Stealth destroyer, indeed.

When the future USS Zumwalt hits the Kennebec River for the first time Saturday, no one outside the shipyard will see it. That’s because Bath Iron Works officials have banned the public and the media from the event they are calling the “float-off” of the controversial, multibillion-dollar craft.

The U.S. Navy already announced Oct. 11 that — due to the government shutdown — the christening of the future USS Zumwalt DDG 1000, originally scheduled for Saturday, would be postponed, probably until spring 2014.

“It is incredibly unfortunate that we are being forced to cancel the christening ceremony for this great warship,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a statement at the time.

The christening — scuttled by Congress’ 16-day failure to reach an agreement on funding the government — was to be attended by 4,000 invited guests.

A christening is usually reserved for dignitaries, public officials, sailors and their families. Nearly all newly completed BIW ships have had one; the most recent was May 7, 2011, for the DDG 112 USS Michael Murphy, in front of a standing room-only audience of 3,000 guests.

But a “float-off ” is a less formal ceremony in which shipyard workers celebrate the landmark accomplishment of seeing their hightech warship hit the water — often before it is fully operational.

BIW spokesman Jim DeMartini said Wednesday there are no plans to allow the public or the media to see the craft float off prior to the postponed christening.

“The Navy and BIW are continuing to prepare for the float off of DDG 1000, which is anticipated in the near future,” he wrote in an email to The Times Record. “For security reasons, floatoff activities will not be open to the public or the media, and schedule information will not be disclosed prior to the event.”

The Zumwalt is the first of three next-generation DDG 1000 destroyers under construction at BIW.

The DDG 1001, the future USS Michael Monsoor, is scheduled for delivery in late 2014 or early 2015; and the third, DDG 1002, the future USS Lyndon B. Johnson, is due in 2017 or 2018.

The Zumwalt class of “stealth” destroyers “provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces,” according to the Navy.

The Zumwalt honors Navy Adm. Elmo R. “Bud” Zumwalt Jr., who became the 19th Chief of Naval Operations in 1970. He died in Durham, N.C., on Jan. 2, 2000.

The Navy originally wanted to build 32 of the destroyers — with the $9.6 billion research and development costs spread across the class but that number was reduced to 24, then to seven and now to three, because of runaway costs and problems with the radar-deflecting design of the hull.

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