US Zumwalt Missile Destroyer Requires Repairs

The US guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt experienced an engineering casualty during preparations to get underway from Naval Station Norfolk earlier this week.

The ship will remain in Norfolk to conduct an assessment of the casualty and complete repairs. 

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, US Navy said in a statement Wednesday.

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. 

Repairs like these are not unusual in first-of-class ships during underway periods following construction. Zumwalt will conduct the repairs at Naval Station Norfolk prior to getting underway for training and certification operations.