Photo By Daniel DeAngelis | NNSY’s Off-Site Carrier group third year welder apprentice (Shop 26) Alexander...... read more read more
Like cars, aircraft carriers need to have periodic maintenance to keep them running at peak performance. There are also times when they might need some unexpected repair work. For cars we have a multitude of garages and service centers. For aircraft carriers, we have Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Off-Yard Carriers team comprised of approximately 100 employees.
“Unlike those on-yard at NNSY, the carriers we work on are still active and can be deployed at a moment’s notice,” said Off-Yard Carrier Group Superintendent Chris Comar. “It’s paramount we get the job done on time with high quality in order for the carrier to get back to the Fleet to fulfill the Navy’s mission.”
The group’s fiscal year 2021 record speaks for itself. The team is eight out of eight for projects completed within the timeframe given with windows of opportunities, the time between underway periods, and one for one on time with a Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) for USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).
Assistant Project Superintendent Stephanie Landreth stated being late is not an option. “We are constantly striving to get the job done ahead of time by asking ourselves ‘how can we infuse more time into our schedule?’” she said.
A window of opportunity is usually three to five weeks in length. Because of the short window, the group does a lot of preparation beforehand. “Our biggest challenge is time,” said Pipefitter Shop (Shop 56) Work Leader Christopher Steele. “This is why we plan ahead to ensure that we have all the tools and materials needed to complete the job in the allotted time.”
The team has an ever-changing workload depending on what breaks, but the mission never changes: to provide maintenance and repair to deployable and deployed ships. To achieve that mission, the carrier group has the full support of NNSY’s shops and codes including Operations (Code 300), Production Resources Shops (Code 900), Lifting and Handling (700), Engineering and Planning Department and Work Control (Code 200), Work Packaging and Control, and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). “We all have a different job to perform, but we all have the same mission and this is why it’s important to work together as a team,” said Comar.
Although the group is located at Naval Station Norfolk (NSN), its services have no boundaries. If a carrier is forward deployed and needs maintenance performed, the group will send a fly-away team to the location of the carrier.
“Some of the work is too high-level for Sailors to do while underway,” said Deputy Superintendent Randall Hall. “We send a fly-away team with the skills, tools and experience needed to perform the work so the carrier can continue on with its mission.”
According to Comar, dependable mission delivery is what it’s all about for the off-yard carriers team. “It doesn’t matter if the ship is at NSN, deployed overseas or getting ready to go into NNSY for extended work, we do what needs to be done in order to get ship underway again on time,” said Comar. “Each person here takes pride in what they do, because they know what they do matters to the Sailors, to the Navy and to the country.”
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.27.2021 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 406084 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 273 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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