Navy will retrofit destroyers with hybrid diesel electric engines

San Diego Union-Tribune:

The San Diego-based Makin Island – the hybrid "Prius" of the Navy, as it is powered by both electricity and diesel fuel – has proved to be a good model and the Navy plans to use the technology on other ships, such as destroyers.

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Aerospace Daily said the Navy will put the hybrid drive in its future DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers, a class consisting of just three vessels.

In addition, Navy brass wants to retrofit current DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with the hybrid drive and put it in future Flight III versions of the ship.

The Makin Island arrived at its home port of San Diego in September 2009. On its sail from a Mississippi shipyard, the ship saved 900,000 gallons of fuel, worth more than $2 million, because of a first-of-its-kind mating of gas turbine engines and electric motors. The motors are used at low speeds — roughly 75 percent of the time — and the engine kicks in at high speeds.

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I can understand why they would want the engines if they can save that much in fuel costs. Back when I used to race sailboats I thought such an engine would be a real advantage because it probably weighs much less, and it would require less fuel storage saving additional weight.