Zumwalt combined a small radar signature with plans for quiet operation, new sensors, electric propulsion, and an integrated power system able to support future energy-intensive weapons. Its advanced gun system was intended to deliver accurate 155 mm fire against targets ashore at distances exceeding 100 miles. Automation initially promised a crew below 100, although the requirement later rose to 147 in the account read here. Reducing a planned 32-ship class to three spread development costs across very few hulls, with a quoted cost exceeding $7 billion per ship when development was included. The early criticism of the tumblehome hull is qualified during the reading: later testimony described it as working well after refinement. The familiar claim of a fishing-boat radar signature is also treated cautiously, since a similar claim had been made for Type 23 frigates.
Notable Point · 4:49:56-4:52:18
Zumwalt's automation ambitions and the tumblehome correction
Zumwalt promised quiet running, integrated electric power, precise shore bombardment, and a much smaller crew. Its early tumblehome criticism is qualified by subsequent refinement.