Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Megan Brannon | Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) successfully completed the inactivation of the Moored...... read more read more
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) successfully completed the inactivation of the Moored Training Ship Sam Rayburn (MTS 635) Nov. 6.
This marked the Navy’s first inactivation of a Moored Training Ship. Sam Rayburn, originally the James Madison-class fleet ballistic missile submarine USS Sam Rayburn (SSBN 635), served in the nuclear fleet until 1989. After conversion to a Moored Training Ship, Sam Rayburn served at Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU)—Charleston for more than 30 years training Sailors in the operation, maintenance and supervision of nuclear propulsion systems.
Upwards of 400 personnel supported Sam Rayburn’s inactivation during the project’s peak. The most significant job was defueling the ship, which required five hull cuts, removal of the superstructure, and removal and reinstallation of numerous components. “The defueling team performed extremely well during this phase of the project,” said Project Superintendent Mike Garrelts.
NNSY also had to prepare Sam Rayburn for towing to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in spring 2025. There the ship will be placed in storage prior to recycling. Ensuring the 60-year-old ship was ready for the voyage and storage required installing more than 250 lap plates on the non-pressure hull given several areas had experienced corrosion. Extensive welding was performed to ensure the integrity of the hull and piping systems during storage. The project team also installed and tested all required tow equipment.
Sam Rayburn was one of the Navy’s two original Moored Training Ships, along with MTS Daniel Webster (MTS 626). NNSY converted the next-generation training vessels MTS La Jolla (MTS 701) and MTS San Francisco (MTS 711) now moored and used for training in Charleston. Much of the Sam Rayburn project team will be transitioning over to support Daniel Webster’s inactivation at NNSY beginning in 2027, with planning efforts going into full swing next year. “We will be performing ship checks in Charleston, and working with the NPTU team to accomplish several items prior to Daniel Webster being towed in 2026,” said Garrelts.
In helping to prepare for Daniel Webster’s inactivation, “we have been holding lessons learned meetings after big events, and several team members have been collecting lessons learned,” added Garrelts. “We will be compiling the whole list after we undock and get the team settled in our new location.”
“Congratulations to the project team and thank you to everyone who supported the inactivation of Sam Rayburn,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Jip Mosman. “Our shipyard has long supported work on Sam Rayburn during its time as a Moored Training Ship, and performing its inactivation provided us a significant opportunity to expand our organizational skillset and demonstrate our ‘any ship’ mentality in America’s Shipyard. We now look forward to leveraging all our valuable lessons learned on Sam Rayburn during Daniel Webster’s inactivation, and supporting the vital pipeline of capable and committed Sailors with our continued contributions at NPTU-Charleston.”
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2024 15:13 |
| Story ID: | 484778 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 3,159 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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