The purpose of the expo was to connect ship’s forces with their shipyard counterparts and provide avenues of communication to achieve the overall goal of getting the ship back to sea on time.
“We set up these events so you can make contacts, exchange numbers and introduce yourselves to one another,” said Philip Haenen, one of the facilitators. “The idea is when the availability starts, you will know where you need to go and who you need to talk to in order to get the job done. That’s why we put this together.”
The event consisted of 25 stations where Sailors could stop and learn more about the services provided by shipyard workers. Sailors were able to talk to supervisors and liaisons from various shops in the shipyard.
“In the years we have been doing this we have come to understand that content is great, but relationships are what drive success in the shipyards,” said Brian Fazio, the project superintendent. “Today is one of those days we hope to amplify that.”
Sailors were allotted the afternoon to tour the stations and mingle with their shipyard counterparts while partaking in coffee and donuts.
Nimitz transitioned to the dry dock on March 1. It is slated for a 15 month docking planned incremental availability before returning to sea May 2019 to perform sea trials in preparation for future operations.
-USS NIMITZ (CVN 68)-