Leave it to Trump. He’s bringing back a symbol of American power last used by President Reagan — the battleship.
Trump’s version will debut with the USS Defiant, which is now a ship in concept only (see illustration above and specifications below).
At 880 feet in length, the Defiant will definitely cast a long shadow — and create a big wake — as it navigates the world’s waters, showcasing American might — and in some cases, exercising that might to protect Americans, and teach the baddies a lesson.
Like their ancestors from World War II, these new battleships will be armed with guns, but not the 18-inch variety that made that historic fleet so feared. They will have 5-inch guns, but depend more on lasers and even nuclear missiles and more.
The Defiant-class battleship will be the first-ever guided missile battleship with the ability to deploy with nuclear and hypersonic missiles, and will have the ability to strike an adversary at 100 times the range of the previous class.
As envisioned, these battleships, some 20 to 25 in total, will comprise what will be known as “The Golden Fleet.”
The president has already dubbed these new vessels “The Trump Class” of naval shipbuilding. He just couldn’t let an opportunity pass by to include his name on some government building or endeavor.
As a Navy veteran, I hope to live long enough to see these new battleships cast off from harbor and sail proudly out to sea to project American strength.
