PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD, Maine –
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS) hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Reactor Servicing Support Facility in historic Building 2 on Wednesday, March 30.
Honored participants in the ceremony include Shipyard Commander Captain Michael Oberdorf; Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), Atlantic Rear Admiral Lore Aguayo; Nuclear Engineering and Planning Manager, Stephen Fahey, SES; Oak Point Associates Peter MacGovern and Nutmeg Companies, Inc. Jason Bugbee.
“It’s always a challenge when renovating a historic building. You want to preserve the history while working to bring the facility up to speed in support of nuclear-powered submarine maintenance,” said Rear Adm. Aguayo. “This facility was a collaborative effort, between contractors, NAVFAC, and the shipyard, all joining together in support of the warfighter and getting our submarines back to sea.”
Building 2 is one of the oldest facilities at PNS. The building was constructed circa 1864 as a clothing and provisions storehouse and served as the insulator shop for many years prior to this renovation.
“People are our most valuable asset and this facility provides a professional work environment for our team,” said Fahey. “[It] provides a unified location to plan and prepare for excellence in execution … and positions us to provide urgent, well thought out response to any obstacle in the way of mission execution.”
The Building 2 project provides a modern three-story Reactor Servicing Support Facility while maintaining the historic character-defining architectural features of the original building. The new plan is a practical, and functional layout with improved ship servicing adjacencies and better day-to-day work flow, helping to increase productivity and to create a team building working environment.
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is America’s leader for attack submarine maintenance, repair, and modernization. The on-time completion of submarine availabilities is critical to maintaining the Navy’s maritime superiority. As a NAVSEA operated field activity, Portsmouth is committed to expanding our undersea advantage and maximizing the material readiness of the fleet by safely delivering first-time quality, on time, and on budget.