A Zumwalt in Name Only

Mike Burleson

No other warships in history has been as inaptly named as the Navy’s new stealth destroyer, the DDG-1000 Zumwalt. Admiral Elmo Russell Zumwalt, Jr, Chief of Naval Operations at a critical time after Vietnam, was enlightened and innovative, besides being an asset to the fleet. The new ship has very little in common with its namesake.

Other than being a colossal drain on precious shipbuilding resources, the DDG-1000 brings very little as far as capabilities to the US Navy. It’s armament of cruise missiles and 5 inch cannon can easily be fired from older Arleigh Burkes destroyers. The latter also carries Standard missiles to defend itself, while the 6000 ton heavier and $3 billion more expensive Zumwalt does not. Initial plans for a total of 29 of the newer destroyers have been steadily shelved to 7, and now currently 3 ships. The stealthiness of its unique radar-evading hull is overshadowed by its 14,500 ton bulk, the size of a WW 2 light carrier!

In stark and glaring contrast is Admiral Zumwalt himself, who dedicated himself to rebuilding the Navy, which by the 1970s had shrunk to about 500 ships, or less than half its Vietnam War high of 1000 vessels (in 1968). The new CNO was given the unenviable task of replacing the mass of World War 2 vessels that had reached the end of their usefulness after 30 years of updating them to the missile age, plus continuous service throughout the Cold War.

While his peers in the Navy dreamed of massive new Nimitz aircraft carriers, Virginia class nuclear powered escorts, plus the giant new Trident Ohio class submarines, Zumwalt pushed new destroyers and frigates to combat the submarine threat which posed the most immediate problem for defending the sealanes. When the tenacious Admiral Rickover wanted a 16,000 ton submarine to fire the new cruise missiles then entering service, the younger man fought to place these same missiles on smaller and more affordable Los Angeles class subs. Surprisingly the CNO prevailed over the powerful founder of America’s nuclear sub fleet. In so doing, he laid the foundation for the 600 Ship Navy that won the Cold War, and provided America with its current unmatched missile carrying fleet. Wikipedia notes:

“Zumwalt reshaped the Navy’s effort to replace large numbers of aging World War II-era vessels, a plan called “High-Low.” Instituted over the resistance of Admiral Hyman Rickover and others, High-Low sought to balance the purchase of high-end, nuclear-powered vessels with low-end, cheaper ones — such as the Sea Control Ship — that could be bought in greater numbers. Rickover, the Father of the Nuclear Navy, preferred buying a few impressive ships to buying many ordinary ones...Zumwalt proposed four kinds of warships to fit the plan; in the end, only the Pegasus class of missile patrol boats and the Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG 7) class of guided missile frigates became reality.”

So we see that Zumwalt would likely have been on the other side of this issue concerning his giant new namesake. He inherited a sizable but rapidly aging fleet whose backbone was still the masses of World War 2 built ships, extensively modernized but worn from decades of service. His predecessors had fashioned a very effective and modern force based around large carrier task forces and nuclear submarines, but had neglected basic escort and patrol warships, which in wartime or peace is a primary function. The patrol frigate of some 50 Perry class vessels was a clear example of Zumwalt’s attempt to save the fleet from a hollow force. He also attempted to construct a Sea Control Ship armed with the new vertol Harriers then coming into service, but extreme opposition from Congress and others in the Navy vetoed the interesting idea, seeing such small air capable ships as a threat to their supercarrier plans.

Also, during an early tenure as Commander Naval Forces, Vietnam, he oversaw a successful brown-water campaign to disrupt Viet Cong monuments on the rivers and coastal regions of the country. The Admiral would likely have been at the forefront of those who wish to see more small craft to take the lead in interdicting terrorists transporting WMDs on the high seas, as well as defeating the new breed of pirates currently terrorizing sealanes in the Third World.

In my view, with the current fleet steadily shrinking below 300 warships with no end in sight, Admiral Zumwalt would abhor this 14,500 ton monstrosity, which drains our stretched thin shipbuilding budget. The fact of the matter is, we could use more men like Elmo Zumwalt today who could stand against Congress and the naval status quo, not just ships named in his honor.

My blog concerning issues of military reform is at newwars.wordpress.com

###

Mike Burleson is a regular columnist with Sea Classics magazine and an advocate of Military Reform. He resides in historic Charleston, SC. http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/honestnews/ http://newwars.blogspot.com/

charbookguy@myway.com