The Navy officially accepted a hull, mechanical and electric (HM&E) delivery of the future Zumwalt-class destroyer USS. Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) from builder General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) [GD] today.
The Navy said the delivery came after “extensive tests, trials and demonstrations” of the destroyer’s HM&E systems. This covers boat handling, anchor and mooring systems plus major demonstrations of the damage control, ballasting, navigation and communications systems.
“Delivery of DDG-1001 marks the culmination of years of dedication and hard work from our Navy and industry team. We have incorporated many lessons learned from DDG-1000 and are proud of the end result. DDG-1001 will be a tremendous asset to the Navy,” Capt. Kevin Smith, DDG-1000 program manager, at PEO Ships, said in a statement.
The service noted the Zumwalt-class ships are delivered in a two-phase approach. After HM&E delivery, combat systems are installed and activated. Following the HM&E delivery, DDG-1001 will sail to its homeport of San Diego for commissioning planned in January 2019. After commissioning, the ship will then begin its combat systems activation, testing, and trials.
DDG-1001 finished its acceptance trials in February (Defense Daily, Feb. 2).
Back in January, Smith said at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium that the Monsoor was expected to finish its HM&E delivery in March (Defense Daily, Jan. 11).
The third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer, the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002), is still under construction at BIW’s shipyard in Bath, Maine. Earlier this month at the annual Sea Air Space expo, Smith said DDG-1002 was about 74 percent completed. It is planned to have full hull integration this month, be christened November 2018, undergo trials the next month, and have HM&E delivery by March 2020.