New stealthy Navy destroyer gets turbine transplant

BATH, Maine — Shipbuilder Bath Iron Works has replaced one of the massive turbines on the future USS Michael Monsoor, and the stealthy destroyer is scheduled to depart for San Diego in November.

The delicate operation involved lifting and maneuvering the 15-ton Rolls Royce marine turbine out of the ship, and workers had to build a rail system to assist in the removal and installation of the replacement turbine, officials said.

“The number of twists and turns it had to go through represented a pretty interesting engineering evolution,” said shipyard President Dirk Lesko.

Shipbuilders noticed an unusual vibration during sea trials and discovered a foreign object had damaged some turbine blades, Lesko said. Although the turbine still works, the Navy decided to replace the unit.

The Zumwalt-class destroyers like the Monsoor use two main turbines similar to ones used on Boeing 777 jetliners.

The destroyer, named for a Navy SEAL who threw himself on a grenade to save comrades, is due to be commissioned in January in Coronado, California.

The Zumwalt-class ships are the largest and costliest destroyers built for the Navy, weighing in at 15,000 tons.

They feature an unconventional wave-piercing hull and a sleek deckhouse that hides radar and other sensors .