength to weight, workability, flamability, and products of combustion balsa wood was the best choice.

As we've been building composite warships in Norway and Sweden for decades. The failed USN "we need to do this too" initiative (I say failed because its all over now...the rest of the DDgs are not getting the composite superstructures and that silly "Advanced Composites facility" that the taxpayers gave to Northrop Grumman is history) is typical of all the other failed "advanced marine vehicle" initiatives the USN has undertaken over the last two decades or so. Risk aversion and a total lack of technical depth...it's a project killer every time.

 

[acommondisaster]

Finally, he's honored with a ship named after him. It should have happened long ago, and certainly before John Murthur had one named after him, that rotten SOB. I joined the navy shortly after Zumwalt retired and his legacy remained long after he was gone. Can't say the same for some who came after him. I have no idea who was CNO when I retired.

 

[Gilligan]

Finally, he's honored with a ship named after him. It should have happened long ago, and certainly before John Murthur had one named after him, that rotten SOB.

I certainly have to agree with that!

Adm. Zumwalt was the guy that first got the ball rolling on a wide range of USN advanced marine ship technologies, resulting in developments (ACV, SES, hydrofoils, etc) that ultimately created the field in which I made my career for over 27 years now.