USS Zumwalt is Losing its Iconic Cannon

The U.S. Navy's futuristic Zumwalt-class destroyers were built to carry twin high-velocity cannons for shore bombardment, like a modernized, stealthier version of a battleship. The cannons were installed, but after the number of vessels in the class was radically cut back from 32 to three, the cost per round of manufacturing the ammunition rose to an impractical $800,000-$1 million per shot. The production run of ammunition was canceled, and the guns are functionally unusable - but the Navy has other things in mind for the Zumwalts.