Yardlines, September 2012

IN THIS ISSUE Emerging Technologies for Shipbuilders Enterprise’s Family Ties New Submarine Construction Facility Opens

Yardlines

Photo by Chris Oxley

A Publication of Newport News Shipbuilding

September 2012

As a portion of the bow module for the submarine Illinois broke through ceremonial ribbon, an important new chapter for the Virginia-Class Submarine (VCS) Program began at Newport News Shipbuilding. On August 24, the production bay areas of the 65,000-square foot Supplemental Module Outfitting Facility (SMOF) opened, bringing with it many advancements and new features for the VCS shipbuilders who will build submarine modules there. Supplementing the existing Module Outfitting Facility (MOF), which opened in 1986 to support the Los Angeles-class ships, the SMOF is designed to help meet increased production schedules required to build two ships per year for the program.

Many bells and whistles come with the building to help employees work safer, smarter and more effectively.

Ed Spruill and Angel McCoy said the new facility was designed with shipbuilders in mind. They worked with the planners and designers to help ensure employees would be satisfied and excited with the new facility.

Spruill describes the new facility as an oversized garage with 17 smaller compartments inside for each trade.

“These spaces are designed to the trade’s specifications so they can work efficiently. It also gives them a permanent place to work, instead of having to keep shuffling around,” said Spruill.

There are major changes that shipbuilders will immediately notice, such as more efficient staging.

Instead of building staging around each module, the staging is preset and has the ability to be moved quickly when needed.

A New Home for

Submarine

Builders

“When a unit comes in, you’ll have staging that extends out to meet the form of the ship,” said McCoy. Not only is the production area more efficient, but the office space, which is scheduled to open later in the year, has also been strategically planned. Offices and cubicles are located to one side of the facility to keep the production floor clear, and at the center of the building are three open platforms.

“Instead of having multiple cranes like the MOF, the SMOF has only two bridge cranes that run the entire length of the building. This will allow a more efficient movement of materials up and over the center platform to service multiple bays,” said Mike Kehoe, construction engineer and project lead for the SMOF.

Three multi-purpose rooms, fully equipped with audio and video capabilities, will provide a quiet place for supervisors and foremen to meet with employees.

“We’re going to have a nice quiet place to do crew and safety talks, and production and schedule discussions,” said Foreman Brad Cotton.

The first of the four bays will be occupied by shipbuilders working on Illinois (SSN 786), and the first NNS-delivered submarine to be worked on in the building will be the John Warner (SSN 785). The other bays are expected to be fully occupied by December 2013. | By Jeremy Bustin A 410-ton section of the bow for Illinois (SSN 786) prepares to break the ceremonial ribbon for the opening of the new submarine facility. Photo by Chris Oxley

Big Jobs are the Best J

When 21-year-old Kennon Marsh came to the shipyard three decades ago, he had just a few skills to offer.

“I could read a tape measure and do a little grinding,” Marsh said. And when he saw the massive aircraft carriers being built at Newport News, “my knees would shake.” I thought, ‘One day, I might be building that stuff,’” he remembered.

For the last 31 years, Marsh has been mastering his craft in the Sheet Metal Shop where he started his career. Today, he is building the personnel guards for shafts onboard Virginia-class submarines. The guards are protective covers over the rapidly spinning shafts.

“It’s nicknamed the ‘ferris wheel,’” Marsh said of the guard. Made from about 40 pieces of metal bolted together into one giant piece, “It looks almost like the wheel on ‘The Price is Right.’ It just doesn’t have the numbers on it,” he said with a laugh.

Marsh also had a hand in building all of the fan coils for the carrier USS Ronald Reagan. “I’ve worked a lot of large jobs,” he said. And that’s how he likes it.

Marsh likes the jobs that take some time, skill and patience to accomplish— the jobs where “we work together as a team. When it all comes together, you have the satisfaction that everyone participating made it happen.”

