IN THIS ISSUE
USS Theodore Roosevelt Waterborne
CVN 78 Superlift
Yardlines
Ph
hot
o o by
by Joh
o n Wh
W a
alle
en
n
Minnesota Keel Laying
A Publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
June 2011
The Closer
Tim Ewing’s goal was to close more than 248 tanks
before USS Theodore Roosevelt undocked in May. And
that’s what his small team of 12 did – and more. At
undocking, 264 tanks were closed.
The ship has since moved pier-side, where Ewing,
production manager, Hull and Tank Production, and his
team of primarily fitters and cleaners will stay until all
613 tanks on his checklist are in tip-top shape and ready
for delivery.
Having worked on three carriers prior to Roosevelt,
Ewing is very familiar with the ship’s hundreds of tanks,
which come in all shapes and sizes (from 6 to 80-plus feet
tall) and have a variety of functions. Some carry drinking
water and others hold jet fuel for the ship’s aircraft. A few
store oily waste while others act as ballasts to keep the
ship on an even keel. But whatever the size or purpose,
Ewing has likely walked, climbed and even crawled
through most of them. Dear Shipbuilders:
Welcome to the first edition of the new
Yardlines, a monthly magazine that
highlights our great people and quality
products, while also documenting the
unique and extraordinary world of
shipbuilding.
He’s proud of his team’s accomplishments on Roosevelt.
“It’s not about breaking records,” Ewing said. “It’s
about accomplishing a goal, getting the ship ready for
undocking and making sure the customer is satisfied.”
As I’ve said many times, there is no
place else in the world that can do
everything that we do right here – that
the American shipbuilders of Newport
News Shipbuilding do each and every
day. This magazine will help to tell our
story.
I hope you will enjoy the new format,
focused solely on Newport News
Shipbuilding. And I hope you will be
proud when you read about all that
we’re doing today to continue our 125year tradition of building the best and
highest-quality ships in the world.
Sincerely,
Matt Mulherin
President, Newport News Shipbuilding
USS
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Photo by Chris Oxley
Dave Fletcher and the Refueling
and Complex Overhaul (RCOH)
team haven’t had much time to
breathe. They worked around the
clock onboard the aircraft carrier
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71),
making preparations for the ship to
leave the dry dock and begin its next
phase of the more than three-year
RCOH project.
USS Theodore Roosevelt
waterborne again
The carrier, which has been in
Dry Dock 11 for more than 20
months undergoing its one and
only RCOH, reached a significant
accomplishment with its undocking
on May 21.
“It’s a major milestone in the life of
any aircraft carrier,” said Fletcher,
superintendent, Hull and Tank
Production. Floating the ship tests
the integrity of its hull, both inside
and out, he said. “One of the largest
events in a ship’s life is getting it
waterborne.”
Reaching this milestone was a big
challenge, one of the biggest he has
faced in his 33 years at the shipyard,
Fletcher said. “We’ve replaced a
significant amount of steel, opened
and inspected over 600 tanks, and
blasted and painted more than 200
tanks.”
Working in a space just over 2-feet
tall in frigid temperatures was
among the challenges John Gregory,
production foreman, and his team
of 14 mechanics had to endure to
restore two of the tanks. “In spite of
the many challenges and obstacles,
our team finished all the repairs
with no quality turn-backs, one day
prior to the scheduled deadline and
with zero accidents,“ Gregory said.
“That’s a testament all in itself.”
Dave Keene, a welding general
foreman who has worked on every
one of the shipyard’s overhauls,
agreed it was a big job. “We did a
tremendous job getting the project
to this point,” he said.
But a few days before it’s undocking,
Fletcher reflected on the work the
Photo by Chris Oxley
RCOH team has accomplished so
far. He recognizes once the ship is
pier-side, the clock will reset and
start the remaining 19 months to
redelivery. But the focus for the team
will change from underwater hull
repair work to system completion
and testing. “We’ll be bringing the
ship back to life,” Fletcher said.
“Bringing systems back on line and
testing them, completing work within
various compartments, rebuilding
the catapults and moving the crew
back aboard.
“It will be a race to the finish then,”
he said. But he’s confident it will
be done right. “We’ve got a great
team on this program. The fitters
and welders have had significant
accomplishments on this ship, and
we have a great engineering and
production staff. There are a lot of
experienced shipbuilders on this
ship, and everyone is headed in the
right direction,” he said.
