Photo By Troy Miller | Norfolk Naval Shipyard Marine Machinery Mechanic Apprentice (Shop 38) Ryan Farmer;...... read more read more
Most people have that “go to” person when they want something done right the first time. Someone who is dependable, reliable and often needs little to no supervision. This could be a particular handyman someone hires to repair something at their home; a pinch hitter on a baseball team in a clutch; and that person who supervisors and managers know can get the job done expeditiously, efficiently and first time quality. During the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) sea trials Jan. 19-23, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Production Resource Department (Code 900) had many of their all-stars onboard contributing to the success of completing the availability.
The individuals who were the Code 900 “go to guys" on USS Harry S. Truman included Insulator (Shop 57) Jesus Fernandez; Pipefitter (Shop 56) Gary Smith; Boilermaker (Shop 41) Joshua Allen; Marine Machinery Mechanic Apprentice (Shop 38) Ryan Farmer and Marine Electrician (Shop 51) Joshua Brown.
Leaders on the project spoke about the significant teaming effort where all team members across shipyard departments, including personnel within Code 900, were aligned on the goal of delivering the carrier back to the Fleet ready to meet its mission.
One of the reasons Code 900’s production shops participate in sea trials is to perform any tweaking or repairs while underway. There are some systems and equipment that cannot be tested in port; this is one reason why USS Harry S. Truman conducted sea trials. It allowed shipyard personnel and ship’s crew a chance to ensure all the equipment and systems were in good working order and ready to go back to the active fleet to support the Navy’s mission.
"As the production code, we need to guarantee our work for the Navy and make sure that everything’s running the way it’s supposed to so that the ship and its crew can protect and serve,” said Allen.
Some of the final steps in repairing and performance maintenance requires some additional work after the testing has been completed. Sea trials is the perfect opportunity to finish up the final steps.
“As an insulator, I remove old lagging from pipes that require work done on them,” said Fernandez. “Once the work requirement is completed, we want to make sure that it passes all tests before installing new lagging on the pipes. Once the equipment or system has passed its test during sea trials, we then can come in and install the new lagging around the pipe. Doing this at sea saves time and money.”
Being underway during sea trials does have its benefits. Because not all the systems and equipment are able to operate at full capacity while pier side, sea trials allows shipyarders to see the equipment and systems fully operational.
“Being out to sea is about the only time we get to see the things that we worked on used to its fullest extent,” said Farmer. “This allows us to see why the work we do is so important to our Nation, the Navy, and especially to the crew of the Truman.”
Another benefit is sea trials is a time when shipyarders and Sailors are working side by side. During the Truman’s availability, it was the shipyarder who did majority of the repairs, maintenance and upgrades. Once the availability is completed and the Truman goes out on deployment, it’s the Sailor who performs the majority of the work during carrier operations. However, sea trials is a time when both the shipyarder and the Sailor get to work side by side with the same target in mind, to return the Truman back to the fleet ready to meet its mission.
“Working directly with the Sailors on sea trials provides a lot of needed context for the things that we do,” said Brown. “Plus it allows us to mentor them when it comes to repairs and maintenance, and it also allows the Sailors to give us tips and tricks of the trade when the equipment is fully operational that we might not see in port.”
With sea trials bringing the availability to an end, being out at sea offers a chance for the shipyarder to feel a sense of accomplishment.
“You feel proud because the Sailors are able to use the equipment and systems that we all worked on,” said Smith, who was on his first underway period. “We were able to provide the crew of the Truman home away from home when they are out protecting our freedom. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.01.2024 13:06 |
| Story ID: | 465119 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 468 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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