WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Navy on Saturday commissioned its newest Zumwalt-class destroyer U.S.S. Michael Monsoor, the second ship of a costly yet ill-designed project.
"USS Michael Monsoor is one of the most capable warfighting assets our nation has to offer," Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer said in a statement prior to the commissioning ceremony, which took place in San Diego, California, the ship's home port.
The ship, hull numbered DDG 1001, is named after Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006.
The DDG 1001 is about 185 meters in length and has a displacement of about 16,000 tons. It will be manned by about 148 sailors.
The Zumwalt-class destroyers were originally designed to replace the current Arleigh Burke-class destroyers as the U.S. Navy's most advanced battleship. Equipped with the most advanced weapons to date, the model boasted superiority in stealth and sea-to-land firing power.
However, soaring costs, fast development of missiles, and changes in the global security environment forced the U.S. Congress to cancel 29 of the 32 planned Zumwalt-class ships. Considering researching costs, the average cost per ship ran up to 7.5 billion U.S. dollars.
The first ship of the class, the U.S.S. Zumwalt, was commissioned in 2016. The third and last ship of the class, U.S.S. Lyndon B. Johnson, is under construction and is expected to be christened this spring.
