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Zumwalt - The Next GenerationLargest Destoyer Ever Built, DDG 1000 is Christened in Maine

by CAPT Edward Lundquist, USN (Ret)

On a beautiful April day on the banks of the Kennebec River, Bath Iron Works and the United States Navy christened the future USS Zumwalt, soon to be the largest and most powerful destroyer in the world.

After a welcoming from Fred Harris, President of General Dynam-ics Bath Iron Works (BIW), and acknowledgement of the many partners that worked with BIW to build the ship, the 5,000 guests heard from an impressive group of public servants, including Maine Gov. Paul R. LePage; U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King; U.S. Representatives Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree; as well as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Sean Stackley; Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mark Ferguson; Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Tech-nology and Logistics Frank Kendall, and principal speaker Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. The ceremony took two hours.

Gov. King took note of the audacity, courage and confidence the ship represented. “She is an audacious statement by her draftsmen and designers, by her builders — and by builders I mean the men and women who pulled the pipes, welded the great hull, aligned the shaft and did those thousands — no, did those millions of other tasks — which took her from conception to this terrifying reality. She is also an act of courage by those who conceived her, by those who saw her role in the future of our Navy, and those who will

soon board her with the prospect of conflict and confrontation ever-present.”

“This ship is a modern marvel, and it’s going to take smart and creative and hardworking sailors like Bud Zumwalt to operate it,” said Secretary Mabus.

Mabus said the ship will help the Navy be more than being “at the right place at the right time, but in the right place all the time.”

BIW’s Harris said the ship was full of technological innovation, but built on a solid foundation. BIW has been building destroyers since 1909. Harris, like other speakers, also talked about the legacy of Admiral Zumwalt, the new ship’s namesake. “He made the well-being and dignity of his Sailors a priority.”

Sen. Collins mentioned one of Admiral Zumwalt’s famous “Z-Grams,” which he used to make some important announcements to the fleet. It was Z-Gram #116 where rights and opportunities were afforded to women in the Navy.

At 49, Admiral Zumwalt became the youngest CNO in Navy history. A champion of equal rights and opportunities for minority Sailors, he promoted African American to senior positions, extended sea

Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers (foreground) and Ann Zumwalt christens the guided-missile destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Zumwalt (DDG 1000) during a christening ceremony at Bath Iron Works, April 12, as brother Jim Zumwalt looks on. The lead ship and class are named in honor of their father, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974.(U.S. Navy photo courtesy of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works by Dennis Griggs/Released)

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus delivers remarks during the christening ceremony for the Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Zumwalt (DDG) 1000. The ship, the first of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. The lead ship and class are named in honor of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Arif Patani/Released)

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duty and flying opportunities for women, and opened new ratings for Filipino Sailors, who were previously limited to being stewards.

“We are christening the most advanced destroyer on the world—15,600 tons of Seapower,” said Asst. Secretary Stackley.

Stackley said the new ship has remarkable stealth characteristics. “You will see the ship on the horizon before you see her on radar.”

Admiral Zumwalt’s daughters, Ann Zumwalt and Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, served as the ship’s sponsors—and broke two ceremonial bottle of champagne on the ship—and were joined by their brother, Lt. Col. James Zumwalt, USMCR (Ret.), in making remarks.

“My father would be so honored to have his name mentioned along with Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient Michael Monsoor and President Lyndon Baines Johnson,” said Ann Zumwalt.

James Zumwalt directed much of his remarks to Sarah Kirk, daugh-ter of prospective Commanding Officer Capt. James Kirk and his wife Sarah. “More than fifty-five years ago, a ten-year old boy sat where you are now, in this same shipyard, to witness the christen-ing of a remarkable ship. It was a first-of-class ship and, at that time, represented the Navy’s most advanced technology. On the platform in front of him sat his father, the ship’s prospective CO. The year was 1958. The ship was the USS Dewey (DLG 14). The

prospective CO was Commander Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. I, obviously, was that ten-year old boy.” “On this day,” he said, “I am experienc-ing these events vicariously through you.”

“We share a common bond,” he said. “I know what you are feeling.”

“Just like I did 55 years ago, today I share the pride you are feeling as your eyes are fixated on that magnificent ship before you. Just like I did 55 years ago, today I share the pride you are feeling as you see the ship’s prospective CO—your father—on this platform. Just like I did 55 years ago, today I share the pride of all those qualified to command this ship, it was your father who was selected to do so.” James Zumwalt mentioned that the christening was but one of three important events in the construction of the ship—the other two being the keel laying and the commissioning.

“I have found the commissioning to be the most emotional of the three,” he said. “One cannot help be wowed when the sponsor turns to the crew standing on the pier next to the ship and orders

them, to ‘give the ship life.’ It only takes a minute or so for the crew to double-time onboard, effectively giving it life 24/7 for however many decades the ship continues to serve.”

