Navy will build only two of its planned stealth destroyers
Published 10:54 pm Tuesday, July 22, 2008
PORTLAND, Maine — The Navy has decided to scrap its newest destroyer model after the first two are built in shipyards in Maine and Mississippi, Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday.
Collins, a Maine Republican, said Navy Secretary Donald Winter called her to tell her the outcome of a meeting of top brass regarding the future of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer.
Critics say the Zumwalt is too expensive for the Navy to achieve its goal of a 313-ship fleet.
The Navy has been debating whether to build more of the current, and less expensive, Arleigh Burke destroyers. A spokesperson for the Pentagon said it would have no immediate comment on its plans.
The Zumwalt was conceived as a stealth warship with massive firepower to pave the way for Marines to make their way ashore. It features advanced technology, composite materials, an unconventional wave-piercing hull and a smaller crew.
