The U.S. Navy’s new high tech destroyer has been sidelined for repairs after suffering a seawater leak in its propulsion system less than a month before its expected commissioning.
The U.S. Navy confirmed via a statement that the future USS Zumwalt, the largest and most technologically advanced destroyer ever built for the Navy, suffered the engineering casualty that could take up to two weeks to repair.
The fault was discovered during at sea testing on September 19.
“The crew discovered the casualty after detecting a seawater leak in the propulsion motor drive lube oil auxiliary system for one of the ship’s shafts,” U.S. Naval Surface Forces said in a statement. “The built-in redundancy of the ship’s propulsion plant allows this first-in-class ship to operate with multiple engine configurations. However, it was determined that the repairs should be completed in port prior to the ship transiting to sea.”
The future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) arrived into Naval Station Norfolk last week for a port visit and more sea trials after its construction was completed at General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. USS Zumwalt is scheduled to be formally commissioned during Fleet Week Maryland in Baltimore, October 15.
Zumwalt is expected to undergo repairs at Naval Station Norfolk, which are estimated to take 10 days and up to two weeks. The repairs are not expected to impact the commissioning of the vessel as planned, the report said.
Although it is normal for issues to arise during pre-commissioning tests, the incident comes after the Navy ordered an “engineering stand down” for all crews assigned to the Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ships following multiple recent engineering casualties aboard the Freedom-class LCS’. The stand down was ordered so that crews could review procedures and standards to ensure they are fully prepared to operate the ships safely.
After commissioning, the USS Zumwalt is expected to make its 3-month journey to its new homeport in San Diego.
The USS Zumwalt is rumored to have cost close to $4 billion. It is one of three planned ships in the Navy’s $22 billion, next-generation Zumwalt destroyer program.
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