IN THIS ISSUE Main Mast Installed on CVN 78 Apprentice School Graduates 206 Keel Laid for ...

16 Pages·2013·33.22 MB·English

IN THIS ISSUE
Yardlines
Main Mast Installed on CVN 78
Apprentice School Graduates 206
Keel Laid for John Warner (SSN 785)
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A Publication of Newport News Shipbuilding April 2013

The Keel is Laid for
SSN 785
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) celebrated the keel a commitment to excellence to this boat. They will always
laying for the 12th Virginia-class submarine (VCS), and the sail with the John Warner.”
man whom the ship is named for – former U.S. Senator
Matthew Shilling, who joined NNS two years ago after
John Warner.
serving five years in the Navy, welded both sets of initials
The March 16 Keel Laying Ceremony for John Warner onto the plate that will be permanently affixed to the
(SSN 785) marked the ship’s first official construction submarine prior to its delivery to the Navy.
milestone and included many other firsts.
The former senator, who said he was “speaking from the
“This submarine will hold special significance in our heart,” served as the principal speaker for the ceremony.
history, for this submarine is the first and only Virginia- “This ship and its design and its sister ships are one of the
class submarine to be named for a person, and I couldn’t most invulnerable platforms in the entire arsenal of our
think of anyone more deserving of such an honor,” said military,” said Sen. Warner. “Nothing has been spared so
NNS President Matt Mulherin. that the crew of this ship for years and years and decades
to come can help preserve our nation’s most valued
Sen. Warner led the development of the 1997 teaming
treasure, and that is freedom.”
arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB)
and NNS to cooperatively build VCS submarines. Another of the ceremony’s poignant firsts was the request
by Sen. Warner to have the pin he received when he was
In his remarks, EB President Kevin Poitras said the event
discharged from the military after World War II be placed
was a proud occasion for EB and NNS employees. “The
with the keel authentication plate. The Navy and Marine
shipbuilders are working to ensure the submarine John
Corps veteran said he wanted the submarine to represent
Warner will extend the Virginia program’s record for
not just him, but the 16 million who served in World War II.
delivering on or ahead of schedule, and at or below
target cost,” Poitras said. “By sustaining this level of Pipefitter Betty Hazelwood, who gave the invocation, was
performance, and improving on it, the Virginia team will proud that she was chosen to participate in the event. “I
help to ensure the continuous production rate of two wanted my words to be meaningful and perfect,” she said.
submarines per year.”
Other ceremony participants included Julie Dyson and
In keeping with U.S. Navy tradition, Jeanne Warner, the Rita Meyer, matrons of honor; Assistant Secretary of the
wife of the former senator and the ship’s sponsor, had her Navy Sean Stackley; Adm. John M. Richardson, director,
initials welded onto a metal plate during the ceremony. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; Vice Adm. Michael J.
In another first, the ship’s namesake’s initials were also Connor, commander, Submarine Forces; Rear Adm. David
welded onto the plate. C. Johnson, program executive officer, Submarines; U.S.
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine; U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott
“Navy tradition provides that both the sponsor and the
and Rob Wittman; and Cmdr. Dan Caldwell, prospective
namesake’s spirit become a part of the boat, but everyone
commanding officer, John Warner. | By Gina Chew-Holman
who has contributed will be an integral part of the spirit
and the force that makes the John Warner,” said Jeanne
Warner. “The great shipbuilders of Newport News and
L – R: Former U.S. Senator John Warner, his wife and Ship’s Sponsor Jeanne
Electric Boat – these remarkable and patriotic American
Warner, Rep. Bobby Scott and NNS President Matt Mulherin at the March 16 John
shipbuilders have given their skill, dedication, energy and Warner Keel Laying Ceremony. Photo by Ricky Thompson
A PROUD PAST
Enables a Bright Future
“You are our secret weapon,” said retired Navy Admiral Apprenticeship Trailblazer and Innovator. In May 2012,
Tim Keating during the Newport News Shipbuilding NNS broke ground on the new 85,000-square-foot
(NNS) Apprentice School commencement ceremony at Apprentice School facility in downtown Newport News,
Liberty Baptist Church Worship Center in Hampton, Va., on which will be finished by the end of 2013.
February 23. “No one else has you guys.”
