The U.S. president said that the new “golden fleet” will replace “old and tired and obsolete” vessels
U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans on Monday for a “golden fleet” of what he described as “desperately” needed Navy ships, including two “very large battleships” to replace “old and tired and obsolete” vessels.
The new ships will be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built” and would feature both missiles and more traditional naval guns, Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, alongside U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan.
The battleships, which are to weigh 30,000 to 40,000 tons and be completed in the “early 2030s,” are to be equipped with advanced weapons, such as hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns, high-powered laser systems and nuclear-capable cruise missiles, as well as updated defensive systems, per the Pentagon.