In 2008, it was his and the work of his co-workers to build the doors for the island of the carrier USS George H. W. Bush that earned him a chance to be on the deck when the island was landed. “President Bush autographed some of the programs and I got mine autographed. That was a big privilege,” he said.

Marsh takes a lot of pride in watching a carrier grow in the dry dock as he looks over to the yard on his daily drive down Warwick Boulevard. He is also proud that one of his stepchildren served onboard one of those carriers he helped build, and that his work has impact on not just his kids, but the children of others, too. “I feel a part of that,” he said.

“I’m always trying to do the best job I can—to try to become valuable,” Marsh explained. “I’m always wanting to step up to the plate.” | By Kelly Barlow

Kennon Marsh builds protective guards in the Sheet Metal Shop to cover the rapidly spinning shafts that are onboard Virginia-class submarines. Photo by Ricky Thompson

Jobs

Photo by Ricky Thompson

Generations

After five decades in service, odds are that members of the same family would be involved with building and maintaining USS Enterprise (CVN 65). At Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), three generations of the Howell family have all experienced the challenges, successes and pride of working on Enterprise since its construction began in the late 1950s.

Together, the Howells have clocked more than 83 years, so far, at the shipyard. A. Courtney “Mole” Howell, father to Greg Howell and grandfather to Brent Howell, joined the shipyard in 1943. Working as supervisor of machinery on Enterprise during the 1950s, he has vivid memories of the hard work needed to complete the Navy’s first nuclearpowered aircraft carrier.

“It was fun to work it,” Mole Howell remembered. “To

build something so massive was definitely hard to do. It was something completely new. As a supervisor, I can say I helped build it.”

Continuing his father’s legacy, son Greg Howell is a general foreman in the Riggers department, servicing carrier refueling. He began working at the shipyard in 1980 before the ship’s fourth overhaul, and he has witnessed the dedication and commitment shipbuilders have to Enterprise.

“Enterprise is a strong, strong bond in this company,” Greg Howell noted. “A lot of people have touched Enterprise and it has touched a lot of people.”

Including Brent Howell, the third-generation Howell to work on the ship. As an engineer in Reactor Services, he is

of dedication

planning for the inactivation and defueling of Enterprise, which will begin after the ship arrives at Naval Station Norfolk later this year and will continue when the ship arrives at NNS in 2013.

“It’s unbelievable how much planning is involved just to take the ship apart, and we’re just doing the defueling,” he said. “I can’t imagine what the actual construction of the ship was like.”

Between Mole, who is now retired, and Greg and Brent, at least one Howell family member has worked on Enterprise during different phases of the ship’s life—initial construction, mid-life refueling and overhaul, and now inactivation.

“I think it’s amazing and very unique that the same ship I worked on, my son helped with the refueling, and now my

grandson is working to defuel it,” Mole observed.

With Enterprise arriving at NNS for its inactivation next year, the Howell family, like many other NNS shipbuilders, will see the completion of all the hard work they put into such a beloved ship over many years. Last November, Enterprise celebrated its 50th birthday, making the carrier the oldest active duty ship in the U.S. naval fleet.

Since her commissioning on Nov. 25, 1961, “Big E” has undergone four refuelings and overhauls, in 1964, 1970, 1979 and 1990, three of which occurred at NNS. | By Phoebe Doty Since the 1950s, at least one Howell family member has worked on the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during different phases of the ship’s life. L to R: General Foreman Greg Howell; Mole Howell, a retired supervisor, and Engineer Brent Howell.

Photo by Ricky Thompson

king of Crew

Talks Foreman Wayne Maxwell was dubbed the “King of Crew Talks” by his superintendent, Dave Person, because of his ability to empower and sustain positive momentum with his crew.

Maxwell’s 17-member crew is painting the island on USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). On Wednesday mornings before the crew boards the carrier, they meet to discuss work results, upcoming challenges, goals and new opportunities for improvement.

Most talks begin with Maxwell reminding his crew to take ownership of their work. “This is our shipyard and our business,” he reminds them. “It’s important for each of us to act like business owners.”

