A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) criticizes the Navy and the shipyard, Bath Iron Works, for serious deficiencies with the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer program. The report found more than 320 “serious deficiencies” found upon inspection when the shipyard delivered the first-in-class USS Zumwalt’s hull, mechanical and electrical systems in May 2016. Another 246 “serious deficiencies” were found after acceptance trials in January and February 2018 for the USS Michael Monsoor, the second of three “stealth” destroyers built in Maine.

The report was critical of the Navy’s failure to complete the design and engineering of the USS Zumwalt, the first of three destroyers of the calls prior to the start of fabrication. “This approach contributed to numerous design changes after the fabrication start and significant cost increases and schedule delays,” the report notes. “Nearly ten years later, development and shipboard testing of technologies continues, each of which could lead to discovery that could disrupt the design stability the Navy currently claims.”

The report also notes failures on the second ship. “The shipbuilder also experienced problems completing the power system for DDG 1001 [the USS Michael Monsoor],” the report states. “Following sea trials, the Navy inspected one of the ship’s main turbine generators and found that the generator was damaged by a woodscrew. The damage was extensive enough that the Navy chose to replace the engine and send it for repair.”

The most significant criticism is reserved for the Navy’s inability to provide ammunition for the destroyers’ 155 mm Advanced Gun System. After 10 years of development and a cost of $24 billion, the new destroyers do not have ammunition of their primary weapons system. 

The original ammunition, the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP), ended up costing over $800,000 per projectile and was judged too expensive to support. The Navy has been unable to find replacement ammunition, so has redefined the ships’ mission from support ground forces in land attacks to surface warfare. The new missile systems required to perform the new surface warfare mission are estimated to cost another $1 billion dollars.

Thanks to W.H. Bunting for contributing to this post.