Yardlines, October 2012

IN THIS ISSUE Channeling Wave Energy Minnesota Heading to the Finish Line

Yardlines

Photo by John Whalen

Celebrating Quality and Excellence

A Publication of Newport News Shipbuilding

October 2012

Commitment In observance of Quality Month, Yardlines spoke with Vice President of Quality and Process Excellence (Q&PE) Ron Murray to discuss Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) commitment to quality and the impact it has on NNS products and business.

Q: Why is Quality Month important?

Murray: Quality week, month, year­—quality is important every

day. However, celebrating Quality Month in October gives it a time to be showcased on a national level, which prompts discussions and additional focus on the topic. NNS has been focused on quality since the company was founded—the Quality Rock is a great example.

Shipbuilders see that rock every day when they walk through the gates.

The word quality isn’t even in the phrase written on the rock, but it is

an iconic symbol of the commitment our company was founded on and its values of building “good ships” above all else.

Q: What should NNS shipbuilders do to ensure quality?

Murray: Whatever your job, at the end of the day, everyone in this company has a responsibility to look out for the quality of the product(s) they are working on, both

Excellence. Each of these areas have subject-matter experts responsible for ensuring that NNS delivers the very best products to our customers.

Q: What, if anything, has changed in Q&PE since you became vice president?

Murray: Before becoming vice president, I was part of the Q&PE leadership team that created several strategic priorities for the division and made some fundamental changes in how the areas of Quality Control and Quality Assurance are led. Those initiatives have been very successful, so I have been able to lead the team that “stays the course” and continues to mature those priorities while looking for better ways for Q&PE to add value to the enterprise.

Q: What professional opportunities are available for shipbuilders in Q&PE?

to Quality Q&A With Ron Murray

directly and indirectly. If anything doesn’t look right, stand up and say something. It doesn’t take much to raise your hand, express a concern or question something; we all have this responsibility. The same goes with a good idea. If you have something you want to bring forward, share it with your boss, use the Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) Program and take initiative to make the change happen.

Q: Why is the Q&PE organization important to NNS? Murray: Q&PE provides a unique skill set and focus to ensure that the company’s processes and products are where they need to be in terms of quality. Our organization is made up of three areas, including Quality Assurance & Technical Services, Quality Control, and Process

Murray: The Q&PE division offers fantastic opportunities to touch almost every aspect of our shipbuilding business. We are interested in being a magnet for talent, and we’re always looking for ways to broaden our team’s horizons through rotational opportunities. For example, we have job rotations with the VirginiaClass Submarine Program, Welding/ Non-Destructive Test Engineering and Laboratory Services, and are working to establish rotations within Engineering as well. I’m open to exploring opportunities that will allow our people to develop and grow.

Radiographic Operator Ryan Vinson (center) discusses a non-destructive X-ray inspection with Quality & Process Excellence Vice President Ron Murray while Radiography Supervisor Tom Jergenson (right) reviews X-ray film documentation. Photo by John Whalen

the

night

Pipefitter Barry Lirette typically works in small, confined places on board Virginia-class submarines. But that doesn’t keep him from dreaming big.

artist

One day, Lirette wants to own a vast workshop where he can sculpt very large art pieces.

“An area where I can build whatever I want,” he said.

“Whatever you can imagine.”

And what does Lirette imagine building? Possibly a steelwelded dragon, polished to a mirror finish, with a 20-foot wingspan.

But until he has that workshop, he’s content to paint small landscapes and put his artistic talents to work on the submarine North Dakota, sculpting pipes rather than dragons.

“It’s sculpting,” he said of his work on submarines.

“That’s how I look at it. It’s still art.”

Lirette came to Newport News six years ago from his hometown, New Orleans. Three weeks after returning home from a contracting job, Hurricane Katrina hit, and Lirette saw friends and family lose their homes and their jobs.

Once Katrina had passed and those displaced families came back home, “the places where they were working didn’t come back,” he said. “They were all looking for work all over again. So I saved up my money and we came (to Newport News) as soon as we could,” said Lirette of his family, which includes his wife and two kids.

His background working on oil rigs and at Ingalls Shipbuilding made Lirette a good fit at Newport News Shipbuilding. And he said he’s happy he made the move.