Now that Roosevelt is successfully
afloat, Fletcher and his hull and tank
team can relax, if just for a moment.
“We can all take a breath for a
week,” Fletcher said. “But then there
will be another high-level milestone
we’ll all be chasing.”
Photo by Chris Oxley
“Big
Blue”
Makes History with 945-Ton Lift
What do you call the largest
aircraft carrier crane lift that’s
been accomplished since modular
construction began at the shipyard?
The team of fitters, pipefitters and
welders who built the superlift over
the past 16 months summed it up in
one word: “amazing.”
On May 19, shipbuilders from the
Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) program
erected the largest-ever, 945-ton
superlift near the stern of the ship.
“We put great quality work into
building this structure,” said Douglas
Rainey, a welder who worked on
the structure from start to finish.
“Everyone did their part, and we
looked out for each other, especially
when we were working in some of
the tight spaces.”
The lift, assembled from 18 smaller
structural units, contains a diesel
generator room, a pump room, an
oily water waste pump room and 34
tanks.
This lift, (the largest lifted to date)
is only one of 162 superlifts that will
make up the Gerald R. Ford. This
modular method of constructing
aircraft carriers began in 1981.
Until 2008, when the “Big Blue”
gantry crane was overhauled and
upgraded from its original 900-ton
capacity, a lift of this size would
not have been possible. The crane
upgrades now allow for lifts up to
1,050 tons.
“Building one of the biggest
superlifts is always a challenge,”
said Ray Huff, a shipfitter working
on the final assembly platen. “It
feels good to look at the completed
product and realize what we have
accomplished.”
Photo by Ricky Thompson
KEEL LAID FOR
In typical fashion, John “Snake”
Smith downplayed the excitement
of the May 20 ceremonial keel-laying
of the Virginia-class submarine
Minnesota (SSN 783) and his special
role in it. He remained calm and
focused, just like he has for the last
42 years of his shipbuilding career.
“I believe if you stay focused, you can
accomplish anything,” said Smith,
a second-shift welder and Master
Shipbuilder whose special welding
assignment put him front and center
for the day. “My role is to support the
ship’s sponsor at this event.”
Ellen Roughead, Minnesota native
and wife of the Chief of Naval
Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, is
the ship’s sponsor and served as the
keel authenticator for the ceremony.
Smith and Mrs. Roughead were
joined by U.S. Navy and government
officials, Newport News Shipbuilding
employees and the ship’s crew to
celebrate the submarine’s keellaying, a time-honored shipbuilding
tradition.
Crew of the Minnesota (SSN 783)
Photo by John Whalen
Minnesota is the 10th Virginia-class
submarine being built by the Newport
News Shipbuilding and Electric Boat
team.
With a steady hand, Smith welded
the sponsor’s chalked initials (EWR)
onto a metal plate to authenticate
the keel. The plate will later be
permanently affixed to the ship
named for the North Star State.
“I’m honored to be selected and to
participate in this ceremony,” Smith
said. “I want the customer and those
who will sail on Minnesota to be
assured that we will build a safe
vessel, a strong vessel and a worthy
vessel to take them to and from their
mission to protect our country.”
Other employee participants included
Bobby Johnson, a member of the
Lines and Shipwright crew, who
delivered the invocation, and
Wendell Parker, a structural
production foreman, who sang
the national anthem.
More than 900 shipbuilders are
building Minnesota, which began
construction in February 2008.
Buildingthe silentones
Photo by John Whalen
from SEA CRAWLERS to NUCLEAR POWER
This is the fourth feature in a series
of articles celebrating Newport News
Shipbuilding’s 125th anniversary.
ALL ABOARD
California
The crew of the newest Virginia-class submarine,
California (SSN 781), moved aboard May 9 and
enjoyed a traditional surf and turf dinner the
following day.
“The combined shipbuilder and Navy team
worked together to achieve this important
milestone,” said Becky Stewart, vice president
of Newport News Shipbuilding’s Submarine
Program. “Once the crew moves onboard,
the submarine comes to life and begins its
final journey toward becoming an operational
platform. It’s an exciting time for the entire
California team as we move one step closer to
delivery.”
