# Capt. James Kirk to command cutting edge new naval vessel **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 31, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774 "2013-10-31T19:24:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/41 "2013-11-04T23:55:34Z")
A bit too big for littoral fighting if you ask me. How deep is the draft for something that big? Granted, it’s guns and missiles can keep it more than 50 miles from a hostile shore, it still needs to come close for one reason or another. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/42 "2013-11-05T01:34:54Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Stats on the [_Zumwalt_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Zumwalt_(DDG-1000)): Displacement, 14,564 tons; length, 600 feet. > [_Baltimore_ class heavy cruiser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore-class_cruiser) (World War II era): Displacement, 14,500 tons (17,273 tons full load); length, 673 feet 5 inches. > [_Fletcher_ class destroyer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_class_destroyer) (World War II era): Displacement, 2,050 tons (2,500 tons full load); length 376.5 feet. > > The current main destroyer class, the [_Arleigh Burkes_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh_Burke-class_destroyer), are also pretty damned hefty (8,184-9,600 tons; 505-509 feet). > > The _Zumwalt_ class will have considerably smaller crews than a World War II cruiser: 142 total, as compared to over a thousand officers and men for a _Baltimore_ class cruiser, 329 for a _Fletcher_ class destroyer, and 303-323 for an _Arleigh Burke_ class destroyer. _Ticonderoga_ Class cruiser (the last remaining active USN cruiser class): Displacement 9,600-9,800 tons, 567 feet, complement 400. The post-1970s “cruiser” fleet was based on stretched and upgunned destroyer hulls (starting with the oddly misnamed “nuclear frigates” of the 60s/early 70s, reclassed as cruisers for the sake of NATO uniformity). Next-Gen Cruiser-X was cancelled due to cost and instead the niche will be filled by adding more upgraded _Arleigh Burkes_. Basically the “cruiser” is being replaced for now by “capital” destroyers. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/43 "2013-11-05T02:28:40Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > A bit too big for littoral fighting if you ask me. How deep is the draft for something that big? Granted, it’s guns and missiles can keep it more than 50 miles from a hostile shore, it still needs to come close for one reason or another. The _Zumwalt_ will have a draft of 27.6 feet; just a bit less than the _Arleigh Burke_ class at 30.5 feet. The [_Independence_ class littoral combat ships](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_class_littoral_combat_ship) come in at 14 feet and the [_Freedom_ class littoral combat ships](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_class_littoral_combat_ship) at 12.8 feet. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > Basically the “cruiser” is being replaced for now by “capital” destroyers. Too bad the [_Avenger_ class](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ImperialstarDestroyer480ppx.png) is [already taken](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenger-class_mine_countermeasures_ship). ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/44 "2013-11-05T03:21:40Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Stats on the [_Zumwalt_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Zumwalt_(DDG-1000)): Displacement, 14,564 tons; length, 600 feet. > [_Baltimore_ class heavy cruiser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore-class_cruiser) (World War II era): Displacement, 14,500 tons (17,273 tons full load); length, 673 feet 5 inches. > [_Fletcher_ class destroyer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher_class_destroyer) (World War II era): Displacement, 2,050 tons (2,500 tons full load); length 376.5 feet. > > The current main destroyer class, the [_Arleigh Burkes_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleigh_Burke-class_destroyer), are also pretty damned hefty (8,184-9,600 tons; 505-509 feet). > > The _Zumwalt_ class will have considerably smaller crews than a World War II cruiser: 142 total, as compared to over a thousand officers and men for a _Baltimore_ class cruiser, 329 for a _Fletcher_ class destroyer, and 303-323 for an _Arleigh Burke_ class destroyer. [U.S.S. Indiana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Indiana_%28BB-1%29), 10,288 ton battleship 1895. [U.S.S. Salem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Salem_%28CA-139%29), 21,000 ton cruiser 1945 Based on this trend, the Navy will commision a 15,000 ton torpedo boat in 2095 ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/45 "2013-11-05T10:25:05Z")
I just have to say – damn! That is some innovative design work there. It looks very cool and sort of Frank Lloyd Wright-ey. Go sailors! ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/46 "2013-11-05T10:40:19Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > …That is some innovative design work there… [Not especially.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_%28yacht%29) ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/47 "2013-11-05T16:02:08Z")
Size creep has been an issue for over a century, for all types of warships in general. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/48 "2013-11-05T16:44:07Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I like to think he’s incredibly incompetent, but just got promoted up to Captain because someone liked the joke of having a Captain Kirk in the Navy. I like to think the guy who promoted him is a Star Wars fan trying to make a point. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/49 "2013-11-05T16:50:33Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Imagine being the doctor on the Zumwalt, just _waiting_ for your first fatality and the opportunity to deliver the appropriate line. The [XO](http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ddg1000/Pages/Bio2.aspx#.UnkhSfleYj4) doesn’t look like he’ll take kindly to “pointy eared” jokes though. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/50 "2015-12-13T21:15:24Z")
UPDATE: Captain James Kirk [TO THE RESCUE!](http://www.hngn.com/articles/159826/20151213/4-3-billion-zumwalt-destroyer-comes-rescue-maine-fishing-boat.htm) ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/51 "2015-12-13T21:23:23Z")
And from another story cited in the story linked above: > **[Examiner is back - Examiner.com](https://examiner.com)** > > At Examiner.com™ we help you excel personal finance, boost income, invest wisely, travel smart, reach financial freedom faster, and enjoy life on a budget. > [@](#): > > When the USS Zumwalt was christened on April 12 in Bath, Maine, Captain James T. Kirk (actor William Shatner) sent a message to Captain James A. Kirk wishing him “fair winds and following seas” wherever the ocean would take him. “Know that you are in our thoughts — Mr. and Mrs. Shatner — and that we bless you and hope that you have a safe journey, no matter where your ship takes you,” Shatner wrote. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/52 "2015-12-13T21:30:28Z")
It looks like a mid-80’s computer game render for a ship that moves (approx era: [Arcticfox (1986, Dynamix) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPsOOYZs7Bg)) “Ehh we don’t have the cycles for detail like that, just put some existing grey blocks together in a kinda shippy shape, nobody will care.” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/53 "2015-12-13T22:03:13Z")
I wonder if it has a special super secure locker for opened cans of strawberries. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/54 "2015-12-13T22:19:56Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > UPDATE: Captain James Kirk [TO THE RESCUE!](http://www.hngn.com/articles/159826/20151213/4-3-billion-zumwalt-destroyer-comes-rescue-maine-fishing-boat.htm) wait, Cpt. Kirk rescued Cpt. Sparrow?!?! thats way to good to be true… ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/55 "2015-12-13T22:22:23Z")
So they had taken her out for some initial sea tests when a distress signal came in and they were the only ship close enough to respond in time? I am sure I’ve heard that somewhere before. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/56 "2015-12-13T22:28:10Z")
Heh, I got so caught up in the Cpt. Sparrow angle, I completely missed that ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/57 "2015-12-13T22:36:29Z")
Into the Canadian Neutral Zone… ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/58 "2015-12-13T23:07:36Z")
> [@](#): > > 11-meter “rigid hull inflatable boat” Sounds like they could have picked up the entire fishing vessel with that. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/59 "2015-12-14T00:17:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Anyway, a stealth destroyer? Looks cool. I wonder what it’s mission is. To destroy stealth, of course. What else would a stealth destroyer do? ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774/60 "2015-12-14T00:59:48Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Into the Canadian Neutral Zone… The Danībōi Maru has an emergency! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/capt-james-kirk-to-command-cutting-edge-new-naval-vessel/672774.md?page=4)