Even with all the excitement about the future, the
Speaking to the graduating class of 2012 as the ceremony’s school stays focused on its core values – craftsmanship,
commencement speaker, Adm. Keating shared from his scholarship and leadership. Micah Terrell Meeks, who
own experiences with NNS-built aircraft carriers and received the Homer L. Ferguson Award for earning
submarines, describing their importance to America’s the highest grade point average in combined required
security. academics and crafts, captured the heart of the school.
The ceremony marked the end of an exciting year for “As Newport News shipbuilders, we do hard things right,”
the 94-year-old Apprentice School. In August 2012, the said Meeks, addressing his fellow graduates. “This isn’t a
school was recognized by the Department of Labor’s slogan to us; this is our way of life. It’s also a debt we all
Office of Apprenticeship as a 21st Century Registered owe for living in this great country, for choosing to work in
A
y
FAMIL
F
INISH
Billy Anderson, an electrician foreman on Gerald R.
Ford (CVN 78), started at Newport News Shipbuilding
five years ago after serving 22 years in the Air Force.
He decided to apply to The Apprentice School after
encouraging his son, Ricky Anderson, to get into the
school because of the career opportunities and the
wrestling program. Both of the Andersons grew up
wrestling, with the father coaching his son until high
school.
“It’s in our blood. I started wrestling in the eighth
grade, and I introduced the sport to him when he was
8 years old,” said the elder Anderson. “He’s set a lot of
records here at The Apprentice School, and a few of
them will probably stand for quite some time.”
Like his father, the younger Anderson also works with
aircraft carriers. He is an outside machinist, working in
nuclear refueling.
a profession that provides our nation’s Navy with the tools
they need to protect our homes, our families and our way
“It’s not for everybody,” said apprentice graduate Ricky
of life.”
Anderson, who wrestled competitively through all four
years of his program. “Just because I was a wrestler
Before introducing Adm. Keating, NNS President Matt
didn’t mean I could come to work and be slack. I had to
Mulherin expressed his pride in the graduates. “Today
put in honest work.”
is a day to remember the achievements you have made
as apprentices, and to reflect on those you will make
The Andersons now share another common bond.
throughout your careers.”
On February 23, father and son graduated from The
Apprentice School together, the father graduating
Surrounded by family, friends, faculty and NNS leadership,
with honors for outstanding performance both in the
the graduates held their heads high and walked out of the
classroom and on the job.
ceremony into a bright future as shipbuilders. | By Peter Stern
Family, friends and faculty of the 206 graduates sang the national anthem during Billy Anderson and Ricky Anderson look to the future with the new
the commencement ceremony on February 23. Photo by Chris Oxley Apprentice School building behind them. Father and son are both proud graduates
of the class of 2012. Photo by John Whalen
They are like nothing you’ve ever transporters could go are forward These vehicles are designed to ease
seen before, except maybe in a and backwards. But these vehicles underneath a huge submarine or
movie. With a maximum traveling are extremely versatile, explained carrier module and lift it up to seven
speed of 12 miles per hour, you Transport Operator Mary McClees- feet off the ground, like an elevator.
certainly won’t see them out on the Baker, who has been driving them The drivers make it look easy, but
highway or driving down the road, for 13 years. they will tell you that operating a
unless that road is inside the gates transporter is very challenging.
“The transporter can move forward,
of Newport News Shipbuilding. They
in reverse, side to side, diagonally and Operator Lindale Brothers has been
are the unique and attention-grabbing
even in a 360-degree perfect circle, if working at the shipyard for 30 years,
transporters.
it needs to,” she explained. and has been operating these unique
Six transporters make up the fleet. vehicles for more than 20 years.
Like other operators who drive the
There are four smaller, four-axis
transporters, McClees-Baker loves “The most challenging thing about
vehicles and two five-axis models.
her job. operating a transporter is balancing
Honing in on the size of each, you
the job,” Brothers said.
would think the only directions the
Real-Life
TRANSPORTERS
There are four corners on the platform one time – a feat Brothers recently transporter, so everything had to be
on top of the transporter – A, B, C and accomplished. A few months ago, perfect – regarding weight and center
D. The weight has to be perfectly and the transporter team moved the of gravity.”
equally distributed to all four corners, 450-metric-ton, 140-foot-long gallery
George added, “Think of the
which involves a lot of math. It’s deck for the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
transporters as the driving force or
called blocking, and a new operator
“The bigger the job, the more fun it is quarterback of the team – the unit
must master this process before
for me,” Brothers said. “I get a rush we are moving is the ball. Without
getting behind the wheel.
out of the big jobs like that one.” transporters, you couldn’t build
The maximum capacity for a single submarines or aircraft carriers.”
