A Closer Look at China’s Largest Destroyer Competitors USS Zumwalt

BEIJING – Navy China is known to have 355 ships. This number exceeds the ships owned by the Navy United States of America (USA) is 297.

Of the hundreds of ships, one of the types that China has is the Type 055 destroyer. Quoted from Business InsiderSunday (26/6/2022), China State Shipbuilding Corp. began building its largest ship in 2014 and has been operating since 2020.

The destroyer class is also known as the Renhai class cruiser. As a multi-role warship, according to the South China Morning Post, it is equipped with weapons to fight missiles, ships and submarines.

The China Daily reported that the Type 055 destroyer is also equipped with railgun technology.

Currently, there are six of them in service, although China’s navy says it plans to expand the class to a fleet of 16 ships.

Several military experts told the Global Times, China’s state media outlet, that the destroyer’s role was to prevent foreign intervention if China carried out a military attack on Taiwan.

Chinese media called the Type 055 destroyer the second most powerful destroyer in the world after the US USS Zumwalt.

Also read: China slams the West: Using financial position as a weapon to harm the world’s citizens

The USS Zumwalt is the largest destroyer in the world, with a displacement of 15,995 metric tons. While China’s Type 055 is slightly lighter at 12,000 to 13,000 metric tons.

–