“We like it here. We have seasons now,” he joked, not disappointed to trade in the hot and hotter for fall and winter.

For the last three years Lirette has worked third shift, spending his days with his grandchildren and enjoying the quieter, less congested atmosphere that darkness brings to the shipyard.

“It’s a little cooler at night,” he said. “And during the day you have so many people working in a confined area. On third shift you don’t have that problem.”

Lirette admits he isn’t bothered by the tight quarters of submarine work. “I like the space you have to work on the carriers, but I really like the challenges of working in the sub world. There are a lot of things going on in a real small area. You don’t have much play. You have to get it right,” he said.

Fitting and welding seem to be in his genes, a trade passed down from his grandfather to his father to him, as well as to uncles and even an aunt. “They all taught each other how to weld,” he said. Add that to Lirette’s passion for art and his younger days spent living all over the world, including Japan and Germany during his father’s stint in the Army, and Lirette’s ability to dream big seems fitting.

Lately he’s developed an interest in working with concrete. He’s envisioned a large yard with real trees and some concrete sculpted trees thrown into the mix.

“Something to rival Busch Gardens,” he said.

Will that come before or after he slays a metal dragon?

He’s not sure. But he does know one thing.

In August, third-shift Pipefitter Barry Lirette won the Virginia-class submarine (VCS) t-shirt contest. His design was selected from more than 30 shipbuilder submissions. The t-shirt was distributed to more than 2,000 VSC shipbuilders in recognition of their part in the many VCS program accomplishments. Photo by Ricky Thompson

“As long as I’m making something, I’m happy.” | By Kelly Barlow

t

SPRINTING TO THE

FINISH LINE Building a submarine is a lot like running a marathon.

The key is to keep up a steady pace forward and then summon a burst of energy for that final sprint to the finish line.

And that final sprint is where the Virginia-class submarine (VCS) delivery team steps into the race.

Many of the same shipbuilders who delivered USS California (SSN 781) are coming down the stretch preparing Minnesota (SSN 783) for its christening on October 27 and delivery to the Navy in 2013.

“California was delivered more than eight months ahead of schedule and under cost targets,” said VCS Superintendent Rob Austin. “And as we approach the launch of Minnesota, we’re on target to be better than we were on California.”

Typically, the submarine’s delivery team steps in at the mid-point of construction. They finish building, integrating and testing the ship systems and work with ship’s force “to bring the ship to life and get it ready to go to sea,” Austin said. That work usually encompasses the last 18 months of the ship’s build schedule.

The team has been working on Minnesota since the summer of 2011.

Why have they been so successful?

In a nutshell—cooperation and repetition, with lots of communication thrown in.

Construction Supervisor Gerald Johnson said, “It takes a lot of coordination and balancing of priorities. It takes a lot of communication to make sure you have the right people at the right place at the right time.”

Another key to the early delivery of California and what’s bringing even more success to Minnesota is repetition.

“The same people are doing the same jobs over and over,” said Johnson. “We’re keeping a solid team in place and taking them from boat to boat.”

Machinery Installation Foreman Mike Upton’s team is working the vertical launch system, sail, bow planes and more. “I’ve been on this program since the start of the Virginia-class and watched it make leaps and bounds,” he said.

With every boat, the team has found more and more opportunities to improve. The electricians developed and executed a plan to take advantage of a planned maintenance period to bring the forward electric plant to life earlier than on previous hulls.

“Our mechanics are looking for ideas to improve processes and implementing them, and they are paying dividends,” said Piping General Foreman Jeff Wells.

“Successes on Minnesota prove what they identified does make a difference, and they are proud of that.”

As a result, the delivery team is turning over compartments to the Navy much sooner than they ever have. “Instead of waiting for the job to come to them, our guys are taking on jobs that bogged them down in the past and tackling them early on,” added Austin.

Tight quarters on the submarine mean that not getting a job done on time has lasting impact on all the jobs that follow. “And they’re doing things to eliminate any conflict,” said Johnson.

More than one group of employees asked to change shifts “because they saw they could be more efficient,” added Austin. “The Sheet Metal crew led by Jack Taylor moved to third shift to get the ventilation finished. They were willing to do it and suggested it themselves,” he said.

