2nd stealthy destroyer starting to take shape at Maine shipyard

The second of three stealthy destroyers under construction in Maine is starting to take shape.

The Navy says it has completed the hoisting of the 1,000-ton composite deckhouse onto the 610-foot hull of the future USS Michael Monsoor. It took four cranes to complete the job Friday.

Like the first-in-class Zumwalt, the Monsoor is a 610-foot-long destroyer that will be part of the first class of electric-drive surface combatants since the 1940s.

The Zumwalt's big price tag nearly caused the Navy to scuttle the program. Instead, it reduced the number of ships to just three, all of which are being built at Maine's Bath Iron Works.