Captain James Kirk commands newest US Navy Destroyer

[CaberTosser]

What year does Starfleet Academy finally open?



http://t.news.ca.msn.com/world/new-s...r-trek-jokes-1

BATH, Maine - Captain Kirk's futuristic-looking vessel sports cutting-edge technology, new propulsion and powerful armaments, but this ship isn't the Starship Enterprise.

The skipper of the stealthy Zumwalt is Navy Capt. James Kirk, and yes, he's used to the jokes about the name he shares with the TV starship commander played by actor William Shatner.

Kirk takes it in stride.

"I don't take any offence," he told The Associated Press in an interview. "If it's a helpful moniker that brings attention to help us to do what we need to do to get the ship into the fleet and into combat operations, then that's fine."

While it's no starship, the technology-laden Zumwalt taking shape at Maine's Bath Iron Works is unlike any other U.S. warship.

The Navy's largest destroyer will feature a composite deckhouse with hidden radar and sensors and an angular shape that minimizes its radar signature. Its unusual wave-piercing hull will reduce the ship's wake.

It's the first U.S. surface warship to use electric propulsion, and its power plant is capable of producing enough electricity to light up a small city and to power future weapons like the electromagnetic rail gun.

Inside, it's just as unique. The number of sailors needed to stand watch will be reduced through the use of cameras and video monitors that show what's going on outside. The bridge will indeed look like something from "Star Trek" with two chairs surrounded by nearly 360 degrees of video monitors.

A handful of reporters accompanying Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Thursday got a first look at the ship's interior while it's under construction. It's due to be christened in the spring.

The 610-foot-long ship has the highest level of automation on a U.S. surface warship, with systems in place to combat flooding and to put out fires, among other things. Because of automation and technology, the number of sailors needed to run it will be nearly half the current Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

All this whiz-bam technology comes at a price that sailors couldn't have imagined in the 1960s, when the first episodes of "Star Trek" aired on television. The first-in-class Zumwalt will cost northward of $3.5 billion, a price tag so high that the Navy was forced to reduce the number of ships in the series to just three.

The "Star Trek" comparisons were inevitable even before "Star Trek" actor George Takei used his popular Facebook page to point out the similarities of Kirk's name.

Kirk, a Bethesda, Md., native and 1990 Naval Academy graduate, said the jokes about his name began early in his career, with colleagues telling him that they couldn't wait for him to reach the rank of captain.

The Navy skipper points out that his name is actually James A. Kirk, while the fictional Starship Enterprise captain was James "Jim" T. Kirk. But that didn't stop him from earning the call sign "Tiberius" — the fictional Kirk's middle name — while working with an aircraft carrier strike group. That was later shortened to just "T."

While he doesn't mind the Starfleet jokes, Kirk said that people sometimes focus too much on the technology incorporated in the futuristic-looking Zumwalt.

"Yes, we're going to talk about all of the wonderful technology, but it still requires the sailors who are going to bring her to life," he said.

[greylynx]

Destroyers Eh.

I will bet something even better will come off the drawing boards of Canada's Naval Engineers.

Just watch.

[BeeGuy]

I bet the military industrial complex could indenture the working class much further. The ship isn't even that impressive. Kinda funny though, that it has limited staff. Gotta have someone working to pay for it.

They should name the ship, "The Petro-dollar Enforcer".

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

I bet the military industrial complex could indenture the working class much further. The ship isn't even that impressive. Kinda funny though, that it has limited staff. Gotta have someone working to pay for it.

They should name the ship, "The Petro-dollar Enforcer".

How do you put some one on ignore?

[twofifty]

Sounds like you'd rather stay in your comfort zone.

[fish gunner]

How could thay get the # so wrong. That bow wont fly in huge seas , giant escort . Cant take a salvo on the fore deck and keep steaming .

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by fish gunner

How could thay get the # so wrong. That bow wont fly in huge seas , giant escort . Cant take a salvo on the fore deck and keep steaming .

The unique bow was designed by Jimmy Durante

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by twofifty

Sounds like you'd rather stay in your comfort zone.

never mind......

[Wild&Free]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU2ftCitvyQ

[ETOWNCANUCK]

3.5 billion dollars....for one ship....that is about the budget of the entire Canadian Forces is it not?

And the Americans wonder why they are in financial trouble....

