Photo By Shelby West | Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) officially kicked off USS Montpelier’s (SSN 765)...... read more read more
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) officially kicked off USS Montpelier’s (SSN 765) Engineered Overhaul with the boat’s drydocking Aug. 21.
As the shipyard’s last Engineered Overhaul, Montpelier will undergo major jobs including shaft replacement, inspections and preservation of internal and external tanks, and overhauling major systems including high pressure air, hydraulics, ventilation, steam, and retractable bow planes.
Leading up to the docking, the project team got an early start by accomplishing work pierside. That work included completing more than half of Montpelier’s planned nuclear work, performing a significant amount of sail work, removing components for overhaul in the shipyard shops, and making hull cuts for connecting temporary services during the availability.
“During this nesting period the shipyard and ship’s force have developed great team cohesion,” said Montpelier Project Superintendent Michael Harrell.
NNSY has been focusing on a “mechanic at the center” mindset to give production mechanics improved accessibility to needed items and tools to support mission execution, as well as better quality of work life. As part of this effort, NNSY installed additional phones onboard the boat and in the dry dock and project offices to facilitate communication, as well as opened new restrooms and muster areas at the dry dock.
The project team will be implementing process improvements during the overhaul, including a pilot program for more efficient structural inspections. “The pilot program will expedite evaluation and should save time since there would not be multiple ship checks being performed independently,” said Harrell.
Another process improvement will be to the overhaul of auxiliary seawater and main seawater valves, which corrode over time and require repair. “Previous submarine availabilities have required multiple iterations of machining and welding to correct defects,” said Harrell. “Utilizing motor operated laps prior to machining will remove any defects and potentially minimize the amount of welding required or utilize alternate repair method such as electroplating.”
“I want to thank the Montpelier project team and ship’s crew for their commitment to leveraging the time available pierside to get this overhaul off to a strong start,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Jip Mosman. “Completing projects like Montpelier is crucial to the readiness of our fleet. By working closely as a team and making sure our mechanics have everything they need to be successful today and every day, we will successfully return Montpelier back to sea on time.”
| Date Taken: | 08.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.23.2024 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 479310 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 629 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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