The largest US destroyer ever built headed for sea trials Monday, its angular radar-evading form cutting a distinctive figure on Maine's Kennebec River, the US Navy said.

The $4.3 billion USS Zumwalt is the first in a new line of revolutionary guided missile destroyers.

Hundreds of workers were on hand to cheer the ship as it departed the Bath Iron Works in Maine on Monday traveling down the Kennebec River to the sea, local media reported.

Pictures of the futuristic-looking ship, commanded by Captain James Kirk, were posted on Navy Twitter accounts.

"Zumwalt sails for the first time," the US Navy Sea Systems Command tweeted.

The ship is 600 feet (roughly 180 meters) long and weighs nearly 15,000 tonnes, making it the largest destroyer in the US fleet.

But thanks to its angled hull and deck house, it is designed to look no bigger than a fishing boat on radar.

Its motors are electric powered, driven by an innovative integrated power system that may one day also support an array of energy-intensive weapons like lasers and electromagnetic rail guns.

It is intended to be capable of operating in shallow coastal waters, laying down fire to support forces on shore, as well as conducting anti-aircraft and naval surface warfare.

Only three Zumwalt-class ships will be built, as Congress cut back funding for original plans for 32 ships, driving up the costs per ship.

USS Zumwalt departs for its first sea trials
Bath, Maine (UPI) Dec 7, 2015 - The USS Zumwalt concluded years of full rate production as it departed to begin its first sea trials on Monday.

Zumwalt is the largest destroyer ever built for the U.S. Navy, while also being the first all-electric warship. The ship is 610 feet long, and weighs about 15,000 tons. WCSH6 reports the total cost of the ship's production came to about $4.3 billion.

"I think we've all worked really hard and this is a huge reward," said Bath Iron Works procurement department employee Debrah Beane as she waited for the ship to sail through the river. "It makes you proud to be an American."

Production on the stealth destroyer began at Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics in 2009. Zumwalt is the first of three planned Zumwalt-class destroyers to be built, which distinguishes itself from other destroyers with its smooth angles and pyramid-shaped 1,000-ton deckhouse designed to make the ship harder to pick up on radar.

The planned sea trials will demonstrate Zumwalt's hull, mechanical and electrical systems, according to the Portland Press Herald. Following the trials, the ship will head back to Bath, where Bath Iron Works employees and other Navy contractors will continue working on the ship.