Rolls-Royce came out with an announcement regarding the twin fixed pitch propellers’ delivery to Bath Iron Works for the purposes of installing them on the most modern surface combatant in the United States Navy’s disposal, the very first DDG 1000 multi-mission destroyer class vessel, the future USS Zumwalt.

By delivering the twin fixed pitch propellers, Rolls-Royce has managed to complete the delivery of the propulsion and power systems, following the RR4500 auxiliary turbine generator sets and the MT30 main turbine generator sets, with which the vessel has already been equipped and trialed.

The five-bladed nickel aluminum bronze propellers have an approximate diameter of 18 feet and each of them weighs almost 60,000 pounds. They were manufactured in Rolls-Royce’s Pascagoula, Mississippi –based facility. The unique pattern was designed by NAVSEA and its production was initiated over six years ago. Rolls-Royce managed to deliver the first set of propellers to Bath Iron Works earlier in May of this year.

“The delivery and integration of these cutting-edge propellers servers as a unique milestone in the construction of this vessel, as the Navy is going to now manage to initiate further system trials, followed by open sea tests in the years to come,” commented Rolls-Royce Naval President, Don Roussinos.

Additionally, along with the twin fixed pitch propellers, the Zumwalt comes equipped with two Auxiliary Turbine Generator Sets (ATGs) and two Rolls-Royce MT30 Main Turbine Generator Sets (MTGs), which are going to be providing the vessel with a total of 78 MW – each ATG provides 3.9 MV and each MTG 35.4 MW. The RR4500 ATGs are manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana and the MT30 MTGs in England.

The MT30 is regarded as being the world’s most power dense marine gas turbine, and it is selected for the purposes of powering the most innovative and highly-advanced U.S. Navy vessels such as the Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship and the Royal Navy’s cutting-edge Type 26 Global Combat Ship along with its Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, as well as the FFX Batch II frigate, which serves the Navy of the Republic of Korea.