Talking Shop: Celebrating NNSY’s Metal Forger Shop (Shop 11F)

Photo By Troy Miller | Norfolk Naval Shipyard Metal Forging Shop (Shop 11F) Metal Forger Apprentice Andrew “A.J.” Cruz has been an apprentice for approximately six months. “The idea of going to college and earning a degree didn’t feel right for me,” said Cruz. “I felt coming here and learning a trade and the opportunity to work with my hands was the best decision for me at the time and currently, I have no regrets.”  

PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

03.12.2025

Story by Troy Miller 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Metal forging is a craft that began between 4,000 – 7,000 B.C. and has been an integral part of human history since. The skill of shaping metal through hammering, heating, and cooling has been used over the centuries to create tools, weapons and intricate works of art. Blacksmiths have played a vital role in shaping civilization, just like the Metal Forging Shop, Shop 11F, consisting of eight metal forgers, has a role to play in supporting Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) mission of repairing, modernizing and inactivating the Navy’s warships and training platforms.
“I describe Shop 11F, the Metal Forger Shop, as industrial blacksmiths,” said Shop 11F’s Metal Forger Work Leader, Eric Slate. “We have four pillars that we work by: forging, heat-treating, anchor and chain, and propellers.”
The main pillar for Shop 11F is the forging. This is where the metal forgers shape metal into tools, equipment or materials that the other shops and codes might need to complete their job faster and with better quality. Recently, Shop 11F made Halligan bars, which is a forcible entry tool, for NNSY’s firefighters to use if needed when responding to an emergency.
Metal forging heat-treating is a process where a forged metal piece is heated to a specific temperature, held for a controlled period, and then cooled in a specific way to modify its properties like strength, toughness, and ductility, usually by manipulating the grain structure of the metal through techniques like annealing, normalizing, quenching, and tempering, depending on the desired outcome. One such example is annealing and straightening a 20ft x 4in round Pipe Mandrel for the Pipe Shop (Shop 56).
Shop 11F is also known as the anchor and chain subject matter expert, refurbishing, inspecting and painting the chains before returning them back to the vessel. In addition, Shop 11F performs all the preventive maintenance to ensure there is no cracking or breaking of the chains for use on submarines and aircraft carriers. Shop 11F recently finished inspecting and returning a total of 1,900 feet of 3 ¾ inch diameter, port and starboard chains to the USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), which took approximately 900 man hours to perform.
Shop 11F is a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) qualified propeller inspector. Shop 11F inspects propellers and propulsors used in today’s Navy. Since propulsors are relatively new on Navy vessels, Shop 11F is working towards the goal of having everyone assigned to Shop 11F qualified to inspect propulsors as well as propellers.

• Date Taken: 03.12.2025
• Date Posted: 03.12.2025 12:06
• Story ID: 492609
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US