Navy seeks alternative deckhouse

The U.S. Navy is looking for an alternative deckhouse for DDG-1002, the final proposed Zumwalt-class destroyer. The current Zumwalt deckhouse is uniquely designed and constructed of composite materials at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Gulfport, Miss.. At 900 tons, the deckhouse packs the ship's bridge, radars, antennas and intake/exhaust systems into a structure designed to provide a significantly smaller radar cross-section than any other ship in the fleet. But in a Jan. 3 solicitation the Navy said it has a potential requirement for a steel deckhouse. The solicitation comes as the Navy and Ingalls have begun negotiations on building the ship’s deckhouse. (Source: Aviation Week, 01/25/13)