“Employees on the delivery team have accepted the challenge,” said Johnson. “And the benefit at the end has really shown. The team really takes pride in their work and is achieving every goal put before them.” | By Kelly Barlow

Virginia-class submarine delivery team member Lakishia Henderson bands cables for the torpedo tube missile compartment to prepare Minnesota (SSN 783) for its October 27 christening and 2013 delivery to the Navy. Photo by Ricky Thompson

Wave Energy This article continues a series on innovative technologies being developed under Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) Independent Research & Development (IR&D) and Manufacturing & Production Engineering (M&PE) Programs that improve shipbuilding processes and potentially expand NNS’ business into new industries.

Harvesting energy from the ocean’s waves may sound like science fiction, but to NNS’ Todd Sedler and Bill Laz, wave energy is a potential new field of opportunity. On June 12, 2012, the two innovators were presented with U.S. Patent Awards for their “Tuned Rolling Wave Energy Extractor.” To produce wave energy, a pendulum inside a water-borne ark is connected to a generator through a series of gears. As the waves roll under the floating ark, both the pendulum and the ark’s roll are tuned to the frequency of the waves, allowing the unit to channel up to 80 percent of the waves’ energy into the process of generating electricity.

“The technology is a potential opportunity for the shipyard,” said Sedler, a former U.S. Navy nuclear reactor operator and magna cum laude University of Michigan graduate, and the engineering mastermind behind the technology. A prototype 20-kilowatt Wave Energy Recovery Ark (WERA) is currently being developed and could be a predecessor to a larger 2-megawatt commercial WERA, which would be 300 feet long by 60 feet wide. “That is comparable in length to a Virginia-class submarine. A commercial wave farm of 2-megawatt WERAs would consist of about 400 units,” stated Sedler.

“The U.S. Navy or the commercial utility industry could be potential customers for this technology. The Navy could use them to reduce its carbon footprint and increase the energy security of its naval bases,” explained Laz, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who spent 30 years in the Navy, retiring as the commanding officer of USS Mississippi (CGN 40). If Sedler is the engineering mind behind the project, Laz is the visionary, explaining, “This technology is all about creating potential future business that draws from our company’s strengths: marine engineering, ocean systems and heavy-duty manufacturing.” | By Peter Stern

A computer model of the Wave Energy Recovery Ark concept shows the pendulum system that uses the roll of waves to generate electricity. The developing technology demonstrates how Newport News Shipbuilding is using its experience in marine engineering and ocean systems to explore future business opportunities.

For more than 126 years, generations of Newport News shipbuilders have constructed the nation’s most recognized ships, always providing a quality product. October is National Quality Month. It’s an appropriate time to honor and recognize nine teams and eight individuals who are leading our efforts to continue our legacy of first-class craftsmanship. The following shipbuilders are winners of the 2012 President’s Model of Excellence award for their achievements. They were nominated by their fellow shipbuilders for consistently demonstrating operational excellence, innovation, customer satisfaction, leadership and continuous improvement.

Congratulations on this welldeserved award and your commitment to quality, and to our founding mission of building “Always Good Ships”.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY X15 VCS PLATE SCANNING PROCESS TEAM Mark Brown Ed Delaney John French Phil Caudill Mike Cunneen George Smith M. Bradley Brent Linton Michael Linton Eugene Saunders

USS GERALD R. FORD REACTOR COOLANT INSPECTION ROBOT DESIGN TEAM Mark Conlon, Jr. John Hochella Robert Schaffner Dave Hause Dave Cowley Mike Ward Jack Adam, IV Neal Jones Cartie Hamilton Charles Belote

LEADERSHIP USS GERALD R. FORD CARRIER CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM Allen Williams

X15 VCS INNOVATIVE PROGRESSIVE DIE PLATE FORMING PROCESS TEAM Ed Delaney John French Allen Shelton George Smith M. Bradley Napoleon Lee Brent Linton Michael Linton Woodrow Sanders Eugene Saunders

USS CALIFORNIA DELIVERY Bob Bolden

LEADER AND MENTOR – K78 TFW PIPE SHOP Billy Schleeper CAREER PATHWAYS Jennifer McClain