Maxwell prepares a one-page progress report for every meeting. “The report has a section for each of Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) four pillars (safety, quality, cost and schedule) and one for team recognition,” said team member Ronell Alexander. “By reviewing our progress through the pillars, we are able to see how we fit in with the company’s big-picture goals.”

Individual crew members take turns presenting sections of the weekly report. “By taking ownership of the crew’s progress, each member is naturally more engaged in their work and passionate about the crew’s end results.

This type of environment enables the crew to better themselves, which in turn betters our business,” said Maxwell.

First-time quality and time management is a recurring

theme during most talks. “Being hired back for a job isn’t automatic,” Maxwell reiterates to the crew. “Therefore, it’s absolutely crucial that we do our jobs correctly and in a timely manner so we get hired back.”

Forman Wayne Maxwell discusses business results and the crew’s progress painting USS Theodore Roosevelt’s island with Charles Broadusuc and Ivis Suarez.

Photo by Ricky Thompson

Team members Charles Broadusuc and Ivis Suarez agree that they have acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge from Maxwell. “I’ve learned that our crew can have a big impact on how NNS does business,”

said Broadusuc. “It’s the small pieces of the puzzle that have to come together in order for the whole puzzle to be complete. Our crew is just a small piece, but we are making an impact, and that motivates me.” | By Lauren Ward

& N O S T T E O L B E O R EXOSK

This article begins a series on technologies being developed under Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) Independent Research & Development (IR&D) and Manufacturing & Production Engineering (M&PE) programs that improve the process of building ships and potentially expand NNS’s business into new industries.

In 1996, when Gary Good began work in IR&D at NNS, he was tasked with discovering an easier way for sailors to handle ordnance, cargo and heavy equipment onboard carriers. Sixteen years later, his assignment has morphed into a small category of research and development— leveraging robotics and mechanical exoskeletons to help shipbuilders perform everyday industrial tasks more safely and accurately.

Teleoperated Shipbuilding Robots Good called the problem the “lift gap.” Almost 80 percent of lifts performed by some large cranes are just out of reach of human safe-lifting limits. This ties up cranes and uses a lot of man-hours. Good thought about an intermediate solution and has been working with several companies to develop robotic prototypes to solve the lift gap in the shipyard.

“For example, we worked with Raytheon Sarcos, the company that did consulting for the movie “Iron Man,” to develop the robot concept for shipbuilding,” explained Good. “Using robotics to lift heavy items would significantly minimize the man-hour cost and reduce injuries.” Using magnetic “hands,” shipbuilding robots could help perform tasks that would free up cranes for larger jobs and significantly reduce associated manhours. The concept of the shipbuilding robot is still being matured for shipyard use.

(Watch a video demonstration of the shipbuilding robot at nns.hungingtoningalls.com/videos) Exoskeleton Technology Exoskeletons and related mechanical devices are a much nearer reality. Some also compensate for gravity, but

in a simpler way—they provide an external skeleton.

Newport News Industrial has just purchased six such devices called ZeroG (Zero Gravity) Arms to use on a new commercial nuclear project that requires a large amount of precision welding and grinding.

“Normally, the person grinding would be resting up to 70 percent of the time, just from the strain of holding the 18-pound tool,” said Good. “Not only will these ZeroG Arms require fewer rest periods, they allow us to use slightly heavier but far more powerful grinders.” With fewer rests and better grinders, productivity is expected to increase by two and a half to three times on the task, making it a technology that has potential application throughout the business. | By Peter Stern

A Raytheon Sarcos representative demonstrates the teleoperated robot that is being developed for shipbuilding use. File photo by Ricky Thompson

NS

the

CUTTING edge

With each rotation, large metal shavings ranging from a foot to a few yards drop from the WACH-manufactured stern ring lathe used in the machining process for the propulsor bolting face. The bolting face joins the propulsor to the outer structure of a Virginia-class submarine’s (VCS) stern.

process,” said General Foreman Jerry Snow. “Now, the same job can be completed in just 40 days.”

