Photo By LaShawn Sykes | NORFOLK, Va. (Feb. 3, 2024) – Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) sixth expeditionary...... read more read more
Military Sealift Command Expeditionary Fast Transport USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) began a scheduled two-month maintenance period Feb. 12 after returning stateside to Hampton Roads, Virginia, from a seven-year forward deployment.
MSC announced in January that Colonna’s Ship Yard in Norfolk, Virginia, was contracted to execute the more than $6 million regular drydock/overhaul (ROH), which includes 114 work items. Colonna’s will work with several subcontractors and MSC personnel to provide repair and maintenance services for the vessel.
MSC’s Engineering Branch (Code N7) is responsible for planning, developing and promulgating engineering policies, programs and procedures to ensure the MSC fleet operates in the most efficient, cost effective and mission-ready posture. Within the Branch, the Life Cycle Management Division (Code N75) oversees maintenance and repairs for MSC government-owned ships in the fleet to ensure operability and mission-readiness.
Jamison Grinnell, EPF Life Cycle Manager (Code N758)/Brunswick Principal Port Engineer says planning for this ROH began more than a year ago, and it has taken a collaborative and team effort between the crew, contractors, N758 and MSC staff to get to this point.
“We initially started desk planning for this availability almost a year and a half ago,” said Grinnell. “We had an advanced planning cell that assisted, and a logistical department who continues to assist with processing all of the material orders. There are a lot of hands involved in making this happen.”
The work package includes original equipment manufacturer (OEM) maintenance and corrective maintenance – including structural repairs.
“There is a large data base of OEM-recommended, time-based maintenance,” he said. “A lot of it is due each year, some of it is due every three or five years. That makes up the bulk of the work package. Then our corrective maintenance are repairs that occurred during operations. These are repair requests from the chief engineer. The major jobs are structural repairs that require a lot of aluminum welding skills.”
Grinnell says because Brunswick was forward-deployed, communication has been vital to developing a complete and accurate work package that maximized the maintenance period.
“We’ve been in constant communication to make sure we had jobs pre-loaded in the work package prior to starting, which can be tough because we’re locking in much of it eight to 10 months out while they’re still operational and things could still break,” he said.
During the ROH, an on-shore maintenance team, which includes of the Ship’s Master, Chief Engineer and Grinnell will manage the execution.
“The assistant port engineer, quality assurance representative, integrated logistics supervisor and starting this year, we have a technical administrative assistant, who will work with the contractors and monitor the progress of the ROH. The goal is to ensure the repairs are done correctly and Brunswick’s is back underway in a timely manner,” said Grinnell.
Brunswick shifted its hub port from Saipan February this year after completing a seven-year forward deployment that began Jan. 30, 2017, in support of military logistics operations in U.S. 7th, 5th, and 3rd Fleets’ areas of operation.
MSC directs and supports operations for approximately 140 civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships at sea, conduct specialized missions, preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, perform a variety of support services, and move military equipment and supplies to deployed U.S. forces. Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 Civil Service Mariners and 1,100 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 1,400 active duty and reserve military personnel.
| Date Taken: | 02.22.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.22.2024 15:42 |
| Story ID: | 464505 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 293 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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