KITTERY, Maine - Employees at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY)
safely undocked USS Alexandria (SSN 757) on schedule Jan. 21.
Completion of this key event ensures PNSY is on track to
successfully complete the 290,000 man-day engineered overhaul (EOH), a process
that consists of maintenance and system upgrades, this summer.
Alexandria and its crew of 13 officers and 120 enlisted
personnel arrived at the shipyard on Oct. 23, 2013. The project team and ship's
crew have adopted best practices from across the NAVSEA enterprise and empowered
their teams to collaborate to meet the critical events vital to the
overhaul.
Project Superintendent Scott Curtis is applying lessons learned
from previous overhauls, and attributes the successful undocking to an engaged
and dedicated workforce. Whether it is improved storage and accountability of
blast covers for reuse on future tank openings, or a modified staircase to the
sail which helps shipfitters move material, the Alexandria team is always making
improvements.
"The workforce has really taken ownership of their work. They
are empowered to suggest and implement improvements to ensure first-time
quality," said Curtis. "Now that the undocking is complete, we must shift our
focus to completing the availability and returning Alexandria to the fleet."
Throughout the docking phase of the maintenance period, the
project team successfully executed preventive and corrective maintenance as well
as major modernization of the ship's electronics, communications, and combat
systems. With Alexandria out of dry dock, the project team was able to place the
submarine in a condition to allow the ship's crew to focus on their operational
responsibilities in preparation for fleet tasking.
"Alexandria's project team has shown a commitment to safely
delivering first-time quality work," said Shipyard Commander Capt. William
Greene. "Our submarines are national assets and we are unified as a team to
ensure they can go in harm's way, defeat enemies in war, and return their crews
home safely."
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the Navy's center of excellence for
fast attack submarine maintenance, modernization, and repair. The on-time or
early completion of submarine availabilities is essential to maintaining
warfighter readiness. As a field activity of NAVSEA, PNSY is committed to
maximizing the material readiness of the fleet by safely delivering first-time
quality, on time, and on budget.