Kappauf, who has been with Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) for 10 years, has been training other machinists in how to use the lathe so that work can continue across multiple shifts.

At the center of the 13-ton machine is a tiny blade the size of a human thumbnail. “You would think that a machine this large would have a more sizeable blade,” said Machinist Michael Kappauf, one of only a few highlytrained operators for the ring lathe.

“Each completed cut takes approximately four hours to finish, and the machine makes 2,800 rotations per cut,” said Kappauf. “I enjoy seeing processes improved and man hours shed.”

The device was specifically designed for the VCS program to speed up the machining operation while achieving extremely tight tolerance requirements, and is the only one of its kind.

The new lathe and shorter process free up shipbuilders to work on other construction activities and help enable NNS to meet its schedule of delivering two submarines per year to the Navy. | By Jeremy Bustin

“This process used to require six months, but the new WACH lathe shaves off 78 percent of the time from the

A new 13-ton stern ring lathe, specifically designed for Virginia-class submarines, reduces machining of the propulsor bolting face from six months to 40 days.

Photo by Chris Oxley

Making a Difference Walking with Joyful Hearts Jennifer Frickman knows first-hand what the American Heart Association (AHA) does to save lives. Because of the life-saving care her mother received immediately following a heart attack, Frickman decided to show her gratitude to the hospital staff and the AHA by leading a team at this year’s Heart Walk.

“My mother was only 54 years old when she had her heart attack last November,” Frickman said. “The American Heart Association provided critical information that ensured my mother received the emergency services she needed in her time of crisis.”

AHA provides education about heart disease and strokes, promotes healthy living, and advocates for the best treatment available to patients.

Frickman formed the “Joyful Heart” team to celebrate her mother’s life and to serve as a reminder to be vigilant about one’s health. “My mother and sister will be joining me for the Heart Walk,” Frickman said. “I am also asking

other shipbuilders and friends to walk with us.”

The annual Heart Walk will take place on September 22 at Mount Trashmore and October 13 in Newport News Park.

“The Heart Walk is great opportunity to do two things,” said Tiajuana Benson-Bond, who is coordinating the shipyard’s participation in the event. “Employees can start or continue to make healthy lifestyle choices, such as walking, and we can show our support for the American Heart Association.”

AHA is one of the 29 agencies the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula supports. By donating to the NNS annual United Way campaign, which begins October 22, AHA and other organizations will continue to receive funding they need to assist people in the Hampton Roads Community. | By Jordan Bryan Shipbuilders Jennifer Frickman (right) and her sister Victoria Ziemba walk the shipyard’s perimeter to prepare for the October 13 Heart Walk in Newport News Park. Photo by John Whalen

Long Service MASTER SHIPBUILDERS

AUGUST

Johnie Altman 45 years

Broderick Ames 40 years

W. Glenn Campbell 40 years

Jesse R. Cartwright 45 years

Robert Chappell Sr. 40 years

Michael E. Combs 40 years

Harold Coston 40 years

Terry Daniels 40 years

Debbie Garrison 40 years

Jim Hackett 40 years

Oliver Hill 45 years

David Hinnant 50 years

King E. Jones 45 years

Barbara Joyner 40 years

Steve Little 40 years

David McCoy 45 years

Jay K. Mizelle 40 years

Lyle Oney 40 years

Douglas Scott 40 years

James Thornton 40 years

Lamar Williams 50 years

James Woodous 40 years

Bruce Woodson 45 years

Note from the Editor: Each month, the Communications team takes great pride in publishing Yardlines. Our writers, designers and photographers strive to honor our great people and products through amazing photos and articles about the unique world of shipbuilding. In the last few issues, we have made some mistakes on the Long Service pages. Regrettably, we have omitted names and photographs and incorrectly identiďŹ ed some of our Master Shipbuilders. We sincerely apologize for these mistakes and want you to know we have taken a number of steps to help ensure these errors don’t occur in the future. We hope you will continue to read and enjoy Yardlines because you, our shipbuilders, are what make Yardlines a very special magazine and the shipyard a great place to work.

