Norfolk Shipyard News

BAE Systems said it has received a $294.7 million contract from the U.S. Navy to drydock and perform more than 20 months of maintenance and modernization work on the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $340.3 million.Under the awarded contract, the maintenance availability of USS Kearsarge will begin in April. Starting in June, the 843-foot-long ship will be drydocked for nearly a year at BAE Systems’ Norfolk, Va. shipyard.

BAE Systems said it has been awarded a $146.3 million contract from the U.S. Navy to modernize the USS Gettysburg (CG 64).The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser will undergo about 15 months of work at the company’s shipyard in Norfolk, Va., the ship’s homeport. The contract includes options that, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $151.3 million.Starting in January 2019, the Gettysburg will undergo extensive repair and upgrade work that will return the ship to full capability after nearly four years of inactive status under the Navy’s cruiser modernization program.

BAE Systems will perform ship alternations and miscellaneous repairs aboard the 567-foot-long USS Vicksburg (CG 69) under a $42.9 million U.S. Navy contract. The value of the competitively awarded contract could reach $45.9 million if all options are exercised. Under the special selected restricted availability (SSRA) contract, BAE Systems will perform ship alternations and miscellaneous repairs aboard the 567-foot-long ship, including the replacement of critical aluminum structures. The work is expected to begin in April and be completed by September at the company’s Norfolk, Virginia shipyard. The Vicksburg is the second East Coast-based guided missile cruiser to undergo extensive repair and upgrade work as part of the Navy's long-term modernization program for cruisers.

Edward Lundquist talks to welder and apprentice instructor Ashley Wilber at BAE Systems Ship Repair’s Norfolk shipyard. Tell me how you came to be a welder here at BAE Systems Ship Repair. I have been here at BAE Systems going on seven years now. I was just doing odd jobs out of high school – Hardee’s, driving jobs like delivering pizzas – anything that was making money. I have a cousin, who at the time was an electrician apprentice, and he was telling me about the shipyard. I’d never heard of a shipyard even though I drove past it all the time.

Flying the Greek flag, the Hellas Liberty, formerly known as the Arthur M. Huddell, has safely reached the port of Piraeus in Greece after leaving Norfolk, Virginia, on December 6, 2008. Until July 2008, the World War II-era Huddell was the last Liberty ship in the Maritime Administration’s National Defense Reserve Fleet., and was moored in the James River Reserve Fleet site at Fort Eustis. The ship was cleaned at a Norfolk shipyard before being towed to Greece. American shipyards built 2,751 Liberty ships during World War II, in the largest shipbuilding effort in history. Liberty ships crewed by merchant mariners carried troops and military cargo all over the world. The building and sailing of the Liberty ships, and their successors, the Victory ships, were overseen by the U.S.

The Virginian Pilot reported that the Disney Wonder, a 964-ft. Disney Cruise Line ship arrived at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair last week for a 10-day overhaul. The yard has assigned 200 employees and subcontractors to blast and paint the hull, change out propellers and do basic hull, mechanical and electrical work. Disney brought in an additional 600 contractors for interior work. The cruise ship receives dry dock maintenance twice every five years and has visited the Norfolk shipyard twice before. Source: Virginian Pilot

United Defense Industries, Inc. announced today the U.S. Navy's contract award to the Norfolk, Va., shipyard, NORSHIPCO, for the topside phased-maintenance, fixed-price availability work on the dock landing amphibious-class ship USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD-41), the lead ship in its class home-ported in Norfolk. NORSHIPCO is a member of United States Marine Repair, Inc. (USMR), a subsidiary of United Defense. The basic award of the contract is valued at $12.2 million and with funded options, the total contract value would be in excess of $14 million. The ship is scheduled to arrive at NORSHIPCO on September 9, 2002. Work is expected to be completed on February 10, 2003. NORSHIPCO performed a similar availability on the WHIDBEY ISLAND in 1999.

Talk of "The New Navy" to some may seem like a pre-programmed mantra helplessly repeating itself to no avail. For those not yet convinced of the wholesale transformation of naval assets, a trip out west to San Diego for the AFCEA West 2003 exhibition and conference would have been convincing. With a distinguished and varied panel of Admirals and Generals, and a packed crowd including a cross section from the World War II generation to Generation X, the topic "What Do We Want Our Ships To Do?" was debated, oftentimes in a heated fashion. Moderated by Anteon’s Dr. Scott C. Truver and discussed by many, including VADM Alexander Krekich, USN (Ret), President and CEO of Norfolk Shipyard and Drydock Corp., and RADM George R.

The push for a new class of U.S. Navy ships, vessels able to operate in shallow draft, near to shore environments, has taken a step closer to reality. The Navy is currently reviewing plans from half a dozen teams, and is expected next month to award additional dollars to three teams for further refinement. Current plans call for a fleet of between 50 and 70 vessels — smaller, faster and considerably cheaper than ships built for today’s Navy — ready for production in the next few years. The concept for Littoral Combat Ships, or LCS, is hardly new, and was a topic of hot debate at the AFCEA West 2003 exhibition and conference. With a distinguished and varied panel of Admirals and Generals…