PIPE SHOP LEADERSHIP Kenton Meland SUBMARINE FLEET SUPPORT LEADERSHIP Mike Chase CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 1B STEAM GENERATOR TUBE REPAIR TEAM Jeff Hyde James Lewis Joshua Mason William Lucy, II Greg Pike Dannie Brent Maxwell Crenshaw Mark Daniel Billy Bassett Nelson Rivera

NORMAL FUEL OIL TANK FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS MODEL Ryan Beatley OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE VCS BIRDCAGE COST & SCHEDULE REDUCTION TEAM Rich Jay Tom Brown Steven Hayes Bernard Martin Frank Wanderer David March Brandon Neitzke Alex Schneider Joshua Truax Curtis Babcock Aaron Cole Nicolas McDonald John Perkins Charles Pyle, Jr. Raymond Wiggins, III WELDING GASES AVAILABILITY TEAM Ervin Blake, Jr. Larry Anthony Jermaine Bellamy Dennis Coleman Anthony Craig David Crews Richard Giunti Alfred Hooker Aaron Johnson Donald McDaniel Glorina Messer Reginald Moore Troy Shanholtz R. A. Sipple, Jr. George Washington Gene White Jimmy Wright

HRSD COST REDUCTION Dwayne Jackson USS GERALD R. FORD FITTED FASTENERS CLEARANCE TEAM Brian Hayes Kavin Quarles Neil Schoenberg Jeremy Tucker Billy Norton Lionel Bailey Chris Downing Calvin Holloway USS ALBANY SAIL REPAIRS TEAM Christopher Relopez Rick Spoonhoward Wayne Nichols Wayne Foster Jon Williams Armando Rodriguez Greg Baker Kenny Barfield James Bates, Jr. Ivan Bell Michael Huxford Jacob Jallo Lamar Mouling, II Ricardo Palacios Zachary Waynick Peter Griffith LIFTING AND HANDLING ACCIDENT REDUCTION PROGRAM TEAM Ray Smith Ken Hewitt Frank Lee Edmunds, III Mark Gillette Wyatt Jordan, Jr. Jimmy Shearn Robbin Vines Deborah Wallington Charlie Whitmore

DON’T Sugar-Coat It “It can happen to anyone.”

Bill Siefers will never forget hearing those words from his doctor nearly two decades ago when he was diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic. “Diabetes runs in my family, but the thought of me developing the disease never crossed my mind,” said Siefers.

It is estimated that nearly 26 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and another 79 million Americans are at risk for developing the disease. “Due to the growing number of cases and concern for employees, this year Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) and HealthWaves began offering a free OUTSMART! Diabetes Program,” said HealthWaves Registered Dietitian Gabrielle Willis. “The eight-week program is aimed at teaching shipbuilders how to manage their blood sugar levels and empowering them to make lifestyle changes if needed.”

Siefers was among the initial group of shipbuilders to participate in NNS’ first program this past summer.

“When I was first diagnosed 18 years ago, I took classes and paid close attention to the foods I ate, but over time things got out of control,” he said. “OUTSMART! Diabetes has helped to reinforce the information that I was already aware of and also introduced me to new information.”

Participants have the opportunity to receive personalized meal plans or have their blood sugar journals reviewed

weekly. “I had Gabrielle review my journals every week,” said Siefers. “She was good about checking in with me, and when my sugar levels spiked I could call her and get an answer right away.”

Siefers put the information he learned from the program into action. “Before I knew it, I was exercising more and paying better attention to food labels,” said Siefers.

“As a result of this program, my blood sugar levels are now under control and I’ve lost 35 pounds. I would recommend this course to anyone who has diabetes, and even those supporting a loved one with the disease. If it worked for me, it can work for others.”

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month.

“It’s important for everyone to pay close attention to their health,” said Willis. “Diabetes is preventable and controllable, even if you have a strong family history of the disease.”

HealthWaves plans to offer more diabetes courses next year—both in-person and online. In the meantime, shipbuilders can take advantage of free health screenings through the “Take An Hour for Wellness” (TAH) program this fall. For more information about TAH, visit www.huntingtoningalls.com/tah. | By Lauren Ward Bill Siefers, a production planner scheduler, is controlling his diabetes and health with information and personal assistance he receives from the HealthWaves OUTSMART! Diabetes Program. Photo by Chris Oxley

Making a Difference

Helping Families Achieve a Better Future

“Years ago, my three boys and I were homeless, with no place to stay,” said Karen Brown, executive director of a New Alternative Towards a Secure Home Atmosphere (NATASHA). “The NATASHA House helped me and continues to help others who need a place to stay while trying to achieve a better future.”

