COMPOSITE DECKHOUSE

The upper levels of the deckhousethe part of the ship that rises above the main deck and contains the bridge, the exhaust stacks, and various radar antennasis made of balsawood-cored carbon composite. An unusual material to be found on a naval vessel, it adds stealthiness, resists corrosion, and saves weight up top, improving stability.

PERIPHERAL VERTICAL LAUNCH SYSTEM

On other destroyers, missiles are stored amidships, so as to be best protected from enemy re. On the Zumwalt, missiles are arrayed around the ships exterior. The vertical missilelauncher cells, sandwiched between inner and outer hulls, are designed to explode outward if they are hit, leaving the watertight inner hull intact.

ADVANCED GUN SYSTEM

The ships two 155-millimeter guns re self-propelled projectiles that can be guided in ight. They are capable of reaching targets more than 100 kilometers away. Each gun can hold in excess of 300 of these high-tech rounds, which are handled by an automated loading mechanism.

INTEGRATED POWER SYSTEM

The USS Zumwalt has four gas-turbine engines, but none are directly connected to the drive shafts and propellers. Instead, these engines are used to generate as much as 78 megawatts of electricity, which is then used to power two electric induction motors [detailed at right] along with the ships other systems. Large ships have long used combustion-driven generators linked with electric motors for propulsion. What is unique about the Zumwalt is that its generators are not tied directly to its motors. Instead, electricity ows between them over a ship-wide distribution network, which allows power to be directed wherever its needed. This exibility should make it easier to ret the Zumwalt with railguns or directed-energy weapons, should these technologies one day mature.

TUMBLEHOME HULL
As the hull rises from the waterline, its side angles inward, a feature not seen in naval warships in more than a century. It is used here to reduce the ships radar prole.