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National Interest: Here's What the Navy Might Use Its Stealth Zumwalt Class Destroyers For
But are they any good?
Key point: The Zumwalt destroyers aren't very useful and it is unclear what role they will fill.
The three new Zumwalt-class destroyers are in trouble. Originally envisioned as a fleet of more nearly three dozen destroyers, and the weapons that justified them, the Zumwalts have faced delays, cuts and staggering cost increases. As the ships teeter on the verge of white elephant status, could they become relevant again by taking on a new role, that of a stealthy ship killer?
The Zumwalt-class destroyers were originally envisioned as a fleet of thirty-two destroyers designed to attack targets far inland with precision-guided howitzer shells. Designed in part to support amphibious landings by the U.S. Marine Corps, the Zumwalts were meant to make up for the lack of big-gun firepower caused by the retirement of the Ohio-class guided-missile submarines.
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Update: Zumwalt-class stealth destroyer gun dead, vessel mission being redefined (UPI)
WNU Editor: For a destroyer that does not have a gun, its mission is going to be limited.