US announces plans for a new ‘battleship'

However, the 'Golden Fleet' vision collides with the US Navy's history of setbacks

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Donald Trump departs after announcing his vision for a more powerful navy at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida yesterday.

(AP)

US President Donald Trump has announced a bold plan for the Navy to build a new, large warship that he is calling a "battleship" as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet.

"They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," Trump claimed during the announcement at his Mara-Lago resort in Florida.

According to Trump, the ship, the first of which will be named the USS Defiant, will be longer and larger than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships and will be armed with hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers all technologies that are in various stages of development by the Navy.