Sincerely,

Gina Chew-Holman

Long Service AUGUST 50 YEARS David R. Hinnant N311 Lamar E. Williams Jr. E44 45 YEARS John W. Altman X71 Johnny L. Camden X58 Jesse R. Cartwright X70 Bettie A. Den Dekker E26 Oliver D. Hill X54 King E. Jones X15 David F. McCoy X54 Ralph E. Suggs O43 James B. Woodson K78 40 YEARS Broderick L. Ames O67 Larry D. Burnell X42 Wilbert G. Campbell K93 Michael E. Combs X42 Harold D. Coston M53 Terry W. Daniels X31 Deborah R. Garrison X87 James R. Hackett E85 David L Hamilton X31 Barbara M. Joyner X36 Steven W. Little E83 Jay K. Mizelle E42 Lyle V. Oney AMSEC Douglas L. Scott E10 Rufus A. Sipple Jr. O46 James K. Thornton O43 James H. Woodous X18 35 YEARS Lee H. Allen E21 Larry D. Askew X10

Robbin J. Beale X36 Dearl L. Brickhouse X58 Robert K. Collins K75 Wilton Dixson O43 Hazel M. Eley O46 Richard H. Giunti O46 Wayne A. Hafer E25 Carl R. Haithcock X42 Marlin E. Hall X43 Mary C. Hamilton O51 George J. Harrell X36 Diane J. Jackson X33 Sherman E. Jefferson X36 Willie D. Johnson X36 Peter M. Ledford O45 Milton Lunsford Jr. O46 Cheryl A. Moran O53 Cynthia K. Muckelroy X89 Danny R. Narron X10 Frankie L. Nelson X36 Kurt S. Neumann E22 Alvin L. Parker X42 William E. Payne X18 Rena Peoples X33 Jerome T. Pickett X18 Rufus D. Porter X31 Anthony N. Richardson O43 Annette C. Saunders O57 Mark T. Sink O46 Tammy L. Straughen X10 Lawrence C. Taylor E84 Tracy D. Van Kleeck O39 Robert H. Wallace X31 Wilson Warren X36 Michael Weaver O43 Wayne H. Webb X18 Marjorie M. West X36

George A. Wiggins X36 30 YEARS Pamela W. Adams E42 Kenneth R. Alley O40 Donald C. Astrum X70 Bobby G. Atkinson O53 James L. Barger X88 Stanley C. Bonk E65 Charles E. Breiner X43 John L. Carter X11 Earl M. Cobbs X11 Keith E. Collins X71 Joseph Copeland X33 Edward A. Cox X33 David K. Davenport X42 Steven T. Davis X89 David M. Dea M30 William A. Dickens A572 David J. Dreybus O48 Mark R. Dudley O25 James P. Dumlao X18 Felita H. Fields O19 Robert E. Fisher X18 Randolph M. Fitzgerald Jr. X42 Earl M. Fox X33 Charles A. Gerehart O26 Robert L. Godfrey IV X11 Alphonza R. Green X18 Frank N. Harris Jr. X11 Elwood Henderson X32 Melvin A. Holloman X18 Frances G. Jarabak X75 Clifford B. Jarrell X11 Wayne B. Jennings X11 Charles B. Johnson II X71 Beresford D. Jones X11

Danny R. Jordan X18 Thomas E. Joyner X18 Lewis D. Knight X74 Alfred D. Lee X18 Brian A. Lemmert E72 James W. Lewis E45 Marvin C. Lewis O46 David P. Light E25 Donald T. Marrow E82 Daniel P. Marusek E13 Jimmy G. Mason X42 Dan P. McElheney M30 Zoltan G. Molnar O19 Reginald A. Monroe X89 Gary R. Moore E38 Ralph E. Mosely Jr. X10 Cheryl J. Park E42 Larry T. Phelps X42 Kenneth R. Pope X88 Edward B. Pritchett Jr. X10 Charles F. Pyle Jr. X42 Ralph S. Riddick X32 Rex R. Saunders X88 Michael W. Saxon X18 Tod F. Scarborough X54 William G. Schrum E84 David Seward X15 William M. Siefers X75 Gary G. Simmons X88 Robert L. Spruiell II O39 Andrew D. Sweeney X18 Al N. Sykes E25 Robert C. Talton X32 Polly A. Tayloe E39 Cladie M. Taylor O46 Timothy D. Todd O58 David B. Topping O43

