New Tech Destroyer USS Zumwalt
erco
Posts: 20,261
I just saw this and thought it was a CGI fake, but it's for real. Already christened, launched, tested, and being commissioned in mid-October: http://usszumwalt.org/ship/ This stealthy, slab-sided (remember the Sea Shadow?) ship makes big promises and has every modern technical marvel on board, including RAIL GUNS. Any Propellers on board? Hate to think of our National Security powered by Arduino or Windows 10 tech!
Comments
-Phil
Also carries 16 IBM Blade servers.
Supposedly has real time sensor fusion.
Still I wouldn't park it anywhere within 200 miles of a hostile Island or land mass given some of the new anti-ship missiles like the Sunburn that can turn it into a slag of melted aluminum.
What's the deal with "real time sensor fusion"? I have a 10 dollar STM32F4 board hear that does that
As for war ships and Windows, remember the Yorktown https://gcn.com/Articles/1998/07/13/Software-glitches-leave-Navy-Smart-Ship-dead-in-the-water.aspx
Ahoy, there be less deck to swab, me hearty!
I could see myself latching on to one of those hatch covers before sliding off the side of the ship. Only to find out it wasn't for incoming use, it was for outgoing. And while trying to regain my sea-legs, I was suddenly launched on a mission to some exotic port of call.
Edit: don't expect this link to work, based on subsequent comments. Just leaving it for posterity.
http://185.120.147.213/kj2vzszcem6vtaw52bjz4ledf7mv6osuurxb6kzuyttw4uddrh3esjx72xbq/v.mp4
What is that link?
All it produces for me is a white page with the text:
"Wrong IP"
Same here.
-Phil
Sorry, we now return you to your regular paid programming.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmo_Zumwalt
Agreed, too bad he's gone. I already like him for President better than any of the other candidates, even if he didn't become a senator.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Zumwalt:
Zumwalt's commanding officer is Captain James A. Kirk.[25] Kirk attracted some media attention when he was first named captain, due to the similarity of his name to that of the Star Trek television character Captain James T. Kirk, played by William Shatner. Shatner wrote a letter of support to Zumwalt's crew in April 2014.[26]
Go Cap'n Kirk! http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/star-trek-v-the-restaurant-enterprise/n9513
There is "more than meets the eye" in that ship.
At 10:50, the video informs us it's a transformer.
Too bad they didn't include video of it transforming.
We had a similar choice recently so I can sympathize with you. It's a sad state of affairs when the choice is between terrible and even worse.
Jim, I'm writing you in for PotUS.
One thing I learned about the ship last night is it does not have a traditional engine design. Traditionally, propulsion was provided by dedicated (usually diesel) engines, while the rest of the ship's power was from separate power plants. In the DDG 1000, the engines are electric and powered from the same power plant(s) as the entire rest of the ship. Apparently, the driving factor for this change was the Zumwalt's support for Directed-Energy Weapons (DEW). Such systems require significant burst of energy, which require much larger power plants than traditionally used. By unifying the power systems for on board power, DEWs, and propulsion, they are apparently able to meet all needs without having to take up more space. While this sounds impressive, I have to wonder what kind of issues they will have going forward. Electrical engineering in a marine environment is an art unto itself. From experience, I know how easily electrical systems can go awry on a ship.
As for the "transformer" comment, this is actually part of an overall shift in the US Navy's design philosophy. Some of you may also know about the LCS (Littoral Combat Ship), which is even more modular than the DDG 1000. The idea is simple: design the ships such that their payloads are interchangeable. For the LCS, they're known as "mission modules", which theoretically allow the ship to be used for a myriad of distinct purposes (e.g. mine warfare, surveillance, temporary hospital, troop transport, etc). Conversely, the DDG is still primarily a combat vessel, so it's more focused on swapping out it's weaponry (including new and/or prototype weapons).
In both cases (LCS and DDG), they are running the ships with significantly smaller crews. Ironically, this may be the most difficult part of the change in the Navy's philosophy. Several years back, I had an opportunity to talk with a crew that was training for the LCS 2 (I was working on one of the mission modules at the time). One thing that became clear is that the operation of the LCS fundamentally changed they way the sailors were being trained. Usually, a sailor would specialize in a single area of focus (weapons, propulsion, navigation, etc.). But, with the significantly reduced crew size of the LCS (and presumably the DDG 1000), the sailors were having to learn all of it. Just like the mission modules, they had to be interchangeable for just about every job on the ship. In conversation, the sailors had mixed views on whether this was a good thing or not. They understood the advantage of having smaller crews, though they were concerned it would mean they had to do more work as a result. It gave them a broader opportunity to learn, but they couldn't necessarily have enough time to get really proficient in any one area of focus. Additionally, it potentially put them at a disadvantage when their assignment changed to a different ship, where specialization was the name of the game.
In the long run, the Navy's new philosophy may indeed be a sea change, but I suspect there will be some rough chop along the way to making it a reality.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a23738/uss-zumwalt-ammo-too-expensive/
Wikipedia still insists that materials science is not up to making the rails survive the friction/heat/forces required and will wear out after a few shots.
Still, I'd love to see the capacitor banks that drive those things.
Probably not the Chinese capacitors I buy in bulk for a buck.
Hey, maybe I can help our Navy find some ordinance they can actually afford on EBay! Does the Navy even care about free shipping, or will USPS take one for the team?
https://www.rt.com/usa/367866-uss-zumwalt-stealth-break-down/