Family Of Ships News

The U.S. Navy’s controversial USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) class of guided missile destroyers raises the legitimate question of whether a ship is too transformational, or not transformational enough.While the Navy Fact File states that DDG 1000 is the “largest and most technologically advanced surface combatant in the world,” it’s a program that has been in existence for many years. It began as the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st century) research and development program in 1994, which included the “arsenal ship” concept.

Royal Caribbean has ordered a fourth ship for its Quantum Class family of ships from Meyer Werft. The ship will be delivered in 2019. With two Quantum-class vessels already delivered and a third under construction, Royal Caribbean Cruises on Thursday announced plans to order a fourth. The Miami-based cruise ship company said it had entered into an agreement with the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany to build the 4,180-passenger vessel. The sister ship to Quantum and Anthem of the Seas will be delivered in 2019, three years after Ovation of the Seas joins the fleet of Royal Caribbean International. Richard D. Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is expected to debut in 2016 and will be the world's largest cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean International took delivery of its 23rd ship, Anthem of the Seas. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain officially received the new ship from Meyer Werft Yard’s Managing Partner Bernard Meyer in a signing ceremony held in Bremerhaven, Germany. Anthem of the Seas will now sail to Southampton, U.K., where the ship will homeport through October and sail to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands. The ship will be inaugurated in Southampton on April 20…

“It isn’t everyday we get to sign a contract to begin construction of a lead ship, but on Feb. 14, we met in my office and did exactly that, twice! Not one but two lead DDG 1000 ships will now begin construction,” said Rear Adm. Vic Guillory, the director for Surface Warfare. Two identical lead ships will be built by Bath Iron Works (General Dynamics) and Ingalls (Northrop Grumman). Bath Iron Works will build DDG 1000 and Ingalls will build DDG 1001. Other prime contractors include BAE Systems and Raytheon. Delivery of the lead ship is expected in the late 2012 to early 2013 time frame.

frigate USS Ingraham (FFG 61) during a leap frog training exercise. The exercise allows ship handlers to practice the approach and stabilization alongside and a breakaway in a simulated underway replenishment environment. Ingraham and Antietam are part of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Carrier Strike Group on deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Jeremie Kerns. By Edward H. The U.S. Navy’s “Cruiser Modernization” program will extend…

By Edward H. The U.S. Navy's "Cruiser Modernization" program will extend the service life and enhance the combat capability of 22 of the Navy's 27 multi-mission AEGIS cruisers (CG-52 through CG-73). The Cruiser Modernization is necessary to enable the CG-47 class to participate effectively in support of joint littoral campaigns. Missions include land attack, littoral undersea warfare, force protection, and anti-air defense, as well as allowing for a possible future Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) mission. The program extends the service life of each ship to 35 years. Combat systems will be upgraded while crew size and maintenance requirements will be reduced.

The team of General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin said they strongly support the U.S. Navy's plan for the next generation of surface combatant ships referred to as DD(X). The Blue Team has developed technologies relevant to the DD(X) requirement and is preparing its response to the Navy's request for proposal (RFP). DD(X) will be a technology engine that will drive a family of combatants to transform the Navy. The Navy will use the advanced technology and networking capabilities from DD(X) in the development of both the future cruiser, CG(X), and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). This strategy will provide a road map for the future Navy and a broader strategic framework within which transformation will occur.

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Gold Team was chosen by the U.S. Navy to complete the system design for the Navy's advanced, 21st century surface combatant, DD(X). The project replaces the $25 billion DD-21 program of land-attack destroyers that was scrapped last fall. Northrop Grumman's Ship Systems sector will lead the system design, engineering prototype development and testing of the DD(X) System under a $265 million contract awarded today by the Navy. The team includes Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) as mission systems integrator and more than 30 of the nation's top engineering and maritime industrial companies. The initial design contract has a total value of approximately $2.9 billion over four years. "We are very pleased and proud that our DD(X) Gold Team was selected by the Navy.

partnership with General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, has completed the initial critical design review for the overall system design for the DD(X) multi-mission destroyer. The event demonstrated that the program is ready for the Flag level review in September and that the DD(X) Flight 1 system design is complete, stable and mature enough to enter detail design. "Absolutely magnificent," said U .S. Navy Capt. Chuck Goddard, PMS 500 DD(X) program manager. "The hard work and dedication of the DD(X) National Team and Navy program office to further mature the design and technologies since successfully carrying out the preliminary design review over a year ago should be applauded," said Brian Cuccias, Northrop Grumman vice president and DD(X) program manager.

Maritime Dominance in the 21st Century calls for naval forces that can project power forward, provide assured access in the littoral environment and support a wide variety of joint and combined operations. To meet this challenge, the U.S. Defeating and deterring future national threats requires a broad range of capabilities from long-range missile defense, precision strike and volume fires to assuring friendly access in the dangerous littoral regions of the world. Transformation of the future fleet will start with the DD(X) technology development effort, from hull and propulsion to sensors and weapons. DD(X) will provide sustained, offensive, distributed, and precise firepower at long ranges to support forces ashore and to conduct time-critical strikes on land targets.

The U.S. Navy's Surface Combatant Family of Ships (SCFOS) will employ a transformational acquisition approach and focuses on developing a ship that can accommodate modular combat systems. The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) combat systems modules will be developed separately from ship construction and will be integrated in an open systems architecture model. Additionally, early LCS development will heavily leverage pre-existing technologies. By leveraging the existing R&D efforts performed by the Navy and industry and accelerating the timeline for requirement development and acquisition, LCS will keep delivery times significantly shorter than those of traditional ship programs.

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a new ship design concept being considered to combat emerging threats in the littoral. It will be a relatively small, focused-mission combat ship that will revolutionize the way the U.S. Navy builds and fights ships. LCS, with its high speed, shallow draft, and maneuverability, will be optimized to serve as a force-multiplier for other larger, multi-mission ships. The U.S. Navy in the first years of the 21st century faces a similar problem that confronted naval powers at the turn of the last century. The capital ship then was the Dreadnought. Its mere presence could have an impact on events at sea and ashore.