Alonzo E. Townes X18 Thomas B. Urbanowicz E68 Ronald W. Vance Jr. O43 Edwin W. Washburn Jr. X11 Robert A. White O64 Alphonsa M. WhitďŹ eld Jr. X18 Kermit W. Wiggins Jr. X32 Marvin L. Williams X11 Raymond D. Williams Jr. X42 Shirley R. Willis O14 Michael E. Wyatt X88 Stephen E. Zeigler X32 Gary J. Zimak O30 25 YEARS Donald P. Adams E38 Douglas M. Askew X32 Charles D. Banks X11 Darlene P. Barber O14 John R. Bishop Jr. X71 Mary J. Bowers E83 James D. Boyd M71 Gilbert M. Bryan Jr. M53 Joann B. Burroughs E42 Richard A. Daniels O53 Debbie K. Davis E81 Scott F. Davis N940 Amy E. Eastep N315 Sean R. Gilmartin X36 Milton A. Greene X33 Thomas R. Headrick E70 Derrick C. Hicks X67 James E. Holland X18 Geoffrey T. Hummel K89 Gloria I. Johnson E81 Kerry D. Johnson X33 Ricky A. Landock E83

Paul A. Lasseigne E15 Jerry L. Laughrun E07 Kelley M. Lewis Jr. X32 Michael J. Maliniak E86 Patricia L. Morris X89 Thomas F. Morse X11 Jerry N. Pepper Jr. M53 Tony L. Plumb E83 Francis D. Reed X33 Brian C. Ridley O04 Michael L. Robinson X18 Peter J. Robinson E21 George H. Scott X18 Henry L. Stovall Jr. AMSEC Roy L. Townsend III X11 Melvin L. Turner O53 Ronald K. Tyler X88 Sylvester Upshur X18 Eddie D. Vennie X18 Ellis R. Ward X88 John T. Watkins Jr. X33 Thejuania R. Watson O51 Keith L. West X31 Preston T. White X88 David E. White II X70 Reginald Whitehead Sr. X18 Tyrone Williams X71 Willard E. Yoke II E82 20 YEARS Winfred C. Hairston X87 Raymond J. Soblotne AMSEC Duane E. Walker E56 Clinton B. Wright E56

Retirements JULY Phillip N. Bazzani O78 William E. Bondranko M53 Andrew Boone Jr. X36 Randolph Burgess X43

Albert E. Bush X33 Peggy A. Carpenter O38 Lloyd W. Craig Jr. X31 Otis L. Dickerson X32

James C. Fike O21 Tommie Harris X42 William R. Harris X11 Thomas R. Johnson M53

Patricia R. Jones O53 Robert Kaminsky E83 Thomas J. Kelly O70 Linda H. Kindred X36

Marie B. Lawrence O92 William R. Lyttle E65 Larry D. Moody X18 Herbert W. Outlaw X32

Clifford L. Price X32 Charles W. Shamblin Jr. X42 Lorenzo Waters X31

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.

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September 2012

FORD STRUCTURE 85 PERCENT COMPLETE Craftsmen in the Newport News Shipbuilding Machine Shop move a shaft section for fitting to a propeller for the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). Aircraft carriers require four 66,220-pound propellers to move them through the water at speeds necessary to launch and recover aircraft. CVN 78, the first in the new Ford-class ships, features a new nuclear power plant, a redesigned island, electromagnetic catapults, improved weapons movement, and an enhanced flight deck capable of increased aircraft sortie rates. CVN 78 is now 85 percent structurally complete. Photo by Ricky Thompson