The second of the Zumwalt class destroyers, Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), achieved a major construction milestone overnight on 13-14 November 2014 with the addition of her prefabricated superstructure.
The installation of the composite deckhouse, which will house the bridge, radars, antennae and intake/exhaust systems, one of the more complicated evolutions in the construction of the futuristic warships, it was successfully carried out during a snowstorm. With the 900-tonne structure held in place by four cranes, the hull of the ship was rolled into position underneath. Once the superstructure had been lowered into place, the entire ship was moved back out to the main construction location in a delicate operation, which took ten hours to complete.
The third and final Zumwalt ship, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG1002), also under construction at Bath Iron works, will differ from her sisterships in having her deckhouse made from steel rather than carbon-fibre to reduce spiralling construction costs, currently estimated at US$3.5 billion per ship.
