By
Paul McLeary on January 14, 2021 at 1:59 PM
USS Zumwalt sails with an Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship
WASHINGTON: The Navy plans to install hypersonic missiles on its troublesome Zumwalt destroyers, after Congress gave them the green light to start studying the move in the 2021 budget.
Multiple Navy officials said this week they’re diving into the effort, even though the USS Zumwalt, the first of the three-ship class, has yet to deploy despite being christened in 2016.
The timeline for the Conventional Prompt Strike Weapon to be fitted onto the ship isn’t clear, but first the service needs to finish testing it’s own version of the missile, then deliver a report to the Hill.
Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships Will Be on the Front Lines in the Pacific, SWO Boss Says
Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) launches a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) during exercise Pacific Griffin. (U.S. Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe)
13 Jan 2021
After years of setbacks, the Navy s littoral combat ships are going to see a surge in missions in the Pacific, where leaders say they ll be out front as the U.S. seeks to counter China s growing influence in the region.
The Navy has identified the missions the LCS will fulfill in U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said this week.
SWO boss: ‘Many challenges remain’ in fixing surface fleet’s manning problems January 12 Quartermaster 3rd Class Annie Kilcrease uses an alidade aboard the guided-missile destroyer Ross in the Denmark Strait July 1, 2019. (MC2 Krystina Coffey/Navy) Chronic manning shortfalls aboard U.S. Navy warships were found to have contributed to the fatal 2017 collisions of the Fitzgerald and John S. McCain, disasters that killed 17 sailors and scarred many more of their shipmates for life. While the surface fleet has made improvements in manning its ships in recent years, more remains to be done, the head of Naval Surface Forces said Tuesday. “We are making progress with our manning issues, but many challenges remain,” SWO Boss Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener said during the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.
Johnston (DD-557).
1 Declaring to his new crew and guests, “This is going to be a fighting ship,” he motioned toward the bunting-draped destroyer and added, “I intend to go in harm’s way, and anyone who doesn’t want to go along had better get off right now.” He continued resolutely, “I will never again retreat from an enemy force.”
In recognition of his valiant spirit and heroism in fighting his ship until she sank in the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944, Evans posthumously was awarded the Medal of Honor, and the culture he set serves as an example to all Navy ships striving for battle-minded and combat-ready crews.