[Unregistered user]

The more things change, that cutting edge bow style was used on ww l battleships.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by ETOWNCANUCK

3.5 billion dollars....for one ship....that is about the budget of the entire Canadian Forces is it not?

And the Americans wonder why they are in financial trouble....

3.5 Billion dollars! and employed how many workers? Millwrights, engineers, labors, both military and civilian?
Not to mention truckers, steel workers, miners etc. sounds like a better deal then bailing out Chrysler etc. just to bail out them CEO'S your all bellyaching about in the other thread.(should CEO's have a wage cap)

But I know it is the big bad U.S. WAR machine that your really mad at... wonder how it would be? if they were not our neighbors and we all had to learn how to speak (take your pick, Russian, Chinese, Mongolian).

As Spook would say "Fascinating"

[fish gunner]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

3.5 Billion dollars! and employed how many workers? Millwrights, engineers, labors, both military and civilian?
Not to mention truckers, steel workers, miners etc. sounds like a better deal then bailing out Chrysler etc. just to bail out them CEO'S your all bellyaching about in the other thread.(should CEO's have a wage cap)

But I know it is the big bad U.S. WAR machine that your really mad at... wonder how it would be? if they were not our neighbors and we all had to learn how to speak (take your pick, Russian, Chinese, Mongolian).

As Spook would say "Fascinating"

Turn off that big black tap heading south and tell me how long you figure those "freinds " down south last .legalize the herb and that "big buddy" you speak of wil stab you in the back so fast we wont know where to chit or go blind . Freindship is accepting and understanding not play by my rules or else.
The slash bow on the above ship sure looks fancy and yes it was used on a few wwl era ships but send that big escort round the cape or north of ice land off season we'll see how she commands the waves. Not sure where the bow planes are, how does she control that beak in big seas??.

[rugatika]

Originally Posted by fish gunner

Turn off that big black tap heading south and tell me how long you figure those "freinds " down south last .legalize the herb and that "big buddy" you speak of wil stab you in the back so fast we wont know where to chit or go blind . Freindship is accepting and understanding not play by my rules or else.
The slash bow on the above ship sure looks fancy and yes it was used on a few wwl era ships but send that big escort round the cape or north of ice land off season we'll see how she commands the waves. Not sure where the bow planes are, how does she control that beak in big seas??.

I'd send an email to their engineering team. Just in case they failed to take that into consideration. Maybe they forgot. Could be one of those metric/imperial screw up things we hear about. "Dang you Jenkins, that bow was supposed to stick out 15 meters...not 15 feet!"


Incidentally, I took a big salvo on the deck of a house once and it kept steaming for quite a while.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

3.5 Billion dollars! and employed how many workers? Millwrights, engineers, labors, both military and civilian?
Not to mention truckers, steel workers, miners etc. sounds like a better deal then bailing out Chrysler etc. just to bail out them CEO'S your all bellyaching about in the other thread.(should CEO's have a wage cap)

But I know it is the big bad U.S. WAR machine that your really mad at... wonder how it would be? if they were not our neighbors and we all had to learn how to speak (take your pick, Russian, Chinese, Mongolian).

As Spook would say "Fascinating"

Who is Spook, and why would we learn to speak Mongolian?

[Gust]

Originally Posted by fish gunner

Not sure where the bow planes are, how does she control that beak in big seas??.

This type of vessel acts similar to smaller duck-craft; instead of doing the teeter totter over larger waves, you partially pass through them to the next water valley.

[Unregistered user]

Originally Posted by ETOWNCANUCK

3.5 billion dollars....for one ship....that is about the budget of the entire Canadian Forces is it not?

And the Americans wonder why they are in financial trouble....

Believe it or not, their defense budget is a fraction of what they spend on welfare.

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Who is Spook, and why would we learn to speak Mongolian?

Well I would answer that but you just confirmed your much younger then I thought! and if it is miss spelt use your imagination!

Why Mongolian? Cause after you LIB's (under your darling Turdoh) destroyed our military we would last about two days from even one of the smallest armies in the world.....(now before everyone gets all cranky, the illustration is purely for effect)

[fish gunner]

Originally Posted by rugatika

I'd send an email to their engineering team. Just in case they failed to take that into consideration. Maybe they forgot. Could be one of those metric/imperial screw up things we hear about. "Dang you Jenkins, that bow was supposed to stick out 15 meters...not 15 feet!"


