The watch team can concentrate on strategy and tactics, making decisions on accurate and relevant information. DD 21 will employ a four-section watch to provide eight hours of uninterrupted sleep underway. DD 21 is the first ship designed for the sailor from the keel up. Sailors will live in staterooms with a maximum of three people per stateroom with privacy built into the design. Modern recreational and exercise facilities are complemented by an innovative food service.
Food service is achieved with a dramatic reduction in personnel.
It also supports a video teleconferencing capability with family, as well as Internet and on-line education. Significant improvement in work quality through the elimination of drudge work such as paint chipping and mess cooking has been achieved in the Blue Team's DD 21. The key to DD 21 survivability is a damage-tolerant design. Examples include zonal distribution and redundancy, which will ensure that power will be maintained, and the loss of no single space will cripple the ship. SSA provides for extensive internal situational awareness to detect and react to a damage event and begin the recovery process.