Navy Sails High-Tech High Seas

Tech-Savvy Sailors on Board

E-mail isn't the only technology touching the lives of sailors. Aboard theMcFaul, supply orders are completed online, an intranet keeps crew informed of ship duties, and sailors can take computer classes online.

Crewmembers can access any Web site within the ".mil" and ".gov" domain. But they are banned from all but ten non-government Web sites. CNN, ESPN, and Excite.com's Blue Mountain Arts electronic greeting cards are among the sites cleared for Navy surfing.

Sites like eTrade, Hotmail, and adult sites are deemed either inappropriate or a security risk, says Joe Faretra, McFaul's Electronics Technician First Class. Along with the advantages of having a network onboard come its trappings, he says. Though the McFaul has never been shot at, the Melissa virus and another "worm" viruses have penetrated the ship's hull as e-mail attachments.

Because weapon systems are not linked to the ship's Windows NT network, the McFaul has never lost its military readiness as a result of a computer virus, Faretra says. Perhaps the Navy learned its lesson in 1998. That's when the USS Yorktown had to be towed back to port after a newly installed Windows NT server failed and affected the missile cruiser's propulsion system.

Computers' Importance Grows

The Navy hopes computers will reduce manpower, improve maintenance, and lower operating costs. Its new mission is to build "Smart Ships" that are increasingly reliant on computers.

The USS McFaul is one of several Navy vessels picked to test new technology. By August, the destroyer and crew will be equipped with 150 Palm handheld computers. The McFaul will also be retrofitted with dozens of infrared Palm syncing stations, so the crew can upload maintenance reports and download orders from superiors.

By 2007, the Navy hopes to build new DD21-class destroyers to replace ships like the USS McFaul. The yet-to-be-built USS Zumwalt will be the first of the class. This ship will equal the USS McFaul in size, but will exceed it in firepower and brains. And instead of a crew of 350, the USS Zumwalt will have a crew of 90--humans, that is; its computing population will likely exceed that of the USS McFaul.