Norfolk Naval Shipyard Big Rocks

Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) smashed the fourth quarter Big Rocks goals for the year, the workforce coming together to celebrate during a ceremony Oct. 15.

“Our workforce went above and beyond the call of duty, achieving and exceeding the goals for this quarter,” said Code 300 Operations Officer Capt. James “Jip” Mosman. “From facilities, to cybersecurity, to C.O.R.E. – you all rose to the challenge and smashed through the rocks. Amazing job for NNSY!”

Shop 56 Production Supervisor Littleton Hurst III was the guest speaker for the ceremony and shared his viewpoints on C.O.R.E. at America’s Shipyard. “Big Rocks are a shipyard-created platform where we can gauge our performance and give thanks for our accomplishments and milestones for the year,” said Hurst. “The Earth’s big rocks are created from high temperatures and high pressures – and so are ours at NNSY. It takes passion for our industry and expectations, and I thank everyone who celebrates their own big rocks in their own respective areas – as well as the shipyard as a whole.”

Hurst continued to share about his time in High Velocity Learning as a first level supervisor and his expectations upon completion. “We should all agree to start shipbuilding at NNSY – yes, shipbuilding. We may no longer build warships here at NNSY; however, we build ships through synergy and growth,” he said. “Let’s truly commit to our C.O.R.E. and build scholarships, friendships, mentorships, leaderships, apprenticeships, craftsmanships, masterships, ownerships. Building these ships directly influences our service to our warships. It shows Care, Ownership, Respect, and Excellence. NNSY should be the flagship for real C.O.R.E. values. I ask that you all leave here today building ships, inspiring to inspire, and continue to exemplify C.O.R.E.”

The three Big Rocks that were broken were facilities maintenance, cybersecurity, and C.O.R.E. For facilities maintenance, the shipyard revamped and implemented a new building monitor program. The cybersecurity rock was in honor of more than 80 percent of the workforce completing information assurance training. The C.O.R.E. rock was in dedication to the rollout of the program, including force multiplier training, communication plan, the Team of Winners 2 training video (with Team of Winners 3 currently in the works), and the Force Multiplier Quarterly Awards.

“It was 244 years ago that our Navy was founded and building blocks were in place for our nation to be born anew. Our founders were not satisfied with where they were and wanted to start something new. Our nation was born and earned its independence because our founders worked to make it happen,” said Shipyard Commander Capt. Kai Torkelson. “Just as our founding fathers had done in the past, we also need to be looking forward and take the steps to make change for America’s Shipyard. It’s our responsibility to take action if we’re not satisfied with the outcomes.”

He continued, “A team was assembled last year to build this initiative called C.O.R.E. – an initiative that could be shared across the workforce. We have many who have taken their first steps into exemplifying C.O.R.E. – including 15 members of our workforce who were awarded as Force Multipliers of the Quarter. They represent Care, Ownership, Respect, and Excellence in what they do here and are sharing the message with others. Just as Mr. Hurst had shared, it is a daily stress impression to build and create rocks. Together, we can build leaderships, mentorships, ownerships, and more. Together we are building our C.O.R.E. ship. Each day, we should take a look at ourselves and ask what we are doing to do today to make our shipyard – America’s Shipyard – better than it was the day before. We are setting the stones for our successors just as our founding fathers had done for us. Our shipyard is too precious not have the urgency to make each day better than the last.”