The USS Zumwalt, which is the lead ship of the U.S. Navy's newest class of guided-missile destroyers, arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for the first time.

The Zumalt arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Wednesday. Crew aboard the ship will meet with local officials and organizations.

"The training ranges only found in the Hawaiian operating area allow Zumwalt to conduct important at-sea evolutions that enhance our crew's warfighting skills," Capt. Andrew Carlson, Zumwalt's commanding officer, said in a U.S. Navy news release. "The world-class facilities found in Hawaii, coupled with its strategic location in the Pacific, make this port visit an important part of our success."

Zumwalt-class destroyers are capable of operating near to shore and in the open sea in missions against adversaries.

"USS Zumwalt possesses stealth, size, power and computing capacity that provide the Navy a multiple-mission ship capable of meeting today's maritime missions as well as the ability to incorporate new technologies to counter emerging threats tomorrow," Carlson said.

The Zumwalt is under operational control of U.S. 3rd Fleet, which coordinates with U.S. 7th Fleet "to plan and execute missions based on their complementary strengths to promote ongoing peace, security and stability throughout the entire Pacific theater of operations."

The destroyer departed San Diego on March 8 for its first operational underway, arriving in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on March 11. Zumwalt's crew completed a post-delivery maintenance availability designed to thoroughly evaluate the ship's systems and equipment. The ship launched on Oct. 29, 2013.

On March 23, the Zumwalt arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska, giving the crew an opportunity to experience the hospitality of the Alaskan port and showcase the U.S. Navy's newest class of destroyers.

"Alaska is a strategic location when it comes to maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, and we value Alaskan communities like Ketchikan for their consistent support of our nation's military," Carlson, who took command of the ship last November, said at the time.

Carlson is the ship's third commanding officer of the 158-member crew.

It is named after Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., a veteran of World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.

Two other Zumwalt class ships are in operation. The Michael Monsoor was commissioned on Jan. 26 and the Lyndon B. Johnson was launched on Dec. 9, 2018.

National security cutter Midgett completes acceptance trials for Coast Guard
Washington (UPI) Apr 4, 2019 –

The Midgett, the U.S. Coast Guard's Legend-class national security cutter, has successfully completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Huntington Ingalls Industries spent two full days testing the ship's propulsion, electrical, damage control, anchor-handling, small boat operations and combat systems, the company said in a news release Wednesday.

Members of the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey were on board during the sea trials.

"The success of these trials is a direct result of the hard work and expertise of our shipbuilders, the INSURV team and our U.S. Coast Guard customer," George S. Jones, Ingalls' vice president of operations, said in a statement. "From the design phase to the ship's delivery, these state-of-the-art vessels perform so well because every member of our team understands the importance of the U.S. Coast Guard in protecting our nation, and they take pride in providing these assets to the service. "

The Midgett, designated as WMSL 757, is the eighth NSC that Ingalls has built for the Coast Guard.

"With the success of these trials, NSC 8 is one step closer to becoming another highly capable, vital asset to the men and women of our Coast Guard," said Derek Murphy, Ingalls' Coast Guard program manager. "Our dedicated NSC team has proven themselves once again, and we could not be more proud of what they have accomplished."

Midgett celebrated its mast stepping on Oct. 25, 2018.

Ingalls plans to deliver the Midgett to the Coast Guard before the end of the year from its shipyard Pascagoula, Miss. The Stone is scheduled for delivery in 2020.

Last December, Ingalls received two fixed-price incentive contracts with a combined value of $931 million to build NSCs 10 and 11.

The NSC 8 honors hundreds of members of the Midgett family who have served in the U.S. Coast Guard and its predecessor services. At least 10 members of the Midgett family earned high honors from the U.S. Coast Guard for lifesaving deeds.

The Midgett will be stationed in Honolulu, according to the Coast Guard. The Kimball arrived in Hawaii on Dec. 22.

The six cutters in operation are the Betholf, Waeche, Stratton and Munroe in Alameda, Calif., and the Hamilton and James in Charleston, S.C.

The 418-foot cutters, which are the largest and most technologically advanced of the Coast Guard's newest classes, replace the 378-foot high endurance cutters, which have been in service since the 1960s, according to the Coast Guard.

The cutters include two MH-65 helicopters.