Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) held a groundbreaking May 21 for the modernization of its historic Dry Dock 3.
Frequently home to submarines undergoing overhaul, Dry Dock 3 will now receive its own top-to-bottom refurbishment to include replacing the floor and walls; rebuilding caisson seats with deep foundations to provide watertight integrity; installing a new pump well system; replacing and rerouting utilities to improve access; and replacing surrounding crane rail systems supporting dock services.
As part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) under Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), this $442 million project will ensure NNSY’s maintenance capabilities and quality of service on Virginia-class submarines and future platforms. NAVFAC is supporting the effort through engineering, acquisition, contracting and construction management expertise, helping deliver the shore infrastructure improvements required to support NNSY’s maintenance mission.
“The Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program is a once-in-a-generation effort to deliver improved capability and resilience to the shipyard team,” said Captain David Matvay, Program Manager for Program Management Office (PMO)-555. “The Navy established SIOP because the four U.S. naval shipyards were built during the age of sail and steam but are now maintaining and modernizing nuclear-powered vessels. You all know that doing this complex, specialized work in facilities that average 85 years old—including dry docks that average 101-years-old—is not ideal. This project will contribute to reducing delays in availabilities and increased operational days at sea for submarines.”
“This is absolutely critical to how we’re going to be able to keep our fleet moving forward,” said Shipyard Commander Admiral Kavon “Hak” Hakimzadeh. “Combined with our improved push that we’ve made here at Norfolk Naval Shipyard to continue sending ships and submarines back out faster—we just accomplished our third success of getting USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) out early—our shipyard continues on an upward trajectory. Make no mistake about it; Norfolk Naval Shipyard is winning. We are winning out here, and we’re going to continue to do so.”
Pointing to the significance of this project, Hakimzadeh said, “A shipyard dry dock on its own is a national asset in high demand; our work specifically in this dock will help guarantee the capabilities and the lifespans of critical vessels serving our nation. The Virginia-class forms the backbone of our Navy’s silent service with its operational versatility and nuclear-powered fast attack capability.”
Originally opened in 1908, the history of Dry Dock 3 mirrors the heritage and adaptability of the shipyard itself. The dock’s first ship was the armored cruiser USS North Carolina (ACR 12) which later served in World War I. Dry Dock 3 became ground zero for the shipyard’s first nuclear work with the overhaul of USS Skate (SSN 578) in 1965. The dock has also been home to high-profile emergent work such as repair of the destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968) following its collision in 1999.
Dry Dock 3 has continued to make history in recent years, where NNSY performed the conversions of USS La Jolla (SSN 701) and USS San Francisco (SSN 711) into land-based Moored Training Ships. Those ships are now used for training Sailors to become future fleet operators at the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Charleston, South Carolina. Most recently, Dry Dock 3 welcomed USS John Warner (SSN 785) as the Navy’s first Virginia-class Block III drydocking at any of the nation’s four public shipyards before it undocked this past March.
This marks NNSY’s third major dry dock project under SIOP, with the submarine-servicing Dry Dock 4 first completing modernization in spring 2023, and modernization of Dry Dock 8 expected to complete next year ready to host the USS Gerald R. Ford-carrier class. In addition to SIOP upgrading dry docks, Hakimzadeh noted other significant SIOP investments in shipyard facilities and equipment supporting the NNSY mission to repair, modernize and inactivate Navy warships and training platforms.
“Thank you to our Naval Facilities and contracting partners for making this change possible,” said Hakimzadeh. “As stewards of a shipyard more than two-and-a-half centuries old, it takes great teamwork and tenacity to modernize one of the nation’s largest, most historic and capable shipyards for its next 250 years of service . . . we are continuing to lay the foundation for the future of America’s Shipyard. This is where commitment meets concrete.”