If It Looks Like a Fishing Boat on Radar . . .

Hope this hasn't been talked to death already. Here's some of what the USN will disclose: (I checked; today is not April 1)

The USS Zumwalt, the first of the DDG-1000 class of destroyers, is longer, faster and carries state-of-the-art weapons that will allow it to destroy targets at more than 60 miles, according to the Navy.

At 610 feet long and 81 feet wide, the Zumwalt is longer and thinner than the USS Arizona, a battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor. But it weighs about half as much.

Much of the ship's superstructure is wrapped in a huge, canopy made of lightweight carbon fiber composite.

The canopy and the rest of the ship is built on angles that help make it 50 times harder to spot on radar than an ordinary destroyer.

"It has the radar cross-section of a fishing boat," said Chris Johnson a spokesperson for Naval Sea Systems Command.

So now when at sea, someone is going to check their radar and think they are ok because there is just one little fishing boat out there in the dark. Then turn around and find a 610 foot ship bearing down on him at about 25 knots!.

Not really crazy about the lack of viewing ability, what do the do use video for outside view. Love the old is new again bow however.

I'm just wondering how it handles beam seas???

I haven't seen the top speed published, but betting it's better than 25 kts. : )

Beam seas? You should check to make sure there's no Willard guys around before mentioning beam seas.

Looks like the new DD has maximized her water line length. Perhaps there's a Ram like an Egyptian galley just under the surface.

Over in the eastern Med looking like a fishing boat sourrounded by the Russian navy could be a nice feature.

manyboats said:

Beam seas? You should check to make sure there's no Willard guys around before mentioning beam seas.

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Wasn't wondering how much it rolls, Eric. Just pondering how those slab composite sides might handle the shock of breaking waves.

Top speed, according to defense industry daily, is closer to 30 kts.

30knots ... I'd suspect that is what we call "misinformation". Big fat aircraft carriers are faster than that.

Wonder if they need an old hole snipe for sea trials?

I dunno. I guess technology is getting away from me. I think it looks better with the hull upside down. Maybe there was just a mis-understanding between the Architect and the builder.

Way to go Larry. Now it looks like a boat. Nice red racing stripe of AF paint at the gun'l.

poker, big fat acraft carriers are also LONGER.

boatpoker said:

30knots ... I'd suspect that is what we call "misinformation". Big fat aircraft carriers are faster than that.

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This admiral ask for 31 knots in WWII! (And yes, Flywright, it's from memory. ) P.S. Had dinner with the admiral (Riley, not Arleigh, last week and he sends his greetings!)

boatpoker said:

30knots ... I'd suspect that is what we call "misinformation". Big fat aircraft carriers are faster than that.

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Most likely. ... WWII-era destroyers were faster. For instance, the Fletcher class with a top speed of 36.5 knots.

Seems that every ship in the Navy has the same "official" top speed........30+ knots.

SeaHorse II said:

This admiral ask for 31 knots in WWII! (And yes, Flywright, it's from memory. ) P.S. Had dinner with the admiral (Riley, not Arleigh, last week and he sends his greetings!)

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Have you read the books by Admiral Gallery? He's a hoot -- wish I could have met him! I've got five of them aboard, plus the biography by Herman Wouk of Caine Mutiny fame. I've barely started that one though. It supposedly has things not covered in the books. Cap'n Fatso was quite a guy.

If I ever get a chance to go to Chicago I'd like to see the U-505 museum. It sounds fascinating.

In the Eye of the Beholder KJ

Makes the bulbous bow look like old hat.

I'd be happy w just a plumb stem.

If you remember the SS United States in 1952!
On her maiden voyage on July 3, 1952,[clarification needed] United States broke the transatlantic speed record held by Queen Mary for the previous 14 years by over 10 hours, making the maiden crossing from the Ambrose lightship at New York Harbor to Bishop Rock off Cornwall, UK in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots (65.91 km/h; 40.96 mph) The liner also broke the westbound crossing record by returning to America in 3 days 12 hours and 12 minutes at an average speed of 34.51 knots (63.91 km/h; 39.71 mph), thereby obtaining both the eastbound and westbound speed records and the Blue Riband, the first time a US-flagged ship had held the speed record since SS Baltic claimed the prize 100 years earlier.
United States maintained a 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) crossing speed on the North Atlantic in a service career that lasted 17 years.
United States lost the eastbound speed record in 1990 to Hoverspeed Great Britain; however, she continues to hold the Blue Riband as all subsequent record breakers were neither in passenger service nor were their voyages westbound.[17]
United States' maximum speed was deliberately exaggerated, and kept obscure for many years. An impossible value of 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph) was leaked to reporters by engineers after the first speed trial. [18] Her actual top speed—38.3 knots (70.9 km/h; 44.1 mph)[citation needed]—was not revealed until 1977. A Philadelphia Inquirer article reported the top speed achieved as 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph),[19] while another source reports that the highest possible sustained top speed was 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph).[20]

Again, the same boat lightened a bit with just the hull turned upside-down.

KJ said:

In the Eye of the Beholder KJ

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Those shapes clearly make them wave-piercing. Good for stability and ride, and also probably average speed, but I suspect very wet on deck in a seaway...

With the ability to make 40Knots + if the vessel did stuff the bow into heavy seas, the hull shape will shed the water load with much less stress to the hulls backbone. The tons of water landing atop the decks of the old stile hull kept the bow under longer as the engines drive her deeper into the on coming sea. Making the stress on the hull multiply. A SeaLand container ship stuffed her bow at 34 knots and the damage to the steel on the bow was unbelievable . The most forward deck plates were 3 layers of 3" steel. 9" of steel was rippled like a wash board. There is a very important reason for the design.

Political discussion closed this thread in case anyone's wondering.