Foreman Carlos George, who
transporter is 260 metric tons, and | By Jeremy Bustin
supervises the 14 operators, explained
that challenge is quadrupled when
the significance of the CVN 78 job. “It
moving a large unit for a superlift,
had never been done before,” he said.
which requires the operator to drive The bow unit for the Illinois (SSN 786) submarine is
“There were 42 feet between each being moved on one of the shipyard’s transporter. Photo by
four transporters, linked together, at
Ricky Thompson
TThhee PPaatttteerrnn SShhoopp’’ss LLuucckk
They call him “Luck,” but luck isn’t the only thing Michael Luck has going for
TThhee PPaatttteerrnn SShhoopp’’ss LLuucckk him when he enters the Pattern Shop’s two-story warehouse that is home to
more than 10,000 original patterns for parts of vessels built by Newport News
Shipbuilding (NNS). Luck can pinpoint the exact location of approximately
5,000 patterns – all by memory – and knows the approximate location of the
rest.
The longtime shipbuilder has been memorizing specific information about
patterns since March 1980, when he was transferred through a rotation
program from the Fabrication Department to the Foundry. “I can still
remember the first time I walked into the 49,000-square-foot warehouse,” he
said. “I was overwhelmed. I thought to myself, ‘How in the world am I ever
going to keep up with all of these patterns?’”
At the time, NNS had a card catalog system for locating patterns. “The
catalog had a small, index-like card for each pattern with information about
the pattern, its location and sometimes a drawing of the pattern’s shape to
assist with identification,” he said. “Even though the system worked fine, I
found it more efficient to memorize the information by heart.”
Luck did just that. He even knows the location of the shipyard’s oldest
pattern that is still stored in the warehouse, a pattern that dates back to
the mid-1940s. “Most people are surprised to find out that NNS stores so
many patterns,” said Luck. “By contract, the company is required to keep
the patterns for each vessel part for a certain period of time in case the
ship needs repair work. After that period of time, the shipyard destroys the
patterns.”
Today, the 36-year shipyard veteran is one of two Material Support
shipbuilders in the Pattern Shop responsible for transporting patterns to
and from the Pattern Shop to the Foundry and eventually to the warehouse
to be stored. “I’m on a forklift for the majority of my work day,” he said.
“The patterns come in various shapes and sizes and range anywhere from a
half pound to 1,500 pounds, so the time it takes to move them varies. After
locating the pattern, it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to upwards of two
hours to transport.”
In 2010, Luck played a lead role in digitizing the card catalog. “I was
instrumental in the transfer of knowledge from the card system to the
computers,” he said. “I worked with Foundry Planner Donnie Morris and
Pattern Planner Doug Boyd for six months to input information on the
computer.”
Currently, the Pattern Shop has a fully computerized system for locating
patterns. “We use the computer, but we still have the paper system for
backup,” said Luck. “I’m glad we have both, because without either system, it
could take many days or weeks to locate a specific pattern. The new system
also says a lot about NNS’ effort to incorporate new technology into old
processes. As I’ve told younger shipbuilders many times before, ‘Technology
is the way of the shipyard today.’” | By Lauren Ward
Shipbuilder Michael Luck locates one of the 5,000 patterns he knows by memory in the Pattern Shop’s warehouse,
which houses more than 10,000 original patterns for parts of vessels built by NNS. Photo by John Whalen
On March 16, craftsmen building the Gerald R. Ford (CVN
78) completed the installation of the ship’s main mast. 
Nearly every trade working on CVN 78 was represented
in the construction and pre-outfitting to ready the
structure for its placement on top of the ship.
A New
The new mast weighs 70 metric tons, stands 54 feet
above the island, and is a completely new design for
Ford-class aircraft carriers. 
Mast for
New features include increased protection for internal
equipment and cabling, increased redundancy of
antenna systems and, most visibly, a small compartment
nicknamed “the pagoda,” which will house the latest
CVN 78
generation of electronic warfare equipment and flat
antenna arrays.
Also, noticeably different from a Nimitz-class mast is
the absence of the large rotating radar antennas. One
small navigation radar remains as the only rotator. As a
result, when underway, the Ford mast will look strangely
still. The dual band radar arrays in the island perform
all the functions of the “legacy” rotating radar systems.
| By Dave Hamm