The USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) entered service during a ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island, California, on 26 January. She is the second Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer to have commissioned. Originally optimized for land-attack and littoral missions, the stealthy three-ship Zumwalt-class includes a number of technological innovations—such as a wave-piercing tumblehome hull design to help reduce the ship’s radar signature and an integrated power system that distributes electrical power throughout the ship more efficiently. These technologies and many others will enable the destroyers to serve both as advanced operational warships and as testbeds for future systems, sensors, and weapons. The 15,761-ton (full load) destroyer has a 610-foot length, an 81-foot beam, and a 28-foot draft. The Michael Monsoor can carry two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and is armed with an 80-cell MK 57 vertical-launch system, which houses missiles for land and sea attack, air and missile defense, and antisubmarine warfare.
Portugal’s navy commissioned the new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Setúbal on 28 December 2018. The new warship joins sisters Viana do Castelo, Figueira de Foz, and Sines as the fourth Viana do Castelo–class OPV to enter service since 2011. As many as six additional units in the class may be planned. The Setúbal was built under a 2015 contract with the consortium West Sea/Edisoft and was launched on 13 September 2017. She underwent extensive testing in 2018 before completing sea trials on 12 December. The 1,600-ton (full load) warship carries a crew of 35 and has a 273-foot length, a 42-foot beam, and a 12-foot draft. Armed with a single 30-mm cannon and two .50-caliber machine guns, the Setúbal can carry two rigid-hulled inflatable boats and is fitted with a helicopter landing deck but does not have a hangar.
The patrol vessel Omiš was delivered to the Croatian Navy at the naval base in Split on 7 December 2018. She is the first of five inshore patrol vessels being built under a December 2014 contract with the Brodosplit shipyard to be delivered. The 142-foot craft, given the pennant number 31, was laid down in September 2015 and launched in June 2017. As the first locally designed and built warship constructed in modern-day Croatia, her delivery marks an important milestone for the country and its navy. With a crew of 16, the boat’s primary missions include patrol duties, logistics support, search-and-rescue operations, and protection of Croatia’s exclusive economic zone. The Omiš is fitted with a remotely operated 30-mm cannon, two .50-caliber machine guns, and short-range surface-to-air missiles. Plans call for final sea trials and testing to conclude by the spring, and she is expected to enter operational service by the end of 2019.