Inside the Stealth Destroyer USS Zumwalt

Inside the Stealth Destroyer USS Zumwalt, the Warship That Runs on Linux

Part power plant, part server farm, all destroyer.

By Kyle Mizokami

You might be aware the new stealth destroyer USS Zumwalt has two 155-millimeter howitzers, 80 vertical launch missile silos, and a pair of rapid-fire 30-millimeter cannon. But did you know it has its own server farm, some of the most advanced power generation equipment in existence, and runs on Linux?

A new interactive web page by The Bookmark does an excellent job of breaking down the tech that powers the USS Zumwalt, the lead ship of the Zumwalt class of destroyers. The page breaks down the weapons that give the 16,000-ton vessel her teeth, allowing it to hit land targets as far as 1,000 miles away, shoot down anything flying within 200-plus miles, and destroy enemy submarines and small kamikaze ships.



What the page excels at however is describing all of the tech that keeps the ship running 24/7. The Zumwalt, for example, has a staggering 53,760 cubic feet of onboard computer servers, running everything from the steering to the electricity, all powered by the Linux operating system.

Everything on the ship is powered by two 38-megawatt gas turbine engines, together providing enough power to power 12,000 homes. These power everything from the computers to the drive motors, allowing the Zumwalt to do up to 30 knots at sea. They might also someday power railguns and lasers, both of which are under development by the U.S. Navy.