The USS Zumwalt, the largest and most expensive destroyer ever built by the U.S. Navy began its sea trials Monday.

The USS Zumwalt departed the Bath Iron Works on the Kennebec River in Maine on Monday, The Verge reports. It will head out into the open waters to test its sea worthiness this week.

The Navy plans to demonstrate many of the ship's technologies and features, which have led to the vessel's price tag of about $4 billion.

The USS Zumwalt is a 600 feet long guided-missile destroyer, complementing the missile arsenal will be laser weapons and rail guns, expected to be installed in the near future. The ship is run with electric drive propulsion, which is designed to replace the Navy's older fleet of Arleigh-Burke destroyers.

The ship's automation will allow it to operate with far fewer crew members than current destroyers.

The ship has enough room to store two Seahawk helicopters or one Seahawk and three drones. The ship also will be armed with two 155-millimeter Advanced Gun Systems and two 30-mm close-in guns.

Although it is uniquely shaped and has drawn criticism for its design, the USS Zumwalt is designed to cut through waves with its tumblehome hull and remain stealthy on enemy radars.

Some critics believe the tumblehome hull could cause the ship to easily tip over, but the Navy insists the USS Zumwalt is safe. The Navy says extensive testing and smaller models of the ship have performed well with the same design.

"It's as cool as can be. It's nice to see it underway," said Larry Harris, a retired Raytheon employee who worked on the ship. "Hopefully, it will perform as advertised."

The 16,000 ton USS Zumwalt has been under construction since 2008. After many production delays and setbacks, it is finally on the seas. The ship is capable of shooting missiles up to 125 miles. These fly up to a speed of 7.5 times faster than the speed of sound.

Watch the video of the USS Zumwalt during its first day of sea trials: