The most expensive destroyer ever built for the US navy, the USS Zumwalt, suffered an engineering problem while sailing through the Panama Canal en route to Naval Station San Diego. The ship was in the canal when it lost propulsion and had to be towed to port.
USNI News reported that the Zumwalt suffered minor cosmetic damage. The ship had been scheduled to arrive in San Diego by the end of the year to start the activation of its weapon system. Crew also saw water intrusion in bearings that connect electrical motors to drive shafts, the website reported.
The 610ft warship,, which cost more than $4.4bn, has an angular shape to minimise its radar signature and is regarded as the most technologically sophisticated destroyers ever built for the navy. One of its signature features is a new gun system that fires rocket-powered shells up to 63 nautical miles.
The Zumwalt cost more than $4.4bn and was commissioned in October in Maryland. It also suffered a leak in its propulsion system before it was commissioned. The leak required the ship to remain at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia longer than expected for repairs.
The ship is part of the first new class of warship built at Bath Iron Works in more than 25 years.
The second Zumwalt-class destroyer, which also cost more than $4.4bn, was christened in a June ceremony. The third ship is expected to cost a bit less than $3.7bn.
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