And he’d send the Zumwalt. The Zumwalt had been intended to be the first of thirty-two ships of a new, advanced class of guided missile destroyer. Fabulous cost overruns had reduced the scope of development to just three ships. Since the Zumwalt’s guns had been designed to fire a very advanced artillery shell, which had also had to be canceled because of its own cost overruns, the Navy was constantly seeking missions for the ship to prove it had not been a waste of money.
Designed to support shore and landing operations in addition to deep-water combat, the Zumwalt could actually perform well in the Advisor’s new mission…as long as they didn’t wind up in a firefight with the Russian or Chinese ships annoyingly hanging around in the area.
Yes, the Zumwalt, the Harper’s Ferry, and the Vell
