USS Arlington arrives at General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class John Bellino | Sailors assigned to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24), gather on Arlington’s flight deck as the ship maneuvers toward the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Arlington is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk and transitioned to the shipyard for a scheduled maintenance availability period. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

04.18.2023

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class John Bellino 

USS Arlington (LPD 24)

The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) arrives at General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, for a scheduled maintenance availability period, April 18.

After having completed three deployments and a maintenance availability period that was conducted pierside at Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk Virginia from 2019-2020, this is the first time Arlington has transitioned to the shipyard since being commissioned in 2013.

Upon returning from its most recent seven-month deployment in Oct. 2022, Arlington maintained an active operational tempo leading up to this transition by traveling to and participating in New York’s Veterans Day events; it conducted Sea Trials for the U.S. Marine Corps newest helicopter, the CH-53K King Stallion; and the ship represented the amphibious fleet on the Norfolk waterfront as groups from NATO, the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy JROTC visited for tours.

"Entering the shipyard is bittersweet,” said Capt. Eric Kellum, commanding officer of the Arlington. “On the very positive side, it provides opportunities to get Sailors some much needed time off, required schooling, and a predictable weekly schedule. All of which are well deserved and necessary.” “However, Sailors are made to be on ships and ships are made to be at sea, so we will maximize this time in the yards to get the ship and our Sailors operating at 100% and get Arlington back into the fight!"

Over the last couple months it was an all-hands effort to prepare the ship for the shipyard. All office items and equipment throughout the ship had to be boxed up and hauled off for storage; hazmat had to be removed from the ship; and the crew had to prepare to transition their work spaces to a barge that will sit alongside the ship.

Arlington has definitively entered its maintenance phase as hundreds of contractors make their way aboard every day. The diligent work of the crew, however, remains as important as ever. It will continue to take an all-hands effort to maintain the safety of the ship and personnel throughout the entirety of the yard period.

“It involves a whole team concept, from weekly damage control training and drilling to laying out a comprehensive and sequenced plan to repair the ship over the next 550 days,” said Command Master Chief Christopher Farrar, the command master chief assigned to the Arlington. “It involves the Arlington crew, the shipyard maintenance team, the ashore maintenance community and a myriad of other partners to make it all work seamlessly.” “The Captain and I cannot be more proud of the extended Arlington team on a successful start to a maintenance period at Norfolk General Dynamics/NASCCO shipyards.”

• Date Taken: 04.18.2023
• Date Posted: 04.21.2023 12:07
• Story ID: 443086
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US