NORSHIPCO Receives Award

United Defense Industries, Inc. announced the receipt of one of the U.S. Navy’s most prestigious awards, the Theater Surface Combatants Award for Excellence, at its shipyard in Norfolk, Va. The award, formerly titled the AEGIS Excellence Award, was presented to NORSHIPCO, a member of the United States Marine Repair (USMR) family of shipyards, during a ceremony at the yard in August. Rear Adm. William J. Cobb, Jr. presented the award to Tom Epley, NORSHIPCO’s president and general manager, before a room filled with representatives from the Supervisor of Shipbuilding in Portsmouth, Va., Navy officials and shipyard workers. USMR, recently acquired by United Defense, now holds a total of four of these most coveted awards. In addition to NORSHIPCO, Southwest Marine in San Diego, Calif., also a member of USMR, holds three. NORSHIPCO received this honor for providing exceptional support to the Program Executive Office for Theater Surface Combatants throughout the planning, scheduling and execution of the Extended Docking Selected Restricted Availability for USS NORMANDY (CG-60). Additionally, NORSHIPCO met all milestones on or ahead of schedule and accomplished the entire work package seven days early The work was performed at NORSHIPCO between February 28, 2001, and September 28, 2001. The work package included system and component upgrades and regular maintenance, including hull girder modifications and installation of the all-electric ship alt. The USS NORMANDY is currently participating in Operation Enduring Freedom in the defense of America. “NORSHIPCO’s extraordinary contribution, outstanding performance and remarkable efforts enabled the fully capable and war-ready ship to quickly return to service. I applaud the entire NORSHIPCO team and congratulate them on this well-deserved award,” said Rear Adm. Cobb, who presented the award. The AEGIS Excellence Program, originally designed to recognize contributions to AEGIS Weapon System development by individuals in the Navy, was established in 1971 by direction of the AEGIS Project Manager, PMO-403. Recognizing the motivating effect of this program, it was soon expanded to include major defense contractors. To maintain the award’s exclusivity and significance, this honor is only given to a limited number of organizations. According to Tom Epley, NORSHIPCO’s president and general manager, “Receiving this award is a real tribute to the people who worked so hard on the NORMANDY. They are the ones who made this event possible.” Epley also added, “I am extremely proud of the performance of everyone involved in the ship’s availability.”