Named to honor the “Golden State,” California
is in the final stages of construction and testing.
Sea trials to demonstrate the nuclear-powered
submarine’s capabilities are scheduled to begin
soon.
California will be the first Virginia-class
submarine delivered by Newport News
Shipbuilding under the company’s new name.
Upon delivery to the Navy, California will be
the most modern and sophisticated attack
submarine in the world.
USS Boise (SSN 764), one of 28 Los Angeles-class submarines built from
1965 to 1974 by Newport News Shipbuilding, recently won the Navy’s 2010
Battenberg Cup for being the best-all around ship in the Atlantic Fleet.
USS Boise was commissioned Nov. 7, 1992.
The first submarine built at Newport
News Shipbuilding was only 73 feet
long and had retractable wheels so it
could crawl along the ocean floor.
The year was 1904 and the shipyard,
under contract to submarine pioneer
Simon Lake, built a total of eight
submarines. Though a brief foray
into underwater sea power, the Lake
subs laid the foundation for the
shipyard’s long history of building
submarines for the silent service.
Four decades passed before the
yard again ventured into submarine
construction, focusing instead on
building the battleships and aircraft
carriers the U. S. Navy needed to win
the war. But with the dawn of nuclear power
came the shipyard’s re-entry into
the submarine business with Shark
(SSN 591), launched in 1960 as the
yard’s first contracted nuclear vessel.
It was followed quickly by contracts
to build Polaris missile submarines,
of which Newport News built 14 in
only six years – a third of the Navy’s
Polaris fleet. Next, the company delivered nine
Sturgeon-class attack submarines to
the Navy in as many years.
In 1965, however, the shipyard took
the lead by designing the propulsion
plant for an entirely new class of
submarines – the Los Angeles (LA)
class – which outweighed and
outsized the Sturgeon subs. The first
was launched in 1974, and the yard
built 28 more. The nuclear-powered
LA-class grew to be the nation’s most
numerous submarine class with 62
ships built and delivered in a 20-year
production run.
But after the shipyard launched its
final LA-class submarine, Cheyenne,
in 1995, submarine construction at
Newport News again went silent.
A decade later, the shipyard once
again jumped out of the starting gate
to construct the latest in submarine
technology and power, the Virginiaclass. Built in concert with General
Dynamics Electric Boat, the
partnership aims to produce the
most cost-effective submarine
construction program to date, with
sections of the submarine built at
each shipyard and final construction,
test and delivery divided between
the two. Newport News will deliver
its fourth submarine California, this
year.
At 370 feet, the sub houses the latest
in weapons and warfare technology,
ready for any mission the Navy
has in store. No retractable wheels
required.
New tug honors
SHIPBUILDING
Legend
With the smash of a bottle of American sparkling wine
on the ship’s hull, Master Shipbuilder and Ship’s Sponsor
Shirley Langston officially christened the new 67-foot
tugboat, Capt. Ambrose.
The newest addition to the shipyard tugboat fleet is
named for the late Capt. Marvin L. Ambrose, a former
tugboat master and docking pilot who retired from the
Newport News shipyard in 1973 after 44 years of service.
On April 27, members of the Ambrose family joined
guests behind the Virginia Advanced Shipbuilding and
Carrier Integration Center in Newport News for the
ceremonial christening of Capt. Ambrose.
Newport News Shipbuilder Troy Hudgins, great nephew
to Capt Ambrose, said it was “a great honor“ for the
family to witness the christening of the boat named
for his iconic uncle. Danny Hunley, vice president of
Operations, presented an American flag that was flown
over the new tug during its sea trials to Bobby Hudgins,
Capt. Ambrose’s nephew and retired Newport News
Shipbuilding employee.
“Though we’re no longer building tugboats here along
the banks of the James River, we still feel that same
sense of pride and ownership for our modern-day tugs
as if we had built them ourselves,” said Newport News
Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin. “It’s why we
name them for shipbuilding legends.”
Capt. Ambrose was a member of the original crew on
Huntington, a tugboat that was placed in service on
Nov. 18, 1933. He eventually became tugboat master
on Huntington, a position he held until his retirement.
It’s estimated that he assisted 30,000 vessels during his
career.