Families, single mothers and children are relying on local organizations, like NATASHA House, Inc. and Hampton Roads Ecumenical Lodging and Provisions Inc. (H.E.L.P.), during hard times for a stable place to live while they become self-reliant.

“The H.E.L.P. organization provides more than a handout.

It’s really a hand-up to becoming more self-sufficient,” Edwards said. “It’s more than providing relief. We are hoping to rehabilitate and develop the person.”

Both organizations provide access to shelter, food, financial assistance, emotional support and medical and dental care through a variety of programs that range from distributing lunches to residential transitional programs.

In 2012, the two agencies became certified United Way Partners.

“Our clients need time to transition, to heal and to overcome the obstacles from their past,” said Brown.

“It’s an ongoing process that can’t be rectified in a matter of days.”

Shipbuilders who donate during the annual shipyard United Way campaign, October 22 – November 2, will help ensure that these and other United Way Partner agencies will receive funding needed to continue their services. | By Jordan Bryan

Steve Edwards, CVN 21 propulsion plant fluids designer, volunteers with H.E.L.P. to assist with homeless outreach.

Shipbuilder Steve Edwards volunteers with H.E.L.P., a United Way Partner agency, distributing food to the homeless.

Yardlines is published 10 times a year for the employees of Newport News Shipbuilding.

This issue of Yardlines was produced by: Gina Chew-Holman, Troy Cooper, Mike Dillard, Eugene Phillips, LaMar Smith, Peter Stern, Susan Sumner and Lauren Ward. Additional writing services by Barlow Communications.

Photographs by: Chris Oxley, Ricky Thompson and John Whalen Send comments, questions and story ideas to Yardlines editor: gina.chewholman@hii-nns.com or call 757-380-2627.

To stop receiving Yardlines, go to nns.huntingtoningalls.com/Yardlines to unsubscribe.

Look for more news at nns.huntingtoningalls.com.

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Long Service MASTER SHIPBUILDERS

SEPTEMBER

Alvin Augburn 40 years

Charlie Baber 40 years

Sallie R. Banks 45 years

Mac Bolden 50 years

Jim Bowers 40 years

Steve Bradshaw 40 years

Leslie R. Brown 40 years

Tom Cook 45 years

Bernie Cooke 45 years

Gene Creswell 40 years

Larry Dickerson 40 years

Larry Freeman 40 years

David A. Gaines 40 years

L. “Butterball” Granby 40 years

Raleigh H. Grant 40 years

J.E. Herring 40 years

T.L. Holloway 40 years

Larry Horne 40 years

Al Lankford 45 years

Janet Leake 40 years

Mike Martin 40 years

Yvonne B. McClanahan 40 years

Bernard “Rag” Moore 40 years

Kenneth L. Parker 40 years

Joe Perviance 45 years

Mike Perkins 40 years

Mike Robinson 40 years

Charlie Russell 45 years

Jeff Scott 40 years

Wesley Sheppard 40 years

Herb Smith 40 years

Mike Sneed 40 years

Ernie Tolliver 40 years

Sammy Vreeland 40 years

Johnny Walton 40 years

Curtis Wilkins 40 years

Long Service SEPTEMBER

Samuel Wilson 40 years

L. “Birdseed” Williams 40 years

50 YEARS McKenzie Bolden X74 Gene White O46

45 YEARS Sallie R. Banks O14 Thomas G. Cook X82 Bernard E. Cooke X42 Timothy L. Jones E86 Alvin L. Lankford O46 Joseph S. Perviance X70 Charles W. Russell X36

40 YEARS Richard L. Anthony Jr. O53 Alvin S. Augburn X18 Charles K. Baber O64 James L. Bowers X42 David S. Bradshaw X36 Michael G. Brewer X36 Leslie R. Brown X73 Eugene P. Creswell Jr. X88 Larry W. Dickerson X32 Ronnie C. Ferrell X71 Larry D. Freeman X33 David A. Gaines X82 Craig J. Gelfenbaum E42 Larry L. Granby X11 Raleigh H. Grant O43 James E. Herring X42 Tommie L. Holloway X43 Larry L. Horne E82 Janet S. Leake O21 James M. Martin X54 Yvonne B. McClanahan E82 Bernard L. Moore X11 Glennie A. Neal-Rosemond T52 Kenneth L. Parker X82 Michael L. Perkins X91 James M. Robinson O26 Floyd J. Scott X32