Incidentally, I took a big salvo on the deck of a house once and it kept steaming for quite a while.

That titanic jobber who designed that brilliant bit of engineering. Five blokes built kon tiki ???which of the two completed its voyage.
spent lots of time on big water rug, rated able or so .
And puterings of your nether regions while comical would only rate missfire on a gun platform. How is it put best pew pew spluter.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

Believe it or not, their defense budget is a fraction of what they spend on welfare.

Doesn't the defense budget classify as corporate welfare?

The military-industrial complex cost far exceeds social welfare.

It all depends where you want to fudge the figures.

Where would the military and state funded gestapo be without their spend happy liberals?

Funny how that works.

[brslk]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Well I would answer that but you just confirmed your much younger then I thought! and if it is miss spelt use your imagination!

Why Mongolian? Cause after you LIB's (under your darling Turdoh) destroyed our military we would last about two days from even one of the smallest armies in the world.....(now before everyone gets all cranky, the illustration is purely for effect)

I'm pretty sure we could take Mongolia.

[greylynx]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Doesn't the defense budget classify as corporate welfare?

The military-industrial complex cost far exceeds social welfare.

It all depends where you want to fudge the figures.

Where would the military and state funded gestapo be without their spend happy liberals?

Funny how that works.

Beeguy: I never was up on those commie terms like social welfare and corporate welfare.

I would rather see a boat built on my tax money than some gomer buying a snowmobile on my tax money while he is waiting for the cod to come back.

All I know is Mr. Reagan built a bunch of boats, and those commies took the wall down.

[BeeGuy]

Originally Posted by greylynx

Beeguy: I never was up on those commie terms like social welfare and corporate welfare.

I would rather see a boat built on my tax money than some gomer buying a snowmobile on my tax money while he is waiting for the cod to come back.

All I know is Mr. Reagan built a bunch of boats, and those commies took the wall down.

Come on now Grey, you are the local expert on commie terms.

I like your new one, neosocialists.

Wouldnt want the neocons to get lonely at the top.

[Unregistered user]

Originally Posted by BeeGuy

Doesn't the defense budget classify as corporate welfare?

The military-industrial complex cost far exceeds social welfare.

It all depends where you want to fudge the figures.

Where would the military and state funded gestapo be without their spend happy liberals?

Funny how that works.

The defense budget also keeps the "King of England outa their face", (Google-able) welfare feeds sloth.

[ETOWNCANUCK]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

3.5 Billion dollars! and employed how many workers? Millwrights, engineers, labors, both military and civilian?
Not to mention truckers, steel workers, miners etc. sounds like a better deal then bailing out Chrysler etc. just to bail out them CEO'S your all bellyaching about in the other thread.(should CEO's have a wage cap)

But I know it is the big bad U.S. WAR machine that your really mad at... wonder how it would be? if they were not our neighbors and we all had to learn how to speak (take your pick, Russian, Chinese, Mongolian).

As Spook would say "Fascinating"

Actually I am not mad at the big bad U.S. war machine....I love it....

I was making a reference to the recent shut down that saw many more federal employees not getting paid and people not having access to things like National Parks....

But your right if they had not spent 3.5 billion to give a few hundred people jobs they might have been able to have paid the thousands other employees who went without....

[Wild&Free]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

The defense budget also keeps the "King of England outa their face", (Google-able) welfare feeds sloth.

If welfare didn't feed them then the prison system would.

[Unregistered user]

^ Or if taxes were lower due to a lower welfare tab more companies would stay there and more people would have jobs.

[rugatika]

Originally Posted by ETOWNCANUCK

Actually I am not mad at the big bad U.S. war machine....I love it....

I was making a reference to the recent shut down that saw many more federal employees not getting paid and people not having access to things like National Parks....

But your right if they had not spent 3.5 billion to give a few hundred people jobs they might have been able to have paid the thousands other employees who went without....

Actually they all got paid retroactively. It was a paid vacation.

[CaberTosser]

Geesh, it took a fair while since my starting this thread for the fitting out of the Zumwalt, for instance take a peek at how many commenters in this thread are no longer with us (at least under their old names, anyways).

My regards to Captain James Kirk for his new vessel


http://www.ctvnews.ca/mobile/world/u...oyer-1.2902844

[Twisted Canuck]

Just going through the thread, looks like half the original posters have been banned. That must be some kind of record.....

Final cost....$4.4B!? Woweeee......