BREMERTON, Wash. –
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a $47 million modernization project to upgrade the electrical infrastructure supporting work in Dry Dock 4 and at Pier 3.
PSNS & IMF has met the needs of the Navy for more than 130 years. The infrastructure upgrades completed this month are part of the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program and are transformational changes that will help ensure PSNS & IMF has the infrastructure to support and sustain the fleet for decades to come.
The shipyard’s Production Engineering and Facilities team worked closely with Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Northwest, and partnering government contractors to design, plan and successfully execute the military construction project to ensure PSNS & IMF has the infrastructure to support the U.S. Navy’s needs.
Capt. JD Crinklaw, commander, PSNS & IMF, thanked the team of civilians and contractors during the ceremony, noting that the increased substation capacity was more than just an increase in technical capacity.
“What you see beside me here is not just a replacement of equipment, but a reimagining of our future,” said Crinklaw. “We can do more now — thanks to you — than we’ve ever been able to do before. Your project took infrastructure from the 1940s and brought it into the 21st century.”
The upgrades at Dry Dock 4 and Pier 3 are a continuation of the Navy's investment in the nation's critical naval facilities. SIOP is a holistic plan that integrates all infrastructure and industrial plant equipment investments at the Navy's four public shipyards to meet nuclear fleet maintenance requirements, as well as improve maintenance capabilities by expanding shipyard capacity and optimizing shipyard configuration.
Constructed in 1938, Dry Dock 4 was originally designed to support non-nuclear surface ship construction and repair. It has most recently been used to support mid-life refueling of Ohio-class submarines, as well as defueling of submarines being retired and recycled. The significant infrastructure transformation provided by this upgrade helps ensure PSNS & IMF is able to continue providing timely execution of the nuclear fleet maintenance and inactivation and reactor compartment disposal missions scheduled for the next 20 years, in addition to supporting the escalated loading of Seawolf-class submarines.
In his remarks, Capt. Brent Paul, commanding officer of NAVFAC Northwest, noted the many accomplishments of this project, including more than 114,000 man-hours of work completed without a reportable injury or safety violation, underscoring the dedication and excellence demonstrated by the entire project team.
The project replaced information systems, including telephone, a computer network, a fire alarm system, metering and infrastructure systems, with built-in cybersecurity capability Reactor Plant Safety Redundancy Power, including permanent emergency back-up generator connections for the shore power systems. Other project achievements included the 62,000 ft. of conduit installed around Dry Dock 4 and Pier 3 and more than 390,000 ft. of cable installed at Dry Dock 4 and Pier 3.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to our NAVFAC and Naval Sea Systems Command colleagues, our government contractors and all those who played a role in the successful completion of P-447,” Paul said. “Your dedication and hard work have ensured the continued strength and readiness of our naval forces. This project, like the many before it and the many after, stands as a beacon of our collective commitment to excellence and innovation.”
For more information about SIOP, visit www.navfac.navy.mil/PEO-Industrial- Infrastructure/PMO-555-SIOP/.