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Given the recent problems with collisions on Navy ships I might be a little nervous serving aboard one that is designed to defeat naval radar. It would be pretty embarrassing to sink the newest destroyer because some big cargo ship couldn't see it in the dark and ran over it.

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If you look at pictures of the Zumwalts putting around, you'll see they have standard naval radars mounted atop the deckhouse. Also, with stealth aircraft it's common practice to attach reflectors when not on a mission to go blow someone up. I imagine it's the same for the ships.

That would be 100% the decision of the Captain who chose to sit in a busy shipping lane showing no lights. The civilians captains going about their legitimate business, in a shipping lane, showing running lights, and restricted in ability to manoeuvre, have been blameless in all collisions to date.

Which could definitely be an issue since the Zumwalts are tiny and low prestige so they might not get the top shelf Skippers.

At over $4 Billion each, I'd hope they still get top class skippers. Whatever the training, recruitment, retention etc. costs the Navy it would be worth it.

Yeah, but it's a ship with a crew of 140 with no realistic path towards a combat deployment. It's the naval version of a dead end job.

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