Destroyer Zumwalt Christened

The Navy christened the first ship of its class – destroyer Zumwalt – during an April 12 ceremony at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works, Maine, where it is being built. The vessel is named for Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., who served as the 19th chief of naval operations between 1970 and 1974. Zumwalt’s daughters, Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, broke bottles across the ship’s bow. “The christening of the future USS Zumwalt represents the beginning of another era of service for this great name. Just as Zumwalt helped shape our nation’s Navy … DDG 1000 will help shape the future of surface combatants,” said Navy Secretary Ray Mabus during the ceremony. Zumwalt is the first of three such vessels for the Navy. Displacing more than 15,000 tons when fully loaded, the ship carries two gun systems capable of projecting rounds as far as 63 nautical miles. It also will be able to provide precision, high-volume, precise fire to support forces ashore, once it joins the fleet sometime in 2016.