The U.S. Navy has experienced some considerable setbacks in recent months, from a power failure on a destroyer in the South China Sea to morale issues aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln. Still, the service has been buoyed by a nationwide recognition that shipbuilding has too long been neglected and the current administration seems to have a variety of innovative maritime strategy concepts, encompassing a new vision for the fleet.
Among these ideas, none have been more controversial than the proposed Trump-class battleship.
Proponents argue that this new capital ship would bring concentrated fighting power with new high-tech weapons and large magazines that could fight independently and also withstand substantial punishment in battle. With its currently planned nuclear propulsion, moreover these behemoths could patrol for extended periods without the need to refuel.
Critics have taken aim at the project’s enormous expense, as well as the feasibility of the proposed design that is characterized as over-ambitious.
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