USS ZUMWALT DDG 100 Commissioning

On 15 October 2016 I had the honor of attending the commissioning of the US Zumwalt DDG 100 Pax Propter Vim (Peace Through Power). 

It's just a stunning breakthrough in American war fighting technology.

It was built by General Dynamics at their Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine.
Specifications::
Length: 610 Feet
Beam:  80.7 Feet
Draft:  27.6 Feet
Speed:  30 Knots
Displacement:  15,742 Lightweight Tons
Installed Power:  78 Megawatts
Crew Size:  175 Personnel

James A. Kirk, the Commanding Officer of the USS ZUMWALT, had this to say about the Admiral Zumwalt the ship is named after.

It was an honor to attend this commissioning. I loved seeing the old Navy Vets who were as startled by the technology evident on this space-age ocean ship as I was. It is no coincidence that the Commander is named James A. Kirk.

"Forty-six years ago Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. became our Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), a position he held from 1970 to 1974. At only forty-nine years of age, he remains the youngest to have been appointed as CNO. On his watch, he reformed the Navy making it both a more capable fighting force during the Cold War and a more just institution by comforting discrimination and removing barriers for women and minorities. 

He ended regulations that were burdensome; embraced the important role that families play in our Sailors' careers; and demanded that people be treated with dignity and respect regardless of rank. He was a "Sailor's Admiral" in heart and deed..."

"...USS ZUMWALT's entry to the Fleet marks the beginning of a wave of anew technologies that will inevitably alter the trajectory of naval shipbuilding. ZIMWALT (DDG 1000) is a powerful ship. Stealth, power -- 78 megawatts -- enough to power a medium-sized city, electric propulsion, advanced sensors and weapons and an unprecedented level of automation enabled by a sophisticated information network will bring agile and precision combat power to hear wherever the ship sails. 

USS ZUMWALT is a potent instrument of Sea Power -- and that is fitting given Admiral Zumwalt's lifelong belief in peace through strength, or Pax Propter Vim, the motto of this magnificent ship and crew."

Here are a few photos I took of this magnificent event.