“Everyone’s excited about the Capt. Ambrose and
we couldn’t be more proud to be the first crew on the
new boat,” said Allen Sutton, pilot and leader of Capt.
Ambrose’s four-man crew. “We’re looking forward to
seeing what she can do.”
The new tug’s first major role was to help move the USS
Theodore Roosevelt out of dry dock on May 21.
History maker
SHIRLEY LANGSTON
Carrier Overhaul Production Control Specialist and Ship’s Sponsor Shirley Langston continued to make history at the April 27 christening of Newport News
Shipbuilding’s newest tugboat – Capt. Ambrose. Photo by Ricky Thompson
When Shirley Langston was growing up on 44th Street in
Newport News, one of her favorite things to do was walk
to the fence at the edge of the shipyard and watch the
ships being built.
She got her start in the Hull and Machinery tool room as an
office clerk. Back then the shipyard only went as far north
as the Steel Fabrication Shop. “Anything beyond that has
been built since I was here,” she said.
to work in the shipyard,” she remembers. “And I’m still
working on Enterprise 53 years later. It must be a good
ship.” She jokes that the Enterprise is why she hasn’t
retired. “I haven’t finished my first project yet,” she laughs.
“I’ve had shipyard blood in me for many a year,” said the
Carrier Overhaul Production Control employee who has
worked at the shipyard for more than half a century.
Over the years, Langston has watched many ships sail
away from the shipyard. “I was fascinated when they
would knock out the blocks and ships would go down the
ways. Those were the real launchings,” she said.
Retirement, however, isn’t on her to-do list. Too many
happy memories keep her anchored to the shipyard, like
the recent Capt. Ambrose tugboat christening and the
sounds of the shipyard cranes. Her father was instrumental
in getting safety whistles and bells installed on cranes to
give employees ample warning that a crane is near.
For Langston, whose mom worked in purchasing and
whose dad worked in the Foundry, coming to work at the
shipyard after high school in 1958 seemed a natural thing
to do.
Of all the ships she’s helped build, USS Enterprise holds a
special place in her heart.
“We were building Enterprise in Dry Dock 11 when I came
“Every time I hear the cranes going,” said Langston, “I
think of my dad.”
Long Service
MASTER SHIPBUILDERS
MAY
B.T. Carter
40 years
George Cunningham
40 years
James “Peanut” Durie
45 years
Dave Gray
40 years
Grady Jenkins
40 years
Carlton Knight
40 years
Ernest Martin
40 years
John McIntyre Jr.
40 years
Ernie Montgomery
50 years
General “Frog” Moore
40 years
Tim Roberts
40 years
David Roselius
40 years
Ph
ho
otto by
by C
Chris
is O
Oxl
x ey
xl
y
Ted Sethman
40 years
Don Suits
40 years
Frankie Thrower
40 years
Larry Trent
45 years
Tom Walters
40 years
50 YEARS
Ernest F. Montgomery E39
Carlton R. Knight X87
William G. Leary X36
Tyrone Little X33
Ernest L. Martin X32
Charles E. Massie Jr. O67
John S. McIntyre Jr. X36
Eugene McKoy X36
General H. Moore X42
Samuel R. Pender O15
Enoch T. Roberts O53
Don C. Rodgers X33
David G. Roselius E83
Theodore P. Sethman E51
Donald L. Suits X88
Frankie E. Thrower X32
Thomas M. Walters O43
Herbert L. Whitaker Jr. X11
Carlton E. Whitley X42
Roger J. Insco O14
Mckinley T. Jefferson X18
Johnnie Jernigan X33
James E. Johnson X73
William D. Jones Jr. O54
Joe H. Mabry X18
Larry L. Martin X18
Elliott L. Mason E82
Franklin C. McAllister O53
Darryl E. Owens X36
Jerome Reese III O46
Mary E. Thompson X74
Bobby C. Vaughan X18
Rodney D. Walker X33
Gordon R. Ware O31
Gary A. Werlau X82
Moses Wilkins X36
Jeffery A. Williams X33
45 YEARS
Herman L. Dixon O57
James E. Durie X36
Russell L. Moody X18
Larry W. Trent X70
40 YEARS
Booker T. Carter Jr. X43
