Ford’s Motor Rewind: A Ship’s Repair Capability

Courtesy Photo | Electrician Mates 1st Class Jacob Brown, from Dayton, Ohio, assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) engineering department electrical repair team performs assembly of a ventilation cooling fan motor prior to insulator varnish dip of the stator windings in Ford’s Motor Rewind Shop May 13, 2020. Over 1,200 feet of wire is used to restore the 3 phase AC motor to rebuild the motor for certification testing/install. His critical skillset is making a difference onboard by eliminating the need to source depot-level resources for repairs. Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting integrated air wing operations. (U.S. Navy photo)  

ATLANTIC OCEAN

06.11.2020

Story by Chief Petty Officer RJ Stratchko 

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)           

In a tiny shop, considered to be ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ electricians assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN 78) work tirelessly to establish another first for the ship’s afloat intermediate maintenance activity (IMA) repair capability. Electricians Mate 1st Class Jacob Brown from Dayton, Ohio, assigned to Ford’s engineering department, and his team of electricians corrected final material condition issues on the ship’s motor rewind shop, May 11, to establish the ship’s afloat capability to repair damaged motors.

This unique and rare afloat skillset allows Ford, like a handful of other combatants, to restore ships ventilation and motor driven systems as a standalone work center not reliant on depot-level assistance. Ford’s motor rewind team and power shop completed their first priority repair to restore O3 level ventilation to critical control spaces and habitability spaces. Brown and his team worked around the clock to restore mission bay ventilation systems critical to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12, and Ford’s combat direction team’s integrated operations at sea.

“This grow your own, train your relief attitude, is setting up the Ford to elevate its ability to sustain forward deployed operations, while teaching Sailors skills that can be used in promotion exams, shore based repair facility operations and outside marketability for their next career if they so choose,” said Cmdr. Homer Hensy, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Ford’s chief engineer.

Like her sister Nimitz-class, Ford’s logistics inventory in ventilation motors is limited, requiring Ford Sailors to find inventive ways to work with depot-level repair facilities to restore key ventilation systems in ship’s compartments to keep the equipment and Sailors cool during underway operations.

Electrical division leadership found an inventive way with the establishment of the ship’s motor rewind capability, enabling electricians to take a failed motor, strip off the old worn windings using formal work procedures developed onboard, rebuild in a controlled environment, and perform acceptance testing to certify the motor for restored operations. Repair division then assists the work center Maintenance and Material Management craftsmen with restoring the ship’s ventilation for final install back into the systems.

“The motor rewind process is a one week turn around depending on the size of the motor, and provides marked savings to the U.S. Navy,” said Hensy. “I’m really proud of the ingenuity and efforts of the crew to accomplish this milestone for Ford.”

Electricians do not receive this training in their A-school pipeline; this Navy Enlisted Code (NEC) is developed in C-schools for use onboard ships that execute organic repair capabilities when emergent repairs must be made because depot-level resources are unavailable. Electrical motor rewind technician (NEC 762A) rewinds Alternating Current and Direct Current motor and generator stators, rotors, field coils and armatures utilizing round wire or formed coils. Rated electricians take rewinding data, replace brushes, adjust brush rigging, dips, bake, renew bearings, assemble and test runs. This skillset can annually save the Navy millions of dollars and relieve work load at critical depot facilities.

“Within these special NECs in the hull, mechanical and electrical engineering ratings, the Sailors learn how to find and fix shipboard maintenance problems so they can return that journeyman level expertise to the ships and train their shipmates,” said Senior Chief Hull Technician Newk Newcomb, from Hesperia, California.

• Date Taken: 06.11.2020
• Date Posted: 06.11.2020 13:34
• Story ID: 371913
• Location: ATLANTIC OCEAN