“But,” he said, “While a ship can be given life with the snap of the fingers, there is something else it needs, as well; something that cannot be achieved so quickly. This ship will also be in need of a ‘soul,’ and that task will fall to your father. He will need to mold a group of men and women—each one with their own areas of expertise, personalities and performance skills—into a crew of one.”

Members of the christening party for the guided-missile destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Zumwalt (DDG 1000) pose for a photo after the ship\’s christening. Capt. James A. Kirk, front, prospective commanding officer of PCU Zumwalt; retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. James G. Zumwalt; ship sponsor Mouzetta Zumwalt-Weathers, Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus, and ship sponsor Ann Zumwalt. The ship, the first of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. The lead ship and class are named in honor of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works by Dennis Griggs/Released)

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus and other honored guests attend the christening ceremony for the Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Zumwalt (DDG) 1000. The ship, the first of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. The lead ship and class are named in honor of former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., who served as chief of naval operations from 1970-1974. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Arif Patani/Released)

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“I have every confidence you father will give this ship that soul—and do it very quickly—for I have already witnessed it taking shape.”

Mouzetta Zumwalt quoted from her father’s high school valedictory speech, delivered when he was 17. “The privilege of friendship is perhaps one of the keenest pleasures given to man....To have the capacity for making friends requires all the understanding, sympa-thy and toleration that love is capable of giving.”

“These words capture the essence of his guiding principles in life --compassion and Humanity,” she said.

Captain Paul Rinn, SNA Awards Committee Chairman, and LT David Duprey, a SNA 2014 Admiral Zumwalt Leadership award winner, at the christening ceremony for DDG-1000.

The Battle for Plattsburgh Bay, 1814by David Curtis Skaggs

Napoleon had been exiled to Elba; the triumphant European powers gathered in Vienna to distribute the spoils; but the pesky Americans continued to fight the British on the high seas and along the Canadian-American border, as well as British-allied Native Americans from Lake Superior to Mobile Bay. For the United States the war became a struggle for territorial integrity and national honor. The British desired to punish the Americans for what they considered a stab-in-the-back during their desperate struggle with the French that had lasted twenty years.

The Secretary of State for War, Lord Bathurst, informed Canadian Governor-General Sir George Prevost in June 1814 that he would be reinforced with 10,000 new troops and that he was “to commence offensive operations on the Enemy’s Frontier before the close of this Campaign.” Among a multitude of tasks allotted to him, Prevost was to take an advanced position on Lake Champlain that would significantly improve Lower Canada’s (modern Quebec) security by allowing the British to secure a port on the lake in a peace treaty.

The 107-mile-long Lake Champlain looks like a two-bladed dagger pointing toward the Hudson Valley at one end and the St. Lawrence Valley to the north. In effect, Lake Champlain constituted a fresh-water sallyport from which an army could strike at the economic heartland of either country, but its military use required naval su-periority. With the Adirondacks on the New York side and the Green Mountains on its Vermont banks, controlling the lake’s waters was essential for any ground operation’s success. Logistical support, that bane of all military operations, required control of the lake to sustain a ground campaign.

Campaign Preparations

Even before this decision in London, Commodore Sir James Yeo, commander of the Royal Navy’s North American lakes squadrons, ordered the construction of a brig for use on Lake Champlain, HMS Linnet. The Americans countered with a brig of their own, USS Saratoga and they built the USS Ticonderoga from the hull of an uncompleted steamboat. The British upped the ante by order-ing construction of the 37-gun Confiance, which when completed would be the largest vessel on the lake, twice the tonnage of the Saratoga. The shipbuilding race continued in the summer when the Americans countered with the speedy construction of the brig Eagle while the Confiance was still incomplete. When all the shipbuilding was finished, the Royal Navy had a slight firepower advantage over the American squadron.

Each side made a series of operational and organizational decisions that summer that affected the naval and ground forces facing one another along the Canadian-American frontier. Governor-General Prevost decided to focus British Army attention on the Lake Cham-plain front while Commodore Yeo prioritized gaining naval superi-ority on Lake Ontario. Thus the effort to build the Confiance and to deploy seamen to the Lake Champlain Theater remained less urgent for the Royal Navy than the construction and manning of a first rate man-of-war on Lake Ontario. The size of the squadron demanded a post captain replace the commander that headed it and Commodore Yeo sent Capt. Peter Fisher from Lake Ontario to the naval headquarters at Île de Noix in the Richelieu River. Then he abruptly relieved Fisher with Capt. George Downie on 1 Septem-ber, just ten days before the two squadrons engaged and while the Confiance was still unfinished and incompletely manned. Finally,