Wesley V. Sheppard X10 Herbert D. Smith X42 Michael R. Sneed O19 Ernest C. Tolliver X71 Robert E. Vaughan X42 Samuel I. Vreeland K83 Johnny M. Walton X43 Curtis E. Wilkins X42 Larry J. Williams X42 Samuel K. Wilson X36 John H. Wright X18

35 YEARS James L. Artis X32 Leslie W. Bradshaw X32 Timothy A. Brame O26 Irvin L. Brooks E62 Robert R. Brown II O37 Joseph D. Bruton X11 Todd L. Carter X18 Larry L. Castello X10 Michael D. Combs X11 Carolyn J. Cooper O54 Timothy L. Davenport X18 Thomas P. Deuell Jr. AMSEC Marshall A. Edmunds X82 Jessie T. Eley X36 Steven M. Elledge X18 James B. Goins X32 Wilbur E. Grissam Jr. X18 Steven J. Harbick O98 Gary L. Hawkes X32 Peggy D. Higgins O82 Leighton R. Hilderbrand X10 Terry D. Hill X88 Michael A. Hodges X18 Nelson C. Johnson Jr. X36 Robert L. Keiser E86 Hersey L. Mathias Jr. X18 Harvey L. McCoy Jr. X36 William J. Minter X11

John Wright 40 years

Thomas L. Moore X11 Steven F. Olszak M40 James E. Pashow X58 Ronnie L. Payne X18 Randy L. Raynard X32 Andrew M. Robinson O46 Robert L. Snyder E43 Charles W. Spivey O54 Jefferson H. Teller O57 Larry K. Turner E24 Larry E. Vass X11 Lee J. Westergard E85 Alvin L. Wilson X31 Angela T. Winnegan O46 Bruce A. Young X75

30 YEARS James L. Amos X11 Kevin C. Angle N910 Ricky A. Atkins O39 Terry L. Bailey O43 Michael D. Baraba T55 Ralph L. Barr Jr. O53 Ricky D. Bartram O54 Marvin E. Berrane E07 Gerald D. Blose Jr. X43 Richard S. Bristow O19 James W. Bynum X58 Michael R. Byrd X88 Jeffrey R. Call M53 John B. Carson E22 Donald W. Clark O64 Wilbert H. Cousins X31 Mark S. Crocker O46 Stephen R. Davis E22 John R. Davis Jr. E51 Wilbur Davis Jr. X88 Richard Deleo E10 Gloria O. Deren AMSEC Thomas J. Doberneck E34 Charles E. Doeppe X88

Daniel W. Dolan X31 Joseph V. Durso E82 Ronald Ellsworth X10 Robert A. Ernsting E82 Terence N. Fail X91 Ralph A. Falconer X11 Nathalia M. Flood O04 Veronica W. Gaskins O77 Mary S. Gessford X71 Rita H. Gibson M20 Constance B. Gordon O79 Bruce A. Green X54 James D. Grizzle X88 Thomas W. Hancock X11 Randy Harris X11 David A. Hayes O43 Eddie R. Heckstall X31 Alan R. Horne O53 Michael A. Howard X18 Lewis B. Huff O45 James E. Insley O39 Leonard Jackson Jr. X10 Sean N. Jamison O37 Larry C. Jarrett O43 Tony L. Johnson O39 Marvin Q. Jones O43 Leamon L. Jones Jr. X11 Robert M. Keaton X88 Michael J. Killilea X84 Jeffrey S. Lacy X88 Edgar E. Lamma III E10 Kenneth L. Logan O22 Richard W. Lowther X31 George S. Marshall X42 David Mesibov E83 Neal C. Metcalf X88 Frederick W. Morris X87 Bryan K. Morton O15 Wesley S. Newcomb X11 Fidel O. Odom X31 Rickie A. Parham O39

