Talking Shop: Multiple Shops Make a Team to Assist with the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Maintenance Period to Keep on Schedule

Photo By Troy Miller | NNSY FMB Training Division Hull Maintenance Technician First Class Alejandro Guajardo (left) inspects the weld for any discrepancies that Hull Maintenance Technician Second Class Fitzroy Powell performed onboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). An integration team consisting of Sailors attached to FMB and Fleet Maintenance Support Branch (Code 300) was created to assist with the workload during Ike's Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) period to do their part to keep the carrier on schedule to return to the fleet.  

PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

02.04.2026

Story by Troy Miller 

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

When the nuclear Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), affectionately known as "Ike," entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) in January 2025 for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) period after completing a historic nine-month deployment, the clock started ticking. Every day in the yard is a day the ship is not serving in the fleet—and as the Navy’s operational tempo remains high, returning Ike to the sea on schedule became a mission in itself. What followed was a unique collaboration: 14 Sailors from NNSY’s Fleet Maintenance Submarines (FMB) and Fleet Maintenance Shop (FMS)—who normally operate in very different worlds—came together as one team to get the job done.
In most circumstances, FMS personnel are associated with administrative work: production reports, paperwork, and supporting contractors from behind a desk. FMB Sailors, in contrast, are the hands-on experts, typically working on active submarines, fabricating and repairing custom parts that cannot simply be ordered from a catalog. These Sailors are familiar with the tight confines and systems unique to the silent service—not the sprawling complexity of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in drydock.
But the Eisenhower project team needed all hands on deck. The workload was immense, the timeline tight, and ship’s force was already tasked in many other areas. So, FMS and FMB Sailors were brought together—in some cases out of their comfort zones—to effectively integrate and assist the Ike project. This was not just about additional support on the availability; it was about combining skillsets, sharing knowledge, and receiving on-the-job learning for the Sailors.
For FMS Sailors like NNSY Operations Department (Code 300) Machinist Mate Second Class Parker Pasqual and Machinist Mate Second Class Josemari Mamalaylan, who are usually immersed in administration, the move to Ike was a welcome challenge.
“At FMS, I do production reports and help contractors—but it’s all behind the desk,” said Pasqual. “Now, I’m out here turning wrenches, maintaining the hands-on skills I trained for.”
Mamalaylen echoed this: “Since I do admin work every day, working on the Ike team keeps me from getting rusty, plus I get to learn new things.”
For the FMB team, the new environment was just as instructive. Sheet Metal Shop (Shop 17) Hull Maintenance Technician First Class Merin Oakley, a seasoned pipefitter and welder, noted that the carrier’s scale and systems were very different from submarines.
“Being the middleman is a unique, helpful opportunity for the civilians to increase their knowledge, and for the ship to increase its production,” Oakley explained. “We’re the jack-of-all-trades. Every day is different, and there’s always something to learn.”
The integration team quickly became more than just extra hands—they became liaisons between the ship’s force and civilian contractors. With knowledge of both Navy life and the realities of shipyard work, they helped bridge any communication gaps and speed up problem-solving.
“It’s called integration,” said Inside Machine Shop (Shop 31) Chief Machinery Repairman Raman Singh, who led the team. “We are integrating civilians with the military, so we help each other out and learn what we do. Our mission is to get ships out of the yard on time, and working hand-in-hand is how we accomplish that.”
Hull Maintenance Technician First Class Alejandro Guajardo, of the FMB training office, summed it up: “We can weld as much as we want in the shop, but actually applying it on a carrier is totally different. The experience makes everyone better.”
This effort was not without its difficulties, including adapting to a ship whose systems and layout were unfamiliar to many. But the consensus was clear: the teamwork and cross-training not only accelerate Ike’s return to the fleet, but made every Sailor involved stronger and more versatile.
The success of the Ike’s integration team is already shaping future maintenance periods for other ships and submarines. “This is going to be a continuous thing,” said Chief Singh. “We’re going to integrate civilians with military, work together as a team, and move toward a final goal—to get ships and submarines ready for their mission.”
The story of FMS and FMB coming together for Ike is more than a tale of meeting a deadline—it’s a testament to the Navy’s adaptability, teamwork, and the pride Sailors take in their craft. As Eisenhower prepares to leave the shipyard in 2026, she does so thanks to the effort of a team that truly exemplifies “Service to the Fleet”—across rates, shops, and specialties.

• Date Taken: 02.04.2026
• Date Posted: 02.04.2026 12:10
• Story ID: 557430
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US