Photo By Daniel DeAngelis | Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Naval Factilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) and...... read more read more
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) and contracting partners have worked together to complete significant upgrades to Dry Dock 8’s pumpwell system in preparation for the new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers.
These upgrades are part of the dock’s full modernization that began in February 2023 under the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), which has included saltwater upgrades for supporting a docked carrier; caisson and dewatering pump repairs. SIOP is a comprehensive, long-term effort to modernize infrastructure and industrial plant equipment at the Navy’s four public shipyards.
“We didn’t have the cooling capacity for the new carrier class at all,” said NNSY Construction Manager Tom Uliana. “The Dry Dock 8 Saltwater System is just one of several projects that we did just for the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier over the last 15 years.”
Uliana continued, “Dry Dock 8 is the only dry dock on the East Coast that the government owns that will berth a carrier.”
The Dry Dock 8 saltwater system project increased the saltwater supply and discharge systems’ pumping capacity to serve the increased cooling requirements needed to support the USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) infrastructure to include component and personnel cooling and provide firefighting capability for the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier while in dry dock.
“In addition to the saltwater supply system improvements, the project includes drainage improvements for the dry dock. In Pumpwell 8, the project replaces the main drain pump motors, provides larger capacity dry dock drainage pumps, upgrades electrical power distribution to meet the new drainage pump requirements and improve efficiency and upgrades the pump control system,” said NNSY Code 900F.11 Construction Logistics Coordinator Quality Assurance Ryan Nutt.
The previous Dry Dock 8 saltwater pump stations and distribution system were unable to support the increased demand and were therefore removed. The new system consists of two larger saltwater supply pump stations that will utilize multiple pumps and supply a total of over 20,000 gallons per minute and provide additional cooling water sources. The previous saltwater distribution system, around the dry dock and in the gallery area, was also replaced.
“We also added other projects to this contract which replaced and upgraded stayer systems in the dry dock and pumpwell, replaced the main dewatering pumps, replaced the shore power circuits to the turtlebacks and replaced altar lighting and electrical systems and did numerous concrete repairs throughout the dry dock,” said NNSY Construction Manager Tom Uliana.
The project consists of over 560,000 man hours for the onsite contractors.
“We had so many different groups of people coming together for one common goal,” said NNSY Code 900F.42 Facilities Execution Branch Industrial Engineer Bradley Harrell. “Government employees, contractors and subcontractors worked together from start to finish to increase the performance capacity of Dry Dock 8 for upcoming availabilities.”
“The collaboration has been great between everyone,” said Harrell” “It’s been fantastic.”
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.04.2026 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 571496 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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