Structural upgrades completed on Dry Dock 4, continue on two other docks

Photo By Jeb Fach | USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) is docked for its Extended Refit Period May 11 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility.  

BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

05.12.2023

Story by Anna Taylor 

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility

Interim seismic mitigation efforts, which began Feb. 15 on Dry Dock 4, have been completed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton. The dry dock has been tested and re-certified and USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) was docked for its Extended Refit Period May 11.

Mitigation work continues at Dry Dock 5 in Bremerton and the Trident Refit Facility Delta Pier in Bangor. Based on future planned improvements to Dry Dock 6 and differences in ship design and the size of aircraft carriers, it was determined immediate seismic mitigations are not required. Aircraft carrier maintenance at PSNS & IMF remains unaffected.

The need for mitigations in the remaining docks will be determined once current efforts are complete and may include stability enhancements for submarine availabilities.

“This seismic mitigation project is a huge undertaking with a lot of moving parts,” said Capt. Jip Mosman, commander, PSNS & IMF. “The Navy is working as quickly and safely as possible to return our dry docks to full functionality, and I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who has been involved thus far.”

Construction efforts include drilling holes for the installation of anchors inside the dry dock walls to enhance structural integrity and ensure the safety of the workforce, community, environment, and submarines. The mitigation efforts updated existing emergency response plans to better address the chance of a catastrophic earthquake, along with improved early-warning employee notification systems in the dry docks.

Experts from private industry, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command and PSNS & IMF will continue to plan and implement the structural upgrades, with an eye on the Navy’s future needs and in support of the PSNS & IMF mission to deliver modern, fully-mission capable warships on-time, every time, preserving our national security.

These short-term mitigation actions do not affect the nation’s strategic deterrent capability or the ability of the fleet to continue its overall mission. PSNS & IMF remains the primary provider for the maintenance, repair, modernization, inactivation and disposal of ships, submarines, and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the Pacific Fleet.

For questions related to this release, please contact the Navy Office of Information at 703-697-5342 or [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 05.12.2023
• Date Posted: 05.12.2023 12:59
• Story ID: 444637
• Location: BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, US