USS Lyndon B. Johnson

USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) is the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer built for the United States Navy. The contract to build her was awarded to Bath Iron Works located in Bath, Maine, on 15 September 2011. The award, along with funds for the construction of USS Michael Monsoor, was worth US$1.826 billion.[1][9] On 16 April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the ship would be named Lyndon B. Johnson in honor of Lyndon B. Johnson, who served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Johnson served in the Navy during World War II, when he was awarded the Silver Star, and ultimately reached the U.S. Naval Reserve rank of commander.[10] DDG-1002 is the 34th ship named by the Navy after a U.S. president.[11]

USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002)
USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002)
USS Lyndon B. Johnson at the Bath Iron Works in December 2018
History
United States
NameLyndon B. Johnson
NamesakeLyndon B. Johnson
Awarded15 September 2011[1]
BuilderBath Iron Works
Laid down30 January 2017[2]
Launched9 December 2018[3]
Sponsored byLynda Bird Johnson Robb
Christened27 April 2019[4]
HomeportPascagoula, Mississippi
IdentificationHull number: DDG-1002
MottoIn Defense of Great Society
StatusUnder sea trials[5]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeZumwalt-class destroyer
Displacement14,564 tons[6]
Length600 ft (182.9 m)
Beam80.7 ft (24.6 m)
Draft27.6 ft (8.4 m)
Propulsion2 Rolls-Royce Marine Trent-30 gas turbines plus 2 Rolls-Royce RR4500 gas turbine generator sets,[7] 78 MW
Speed30.3 knots (56.1 km/h; 34.9 mph)
Complement140
Sensors and
processing systems
  • AN/SPY-3 Multi-Function Radar (MFR) (X-band, scanned array)
  • Volume Search Radar (VSR) (S-band, scanned array)
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilitiesHangar Bay, large Helipad

History
Conceptual image.

Lyndon B. Johnson will be a Zumwalt-class destroyer. Although 32 ships were originally planned for that class of ship, the U.S. Navy eventually reduced this number to three units.[12] Designed as multi-mission ships with an emphasis on land attack and littoral warfare,[13] the class features the tumblehome hull form, reminiscent of ironclad warships.[14] In January 2013, the Navy solicited bids for a steel deckhouse as an option for Lyndon B. Johnson instead of the composite structures of the other ships in the class.[15] This change was made in response to cost overruns for the composite structure, but due to the tight weight margins in the class, this required weight savings in other parts of the ship.[16]

In February 2015, the Navy revealed they had begun engineering studies to include an electromagnetic railgun on Lyndon B. Johnson. The Zumwalt class has been identified as more suited to use emerging technologies, like railguns, due to its superior electricity generation capability over previous destroyers and cruisers at 80 megawatts; Lyndon B. Johnson specifically was being studied because it is the latest of the class, while the previous two ships would be less likely to initially field the capability due to the testing schedule. The railgun would likely replace one of the two Advanced Gun Systems.[17] By March 2016, construction had become too far along to install the railgun during building, although it still could be added later. However, in 2022 the Navy stopped railgun development altogether, rendering such installation highly unlikely in the near future.[18]

In September 2015, it was reported that U.S. Department of Defense officials were considering terminating funding for Lyndon B. Johnson prior to her completion.[19] Although considered as a cost-saving measure, cancelling the third Zumwalt ship at that stage was likely not possible, and might have ended up actually costing more after paying program shutdown costs and contract termination penalties.[20] By December 2015, the Pentagon had decided in favor of keeping the ship.[21]

The ship's two AGSs can only fire the LRLAP round. LRLAP procurement was cancelled in 2016,[22][23] and the Navy has no plan to replace it.[8] As such, the guns cannot be used and the ship cannot provide naval gunfire support. The Navy has re-purposed the Zumwalt class to surface warfare.[24]

The ceremonial keel laying of Lyndon B. Johnson took place on 30 January 2017, by which time construction of the ship was over half finished.[25] The ship was launched in Bath, Maine, on 9 December 2018,[3][26] and christened on 27 April 2019, by Johnson's daughters, Luci and Lynda.[4][27]

On 12 January 2022, the ship left Bath for Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where combat systems will be activated, with entry into service reportedly expected in 2024.[28]

References
  1. "Lyndon B Johnson (DDG 1002)". Naval Vessel Register. Navy.mil. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  2. Team Ships Public Affairs (31 January 2017). "Keel Laid for Future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002)" (Press release). U.S. Navy. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  3. "Future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) Launched at Bath Iron Works" (Press release). United States Navy. 11 December 2018. NNS181211-01. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  4. "General Dynamics Bath Iron Works Christens Future USS Lyndon B. Johnson" (PDF) (Press release). Bath Iron Works. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  5. Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications (5 April 2012). "Navy Begins Construction on DDG 1002" (Press release). United States Navy. NNS120405-08. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. "DDG 1000 Flight I Design". Northrop Grumman Ship Systems. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-15.
  7. Rolls-Royce Marine
  8. LaGrone, Sam (January 11, 2018). "No New Round Planned For Zumwalt Destroyer Gun System; Navy Monitoring Industry". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  9. "DDG 1001 and DDG 1002 Ship Construction Contract Award Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Naval Sea Systems Command. 15 September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  10. Petersen, Hans (16 February 2016). "List of Presidents who were Veterans". US Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  11. "Navy Names Zumwalt-Class Destroyer USS Lyndon B. Johnson". US Navy. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  12. O'Rourke, Ronald (3 February 2012). "Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Federation of American Scientists. p. 42. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  13. "Work on new destroyer begins". United Press International. UPI.com. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  14. "DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class - Multimission Destroyer, United States of America". Naval-technology.com. Net Resources International. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  15. Fabey, Michael (25 January 2013). "U.S. Navy Seeks Alternate Deckhouse For DDG-1002". Aerospace Daily & Defense Report.
  16. Cavas, Christopher P. (2 August 2013). "Navy Switches from Composite to Steel". DefenseNews.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  17. LaGrone, Sam (5 February 2015). "Navy Considering Railgun for Third Zumwalt Destroyer". News.USNI.org. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  18. Admiral: Shipbuilders won't install railgun on new Navy destroyers - Navytimes, 22 March 2016
  19. Capaccio, Anthony (12 September 2015). "General Dynamics Destroyer Reviewed by U.S. for Cancellation". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  20. Cuts To Zumwalt Destroyer Won’t Save Much - Breakingdefense.com, 21 September 2015
  21. Cavas, Christopher P. (17 December 2015). "Pentagon Cuts LCS to 40 Ships, 1 Shipbuilder". Militarytimes.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016.
  22. New Warship’s Big Guns Have No Bullets - Defensenews.com, 6 November 2016
  23. Navy Planning on Not Buying More LRLAP Rounds for Zumwalt Class - News.USNI.org, 7 November 2016
  24. Eckstein, Megan (December 4, 2017). "New Requirements for DDG-1000 Focus on Surface Strike". USNI News. U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  25. "Bath Iron Works Lays Keel of DDG 1002". Marine Link. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  26. Eckstein, Megan (10 December 2018). "Second Zumwalt Destroyer Arrives in San Diego; Third Launches in Maine". USNI News. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  27. Sharp, David (April 27, 2019). "LBJ's daughters christen warship bearing his name". Foster's Daily Democrat. Dover, New Hampshire. AP. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  28. Last Zumwalt-class Destroyer Lyndon B. Johnson Leaves Bath Iron Works Bound for Mississippi, Sam LaGrone, USNI News, January 13, 2022
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