When a nation's ship comes in

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In a way, the Zumwalt looks like the old ironclad C.S. Virginia.

My son taking in the ceremonies as the the Zumwalt's crew is about to parade before the audience.

The Zumwalt's guns mean business.

BATH — My son learned about the christening of one of the newest U.S. naval warships from a dedicated English teacher at Edward Little High School.

We thought it would be a great experience to witness a small piece of history transpire at Bath Iron Works, which is located 25 miles from our home in Auburn.

After all, we both share a fascination and appreciation for military hardware and its history. Anthony has never lost his fascination with ships. When a tug boat was heading for open water down the Kennebec River during the christening, my son nudged my shoulder and directed my attention to the tug.

My son got clearance from his track coach, who is also a history teacher, to attend the christening. History teachers will do that for athletes who appreciate the past and have a genuine interest in the maritimes.

When we got a good look at the destroyer, we couldn't stop thinking about ironclads. This ship was indeed a throwback from era when wooden warships would quickly disappear in the fog of time.

The colossal destroyer U.S.S. Zumwalt looks like a damn ironclad left over from the American Civil War.

It's angular shapes, austere appearance and the protruding bow reminds me of crude iron warships that policed the seven seas for nearly 30 years before dreadnoughts appeared and traded powerful rounds with each other during World War I.

Open any history book about naval warfare during the Civil War and you will find a picture of the Confederate ironclad C.S.S. Virginia, which slugged it out with the U.S. Monitor for two days in March, 1862 at Hampton Roads, Virginia. The warships were the products of novel designs in naval architecture and engineering, and explained why wooden warships became obsolete in a matter of a few years.

Wood was no match for cold iron.

You can see the startling resemblance between the Zumwalt and Virginia, but of course ironclads would be no match for the $3 billion, 610-foot destroyer which was christened at Bath Iron Works on a warm Saturday morning before a crowd of nearly 6,000 people.

When this big bastard comes your way, find cover in a cave or better yet — leave town. This ship has stealth written all over it and is loaded with technology and firepower that makes this an intimidating and formidable weapon.

I am grateful this leviathan is on our side. Other warships just might go the other way or give the Zumwalt a wide berth when this behemoth appears on the horizon.

The destroyer features a 155mm gun that fires GPS-guided shells at targets more than 60 miles away. The skin of ship makes it harder to be detected by radar and is equipped with long-range missiles. Thanks to the ship's technology, only 158 sailors are required to man a destroyer with a displacement of 15,000 tons and travels at 30 knots. The bow is designed to cut through the water to make this warship sleek and fast. This is a ship with a low profile and perhaps a harder target to attack.

We walked around the huge shipyard before the Zumwalt came into view. Its size and shape is awesome. I snapped away with my Nikon, which also takes high-definition movies. I commend and marvel at the men and women who toil at BIW building these state-of-the-art warships. I had the privilege of viewing the Zumwalt's sister ship — the Michael Monsoor. It is amazing how skilled shipbuilders can put these giant steel puzzles together and create a warship.

But before we witnessed the christening, a slew of dignitaries and politicians began a long procession to the podium to make speeches that were sometimes too long and short on substance. Some of the speakers could have used a good editor with a sturdy red pen.

We crossed paths with a handful of brave sailors who will someday pilot this ship as it travels into harm's way. It takes brave men and women to go to sea for long periods of time. Sure, it's their duty, but this isn't just about taking orders or racing to their posts when battle stations is sounded throughout the ship. It is often a passion and dedication that many civilians can't comprehend.

Anthony and I kept hearing the name Captain James Kirk keeping popping up in some of the speeches. Was William Shatner also present to honor the crew of the Zumwalt? I wondered why Spock, Bones, Scotty and Chekov were not on board, and by the way, where the heck was the Enterprise?

It didn't take us long to figure out Captain James Kirk is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who will be the first skipper of the Zumwalt, which is named after Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Jr., who shook up the U.S. Navy by getting this particular branch of the service to embrace equal rights.

After two hours of speeches, Anthony and I stood in the crowd as Zumwalt's daughters broke a couple of bottles of the good stuff against the modern ship thick skin.

Was it worth the two-hour wait to witness history at BIW?

This small moment in history brought a father and son closer together and triggered a long and deep conversation during the ride home between two men who truly understand why the past is forever linked to the present and future.