George O. Cunningham O31
Robert C. Edwards X43
Howard D. Gray M30
Grady J. Jenkins X32
35 YEARS
Michael V. Barger X36
Charles E. Brett X67
Marvin H. Carter X15
James S. Collins X31
Fredrick E. Dagen X18
Leviathan B. Denson Jr. X18
Alden L. Gary X33
Kenneth H. Hogge Jr. X69
Perry A. House X42
Claudia J. Hughes X15
30 YEARS
Donald R. Coles T54
William J. Dowd E83
Paul C. Evans E51
James A. HarmonJr. X43
William R. Henry Jr. E22
Peter G. Jones E24
Wayne Lines X83
Ronnie A. Tong K93
John M. West Jr. X43
Steven W. Woodward E89
Mastering the Art
of Shipbuilding
25 YEARS
Jon S. Austin X71
William J. Fallon O93
John C. Germano E67
Joseph C. Kilgore K07
David R. Long K71
William K. Mahler O11
Richard M. Neville E46
Frank J. Rossi E86
20 YEARS
Larry D. Hall E05
Deanna M. Naylor E73
Cleveland T. Smith X31
Newport News Shipbuilding hosted its 22nd annual Master Shipbuilders
dinner ceremony on April 21, honoring 534 shipbuilders with 40 or more
years of continuous service. Shipbuilders enjoyed a reception and dinner
to celebrate the occasion with 28 new shipbuilders receiving the traditional
master shipbuilder jacket. Shipbuilder Curtis Irby was recognized as the most
senior Master Shipbuilder with more than 58 years of continuous service.
Retirements
MARCH
Luther E. Burrus X18
William L. Canady X33
Gary A. Davis K93
Joseph W. Degaetano O39
Timothy W. Elliott O64
Shirlene Harper O53
Charlotte M. Hayes O46
Larry Henderson X73
John M. Holmes X11
Larry L. Hurst O43
George T. Jernigan O46
Kenneth R. Kittrell X53
Garland J. Lawson X32
Don W. McQuillen O26
Lawrence T. Meyers O39
Gerald W. Moore X88
Churchill E. Robinson Jr. O53
Grant P. Schneider E35
Frederick L. Seldomridge X43
Michael J. Sivacek O51
Thomas W. Stamey X43
Jean Taylor X32
Artie W. Thompson Jr. O46
Yves R. Triolet X32
Charles W. Tuggle O15
John Turner Jr. X42
Joseph Williams X43
Charles L. Wilson X18
David W. Yoh E84
Frank S. Zareo O43
June 2011
APRIL
Yardlines is published 10 times a year for the employees of Newport News Shipbuilding.
This issue of Yardlines was produced by: Gina Chew-Holman, Mike Dillard, Jessicah Hegeman, Eugene Phillips, LaMar
Smith and Susan Sumner. Additional writing services by Barlow Communications. Photographs by: Chris Oxley,
Ricky Thompson and John Whalen
Send comments, questions and story ideas to: [email protected] or 757·380·2627
Look for more news at www.huntingtoningalls.com/nns
Charlene Avery X32
Benjamin C. Brinkley Jr. X32
Michael A. Conte O20
Edward J. Cripps X31
Lonnie J. Dempsey X42
Lonnie J. Dempsey X42
Thomas M. Fennell X43
James C. Gaskins X11
Baron W. Hartwig X82
Danny W. Hunt E14
John M. Jenkins O46
Josephus Jernigan O15
David L. May X72
David B. McKercher O61
Charles B. Milby O15
Clarence P. Moore X18
William O. Roberson X18
Homer L. Thompson O64
Phillip Tynes X42
John B. Webster E43
Chaffin L. Wesley E82
Robert R. White E12
Larry R. Wiant E58
Thomas K. Williams O64
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June 2011
CVN 79 Gets a Name
The second aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford class, CVN 79, has been named in honor of the late President
John F. Kennedy. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the naming May 29 at the president’s namesake library
in Boston on what would have been Kennedy’s 94th birthday. This is the second aircraft carrier to be named after
Kennedy and the second to be built by Newport News Shipbuilding. The first was the conventionally-powered CV 67,
which was decommissioned in 2007. Caroline Kennedy, pictured above at the naming ceremony, served as the ship’s
sponsor for CV 67 and christened that ship 44 years ago, when she was nine years old. She will also serve as the
sponsor for CVN 79.