USS Zumwalt super-destroyer is rusting near California, literally

[rangerrebew]

USS Zumwalt super-destroyer is rusting near California, literally
By Boyko Nikolov   On Dec 11, 2021
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WASHINGTON – The US Navy’s USS Zumwalt, which has been testing for a year and cost US taxpayers at least 4.4 billion US dollars, is rusting, according to new photos taken in Southern California waters, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

The photos show that the ship’s anti-radar absorbing plates are deeply discolored and covered with rust, which raises worrying questions.

Experts say that the occurrence of such corrosion and rust occurs when “ships that have been deployed for long periods, executing high tempo operations, not those that spend the vast majority of their time tied up to the pier at one of the Navy’s most well-equipped harbors,” writes Tyler Rogoway of The Drive. Opinions of experts in the field are contradictory – some say that while a ship operates such rust is not a problem for the ship, while others say that in addition to “discomfort in appearance” this rust speaks of problems with USS Zumwalt systems.

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2021/12/11/uss-zumwalt-super-destroyer-is-rusting-near-california-literally/

[sneakypete]

It sounds to an uninformed non-sailor like me that if the rust is bad while tied up at port,chances are the steel was never up to specs when it was delivered,and that whoever the senior officer is aboard that is in charge should be relived of his command for allowing it to happen without reporting it.

[rangerrebew]

@sneakypete

When we went overseas, my carrier was rust free, on the exterior anyway,  and was looking good.  Four to five months later we would have R & R for a week in Hong Kong.  During that time, local laborers came to the ship to sand off the rust that had accrued during that short time.  They would have rafts next to the ship and the workers used poles about 50 feet long with rollers to repaint the exterior.  By the time we got back from deployment more rust babies had appeared.  That's a long way around of saying sea water is tremendously corrosive.  But the corrosion is especially hard on ships under weigh because of all the salt water spray from the bows of ships and the natural occurring wind bringing more spray.  Anything that will eat through Navy paint is hard to fight off.  As far as ships sitting in port, my experience in two minor yard periods, about 6 months each, any damage from salt water is fairly minimal.  Where I see some of the rust on this bucket doesn't look like normal places you would expect to see that much rust.

[DB]

It's "camo"...

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete

When we went overseas, my carrier was rust free, on the exterior anyway,  and was looking good.  Four to five months later we would have R & R for a week in Hong Kong.  During that time, local laborers came to the ship to sand off the rust that had accrued during that short time.  They would have rafts next to the ship and the workers used poles about 50 feet long with rollers to repaint the exterior.  By the time we got back from deployment more rust babies had appeared.  That's a long way around of saying sea water is tremendously corrosive.  But the corrosion is especially hard on ships under weigh because of all the salt water spray from the bows of ships and the natural occurring wind bringing more spray.  Anything that will eat through Navy paint is hard to fight off.  As far as ships sitting in port, my experience in two minor yard periods, about 6 months each, any damage from salt water is fairly minimal.  Where I see some of the rust on this bucket doesn't look like normal places you would expect to see that much rust.

@rangerrebew

Which implies to ME that some SOB allowed steel that didn't meet the specifications to be used in the construction of a new ship.

I do NOT think it would be extreme to find out who was responsible for this,and if found guilty after a trial,shoot the SOB so his death serves as an example to others in his and similar positions of trust.

I have LESS than zero tolerance for officers and NCO's who are corrupt and don't do their duty. The military is NOT a normal job in any sense of the word. Military mistakes don't lead to cost overruns,they lead to dead members of the US military who trusted their superiors with their lives.

And I am not joking even a little bit.

[Fishrrman]

One of the Navy's worst-ever design mistakes (of which "the rust" is only a small part):

[sneakypete]

One of the Navy's worst-ever design mistakes (of which "the rust" is only a small part):

@Fishrrman

Kinda looks like one of the Civil War ironclads,doesn't it?

What class of warship is it? Never seen one,or even a photo of one before.

[DB]

The idea is the sloped surfaces reflect radar upward away from the source making it invisible to other ships.

[rangerrebew]

[quote

What class of warship is it? Never seen one,or even a photo of one before.
[/quote]

It's a member of a growing class of ships called the worthless class.

[sneakypete]

[quote

What class of warship is it? Never seen one,or even a photo of one before.


It's a member of a growing class of ships called the worthless class.

@rangerrebew


Ahhh,now that you wrote it,it seems so obvious I don't know how I missed it.

I plead "being a soldier",and not knowing a damn thing about war ships" as my defense.

[rangerrebew]

[quote 

I plead "being a soldier",and not knowing a damn thing about war ships" as my defense.
[/quote]

Well. you're in good company, in a manner of speaking, because the Admirals don't seem to know either.

[sneakypete]

[quote 

I plead "being a soldier",and not knowing a damn thing about war ships" as my defense.


Well. you're in good company, in a manner of speaking, because the Admirals don't seem to know either.

@rangerrebew

Good point!

The SOB's seem to know everything there is to know about the Navy "good old boy system",though.

[AARguy]

Has China seen this? Between the running away in Afghanistan and this photo... China's military should get the "GO!" signal any moment. I bet real estate in Taiwan is cheaper than Kung Pow Chicken.

[sneakypete]

Has China seen this? Between the running away in Afghanistan and this photo... China's military should get the "GO!" signal any moment. I bet real estate in Taiwan is cheaper than Kung Pow Chicken.
[/quote

@AARguy

I doan know about that,but I do know that if I were a Taiwan Chinese native,I would be vewwy,vewwy scared right now,and doing my damndest to build a boat good enough to make it to Japan,and stocking it with supplies.

Not that the Japanese would allow me to stay there because they wouldn't. They would put me up while I was looking for another safe place to go. A temporary safe refuge is better than no refuge at all.