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Last week the USS Zumwalt motored from the manufacturer’s shipyard in Bath, Maine to a Navy base in Newport, Rhode Island, as the U.S. Navy completes its outfitting before fully commissioning the vessel In October. Zumwalt is notable for her appearance, as she is the Navy’s latest stealth ship, which means she looks and operates nothing like the class of destroyers she succeeds. Of course, many of these changes make the Zumwalt the world’s most advanced warship.
That doesn’t look like a warship
Zumwalt incorporates a tumblehome design, which is when a ship’s beam (width) at its uppermost deck is thinner than the maximum beam of the vessel. On the Zumwalt, the beam is widest at the waterline and the ascending decks become more narrow—this is opposed to flared ship designs that become widest at the hull and often have square or flared superstructures. Marine engineers were unsure if the tumblehome design would  work at all due to a perceived lack of transverse stability. When the ship would heel to one side, the center of buoyancy on the vessel must shift outboard with it. A flared ship design allows more mass to be supported higher on the vessel, which provides righting energy to help the vessel return to its keel. There were many concerns that the right amount of wind and wave force could turtle the Zumwalt completely.
Stability concerns were also based on the fact the U.S. Navy used calculations of testing for flared hull ships, when the Zumwalt actually uses an inverted bow. Inverted bows are common on pre-WWI warships and modern submarines and the bow slopes back toward the ship instead of over the water. This concept helps the boat slice through waves instead of over them (as evidenced by much less bow waves and spray), which increases overall hull speed and improves fuel efficiency.
Where’d it go?
Stealth is an important aspect to contemporary warships, and the inverted bow and tumblehome structure help downplay its radar signature. Zumwalt’s radar cross-section is further reduced by a lack of 90° angles between external features. The deckhouse of the Zumwalt is also made from balsawood-cored carbon-composite panels. These features result in the 610-feet-long destroyer showing up as a 50-feet-long fishing vessel on radar displays. Since the Zumwalt’s missions will take place near coastal waters, designers have had to integrate removable radar reflectors for the safety of civilian and commercial mariners.
 That thing got a Hemi?
Zumwalt will feature substantial power generation capabilities, in part because Zumwalt is driven by two giant 34-MW GE induction electric motors, but also because there is hope that Zumwalt will one day be retrofitted with a rail gun or free-electron lasers. The power itself is generated by four gas turbines in an integrated electric propulsions arrangement which creates 80 MW. This electric generation powers all electronics on board, and can be allocated to systems on an as-needed basis, which is important because a railgun requires 25 MW of power. In disaster relief roles, the Zumwalt can generate electricity for over 100,000 homes.
Boom goes the dynamite
B esides the railgun, the Zumwalt also has new ideas on conventional weapons platforms. Sea Sparrow and Tomahawk missile batteries and anti-sub rockets have been moved to dedicated compartments sealed into the Zumwalt’s hull. These batteries are placed between the thick inner hull of the ship and the thin outer hull. The thinking is that in the event of a direct hit, the explosion is directed away from the ship. Traditionally, missiles were stored and launched from the center of the ship, where they are better protected from peripheral threats. However, missile batteries in the center of the ship can tear vessels right in half in the event of sequential missile detonations.
Two angular protrusions on the foredeck of the Zumwalt hide the Advanced Gun System, a new turret artillery delivery system that has been in development for just 50 years and is the largest guns outfitted on a U.S. Navy ship since WWII. It is completely automated and delivers guided and unguided munitions 68 miles away with excellent precision. With 600 rounds on board, and the ability to resupply ammunition while still shooting, the Navy dubs it the “infinite magazine.”
The enemy(?)
At the moment the only enemy to the Zumwalt is its extreme budget, totaling $22.5 billion in R&D and $4 billion for each ship in its class. Many have questioned what role the Zumwalt will fulfill, as there is little current need for a destroyer for coastal fire support of ships and troops. Originally the 34 Zumwalt-class ships were scheduled to be built before the order was downsized to 24 vessels, then 7, and finally three. (USS Michael Monsoor was launched last June; work on the USS Lyndon B. Johnson began last April.)
Instead, the U.S. has invested in 24-76 Arleigh-Burke-class destroyers, which are move defensive in nature and much, much cheaper, prompting speculation that the Zumwalt is obsolescent before it even enters service.
So the world’s most advanced warship is left without real purpose or praise, a shame considering how revolutionary it is.
UPDATE, July 2017: Here is an impressive 3D tour of the warship on The Bookmark.
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