Dennis W. Parker M40 Carol Pember T55 Jerry J. Phelps Jr. O39 Michael S. Philipoom E82 Richard K. Porter X43 Phillip S. Powell X70 William L. Puryear X54 Reginald S. Reid X11 Lori D. Ricks N308 David H. Roberts E84 Samuel M. Robinson X71 Corbett E. Robinson Jr. X67 James T. Rogers X42 Thomas R. Russell Jr. X82 Richard J. Ryan E81 Calvin E. Saunders O53 John R. Sharkey Jr. O67 Paul K. Smith X32 Randall A. Snapp X84 Carol M. Stearn E15 Michael D. Stubbs X11 Bernard Taliaferro X88 Rufus P. Taliferro X10 Annie C. Thomas X82 Joseph L. Turner X18 Frank J. Wanderer M30 Howard R. Wertman O58 Edward J. Whitby X33 Allen L. Williams X18 Robert L. Williams Jr. X11 Raymond Worthington X11

25 YEARS Rodney S. Blount X18 Nathan Blowe X43 Brian D. Bolt X54 Maurice L. Boone X18 Jennifer R. Boykin O11 Joseph R. Clark X18 Mark B. Clements X87 Timothy J. Conley E74

Kevin J. Crehan X10 Robert P. Downin X18 Lisa J. Dudney O68 Roy L. Ethington X88 Michael Freeman X18 Thomas E. Harden Jr. X18 Kevin F. Henderson X18 Lloyd D. Holstein X18 James E. Huffstetler E86 Melvin K. James N313 Anthony Jones X33 Dwight L. Jones X32 James W. Kemp Jr. X43 Josh B. Leigh III X73 Keith A. Liakos X18 Robert M. Maier X18 Vincent S. Majette X15 Gregory L. McKean E26 Brenda S. Meekins O26 George H. Messick Jr. X88 Leonard J. Mitchell X54 Tracy L. Newsome X18 Robert C. Nichols X33 Michael A. Norman X88 Thomas W. Oxley E14 Kevin B. Roberson X88 James D. Sanford X18 Douglas R. Serwon E57 Jewell L. Spellman X18 Henry D. Taylor X82 Ronda W. Taylor AMSEC Donald H. Terry O15 Wayne D. Walker X10 Alvin P. Whitaker Jr. X18 Freddie L. White X10 Alan L. Wyatt O43

20 YEARS Clifford M. Coleman Jr. X76 Kenneth H. Morrell AMSEC

Berther M. Lewis X33 Glenn R. Miller O39 Robert G. Oliver III X11 William T. Rhodes Jr. E14 Robert L. Richardson X43

Joseph A. Robinson X18 Henry L. Scott X36 Charles C. Shaw Jr. X89 Dalton W. Speight Jr. N930 Jack H. Thomas E75

Jery M. Thomas O53 Eliza J. Williams X36

Retirements AUGUST Jean M. Armstrong O51 Larry E. Baker X33 James M. Brothers M53 Jacqueline Brown X18 Thomas C. Cash X42

Ervin N. Clarke X03 Charles E. Crabtree X67 Harry T. Fisher III O53 Eddie L. Garris X18 Thyrane R. George O38

Levi Hicks Jr. M53 Marvin W. Hinson E45 Paul L. Jaquay E83 Harold M. Keene O53 Gary M. Leonard A572

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October 2012

USS Kearsarge Docks at Newport News Shipbuilding USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), an amphibious assault ship, arrived in Dry Dock 2 on August 22. Kearsarge is the widest ship to ever use Dry Dock 2 since it was built in 1901. Docking the ship, at just over 196 feet wide, required that crane 32283 be moved north and completely off its tracks to accommodate the ship. Kearsarge, at nearly 840 feet long, is second only to the MV Jeb Stuart, a Military Sealift Command prepositioning ship which docked in 1997, as the longest ship to dock in Dry Dock 2. At docking, Kearsarge displaced 33,539 long tons. That’s only 871 tons less than the container ship Zim Savanna, which docked in 1992 and holds the record as the heaviest ship to dock in Dry Dock 2. Newport News is providing docking and support facilities for the 19-year-old, Ingalls-built Kearsarge. The maintenance work is being performed by BAE Systems. | By Mike Dillard Photo by Chris Oxley