By Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) repair work will enable USS George Washington (CVN 73) to assume its role in Yokosuka, Japan, as our nation's only forward-deployed aircraft carrier in September.
Working as "One Shipyard," skilled personnel from two NAVSEA field activities -- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) provided most of the craftsmen and skills required to complete the effort on Aug. 21, after only 91 days of repair work. The efforts of "One Shipyard" enabled a six-week reduction of USS George Washington's repair schedule from initial forecasts.
"NAVSEA's One Shipyard concept provides the fleet customer with a more capable and more flexible maintenance resource," said Capt. Mark Whitney, PSNS & IMF commander.
The ship's arrival was delayed due to a May 22 fire in an unmanned Auxiliary Boiler Exhaust and Supply space. NAVSEA shipyards, with PSNS & IMF being assigned lead maintenance authority (LMA), assumed the responsibility of coordinating all maintenance activities assigned to the recovery effort including Ship's Force, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Northrup Grumman Shipbuilding and their associated Master Ship Repair contractors and more than 15 alteration installation teams.
"This Herculean effort was the largest and most complex emergent repair ever executed on a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier," said Vice Adm. Thomas Kilcline, Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Project, engineering and production personnel from PSNS & IMF and NNSY responded quickly to the repair challenge. The fire recovery effort required more than 55,000 man-days of work and cost approximately $70 million. More than 4,630 jobs were tasked to PSNS & IMF. NNSY also provided 85 tradesmen for the repair efforts.
"This is when you really see a 'One Shipyard' response. Everyone pitches in to help in something like this. We all work for the U.S. Navy," said Glenn Edwards, NNSY's carrier program manager.
NAVSEA's four public shipyards -- Puget Sound, , Pearl Harbor and -- play a major role in maintaining 's Navy and providing a wartime surge capability to keep the nation's ships ready for combat.