DAHLGREN, Va. –
Innovation, teamwork and perseverance are the ingredients for achieving mission goals and advancing cutting-edge technology for the Navy’s fleet and warfighter. At Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), the workforce works diligently to ensure that only the best, highest-quality products and capabilities are delivered for Navy operations.
In recognition of their exceptional technical contributions, accomplishments and high performance, employees from NSWCDD who supported four different teams were selected as Fiscal 2023 Third Quarter Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS) Excellence Awards team winners.
The PEO IWS Excellence Awards program selects nominated teams and individuals to be considered in a variety of award categories. The awards program recognizes development and improvement in various areas, such as product quality, technical innovation, cost control/schedule acceleration, organizational efficiency and process improvement, in support of PEO IWS programs and initiatives.
Four NSWCDD employees, Farest Davis, Joshua Fluck, Matthew Ward and William Higginbotham, who support the Integrated Combat Systems Department, were part of the AEGIS Modernization Team-Norfolk that received the award for exceptional contributions to Aegis Integrated Combat Systems. The team conducted a total of 56 test procedures during an 87-week reactivation and test period, delivering the first Cruiser Service Life Extension Plan to the fleet for Combat System Ship Qualification Trials and providing over 150 training hours for the ship’s crew. “The team’s tenacious spirit and constant professionalism significantly contributed to the overhaul that returned the ship to service with an operationally dominant combat system,” read the award citation.
The In-Service Support OK-410(V) Emergent Repair Team received recognition for their support of a Forward Deployed Naval Forces ship with “catastrophic failure of the Towed Array Handling and Stowage Group OK-410(V) winch system,” stated the award citation. NSWCDD Dam Neck Activity employees Anthony Bayles and Dustin Hoover were part of the team and joined efforts in ensuring that a proactive and efficient resolution was executed to return the ship to the fleet in a fully mission-capable status. According to the citation, “The team demonstrated excellence in planning, leadership and coordination, which alleviated the need for total unit replacement, thus saving the U.S. Navy millions of dollars in repair costs and time.”
The NSWCDD MK38 MOD4 Gun Weapon System Console Design and Integration Team comprises six team members, Joshua Assur, James Carsola, Ryan Cervino, Christie Cons, Luke Delozier and John Holder, from the Integrated Engagement Systems Department. The team was honored for designing, developing and delivering a “gun weapon system console that multiple combat systems could leverage with a ‘Built Once – Used by Many’ mentality,” according to the award citation. The citation also stated that the team “performed superbly, making innovative design decisions, which accelerated the design work and production of consoles in less than 18 months, resulting in four certified consoles and delivery of three consoles.”
NSWCDD engineering technician Allen Petrasek, Jr., who supports the Test and Evaluation Division within the Integrated Engagement Systems Department, served on the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) USS Santa Barbara (LCS 32) Gun Team. The team was awarded the PEO IWS Excellence Award for their outstanding collaborative teamwork between the ship’s crew, NSWCDD’s Gun Barrel Inspection Lead, the USCG Ordnance Section and USCG Weapon Augmentation Teams to resolve an issue with the ship’s gun mount. “Following a valiant effort by the ship’s force to resolve the issue, the team quickly formed by gathering the needed expertise to study and address the issue and provide data analysis results to ensure continued safe operation and maintenance,” the award citation stated.