Meet the USS Zumwalt

Monday April 14 2014

The Navy will launch its newest ship later this year, or so they say. My recollection is that the last ship the Navy had built has combat survival problems. But it was a bargain at $670 M compared to the Zumwalt at $7 B.

Here is my take

The origianl cost went from $3.8 B to $7 B, apparently it is impossible to correctly estimate high tech costs
So the origianl 32 ship order got cut from 32 to 3, yes 3
All this high tech stuff means the crew was cut from 210 to 130, a continuing sign of how low interest rates beget more human displacing inventions
This photo of the command center looks great for say our building at Brooks, not so much for a ship that is subject to violent moves away from upright vertical, say in a submarine evasive
manuever
If the ship has to make a hard change of course in either direction all those computer sacreens go clattering to the deck, I don't get it, all this should be secured
It is hard to see how just three ships world wide can be positioned across the world's oceans to quickly respond to much of anythiing, ie, where would you put them?
Oh and then there is the electromagnetic rail gun, buck rogers here we come
I wonder what happens if the electrical system goes out on this thing, would there be any mechanical system, you know like a real gun, that would still operate, just wondering
Actually th is design reminds me of the first Union Iron Clad, the USS Monitor. As the saying goes, there is nothing new under the sun.

Looks to me like a faiulure of managerial accounting, what do you think?

Professor Elam