Courtesy Photo | The entrance sign to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit, Balston Spa, NY, where the...... read more read more
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series on NNSY’s Kesselring Site Operations work in New York. Part One can be found in the September 2023 issue of Service to the Fleet, featured here: https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/67474.
In part one of this two-part article series, you hopefully learned about the fascinating history of the Kenneth A. Kesselring Site, West Milton, NY. Now that we know a little bit about the history of Kesselring, let’s learn more about current operations.
With the Modification and Reactor Facilities (MARF) prototype shut down, the site will become a single prototype that will be supported by Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Portsmouth, Virginia, under a surge model similar to the one used at the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) Charleston, Goose Creek, South Carolina.
The MARF prototype is no longer operational. It is currently in the preparations to be defueled. However, before the defueling process could start, a surge team from NNSY went to Kesselring in 2018 to better prepare the reactor for defueling.
“NNSY installed a system to bridge the gap between reactor shutdown and defueling,” said S8G Prototype Project Superintendent Matthew May. “That was a big coup because, the system was engineered on-site by one group; a second group built the system on-site, and then NNSY installed the system due to its complexity. It was a real teaming effort, both within NNSY and the Kesselring Site.”
NNSY has performed a few micro-availabilities with blended teams consisting of both NNSY employees and Kesselring employees ranging from as low as six shipyard workers to as many as 60 NNSY employees. The teams are made up of multiple trades of workers with different skill sets.
“Recently we did what we call the MARF bypass duct removal,” said MARF assistant project superintendent John Dorshimer. “This is where we removed a vent duct on the outside of the MARF platform. This took approximately 1,400 hours to complete, which was about two weeks ahead of schedule.”
There have been many learning opportunities along the way ranging from design plan drawings to education and understanding on how each organization operates.
“Transitions at this magnitude are never easy and come with many challenges, especially when multiple civilian and government agencies are involved,” said NNSY Shipyard Commander, Capt. Jip Mosman. “I see nothing but teamwork, open-mindedness and high professionalism between all parties involved to overcome any challenges that come before them. And that is what it takes to show what right looks like.”
During the summer of 2024, NNSY will begin the defueling work on MARF. Though there is much work ahead, Norfolk Naval Shipyard is primed and ready to show Kesselring why NNSY is America’s Shipyard.
| Date Taken: | 04.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2024 08:03 |
| Story ID: | 469774 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 591 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Kesselring Site: Then and Now – Part II, by Troy Miller, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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