9 | 19 | 2016
A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
NNS Continues to Make Strides on Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Recently, Newport News Shipbuilding placed a 900-ton superlift into the dry dock, continuing construction of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). As Kennedy begins to take shape in the dry dock, the ship’s cost and construction schedule continue on track with significant improvement over its predecessor, the first-of-class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). “We continue to focus on reducing costs, and we are pleased with our progress,” said Mike Shawcross, vice president, CVN 79 Carrier Construction. “The incorporation of lessons learned from CVN 78 on to CVN 79— and major build strategy changes to construct the ship a different way—are having a significant impact on our construction efficiencies, just as we anticipated they would.” Veronica Pretlow (O95) shows a demo of the new time and attendance system called MyTime. Photo by Chris Oxley
MyTime Now Live MyTime, the new time and attendance system, is now available for salaried employees to use for daily time entry. To access MyTime, employees should look for the MyTime icon on their computer’s desktop screen or type https://mytime in their web browser. For additional support, employees are encouraged to call MyTime Central, a dedicated help desk that is available Monday – Friday during all three shifts. Dial 688-5555 or the toll-free number at 844-849-TIME. Frequently asked questions are available on the Timekeeping Central website on MyNNS. Watch a video on Yardnet to hear from employees who took part in an early pilot program for MyTime.
Like Ford, Kennedy is being built using modular construction, a process where smaller sections of the ship are welded together to form larger structural units (called “superlifts”). Equipment is then installed, and the large superlifts are lifted into the dry dock using the company’s 1,050-metric ton gantry crane. Kennedy is on track to be completed with 445 lifts, which is 51 fewer than Ford and 149 less than USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), the last Nimitz-class carrier. “Fewer lifts to the dock means we’re building larger superlifts with more outfitting installed prior to erecting the sections in dock,” said Mike Butler, Kennedy... CONTINUED ON PG 2
Needy to Lead Virginia-Class Submarine Program and Fleet Services Newport News Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin sent a letter to employees on Sept. 14 regarding organizational changes to the Submarine and Fleet Support Division. In the letter, Mulherin announced that after more than 35 years of dedicated service, Jim Hughes, who serves as the current vice president of the division, announced his intention to retire on Sept. 30. Mulherin also announced that Matt Needy has been promoted to vice president of the Virginia-Class Submarine Program and Fleet Services and will report to Ken Mahler, vice president of Navy Programs. In addition, the letter stated, that as work continues to increase on the Ohio-Class Replacement (ORP) Submarine Program, the ORP program will become a standalone division under the Navy Programs division and will continue to be led by David Bolcar, program director of the ORP Program. Bolcar will report directly to Ken Mahler. Read the full letter on Yardnet.