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GW Completes DEPERM

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060918-16
Release Date: 9/18/2006 2:28:00 PM

From USS George Washington Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) completed Magnetic Treatment (DEPERM) Sept. 14, at Lambert’s Point DEPERMing Station in Norfolk.

The procedure reduces the ship’s magnetic signature by charging, or “flashing," the ship’s hull with electricity, minimizing its vulnerability to magnetic mines.

The first step in DEPERMing is to wrap the Island with cable, which was done pier side at Norfolk Naval Base in preparation for the move to Lambert’s Point. The DEPERMing crib was pre-staged with cable stretched between the piers. When the ship arrived in Lambert Point, it was parked on top of the cables making it easier to pull the cable up and over the flight deck.

“The amount of leadership and teamwork the crew put into the evolution, which began pier side at Naval Station Norfolk with the island wrapping, really helped expedite the DEPERM process,” said Capt. Kent D. Whalen, GW executive officer.

The working party was broken up into three teams: port side, mid-ship and aft. Each team simultaneously pulled cables starting port forward, port aft and starboard mid-ship and starboard side forward and aft. Starboard mid-ship was done first, due to the location of the ship’s island.

“It’s my job as a rig captain to make sure my rigging team sends the cables up in a proper manner, that way the ship can get demagnetized,” said Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class (SW) Victoria Koenig, bravo pier rig captain of Lambert’s Point DEPERMing Station Norfolk.

The six working parties on the flight deck and the six parties on both piers worked together to pull the cables from the pier to the flight deck. This process is done one cable at a time per team to ensure proper demagnetizing.

Electricians from Lambert’s Point and electricians aboard GW have just as important jobs when it comes to the actual DEPERMing.

“Our job as electricians is to make sure each cable is properly sanded in order to get good electrical contact, said Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Christopher Greene of Engineering Department’s Electrical Division. “We also have to ensure the cables are hooked up correctly.”

The process is extremely delicate due the immense amount of electrical current going through the ship.

“If the electricians are not careful about hooking up the cables, the whole process can easily be a catastrophe,” added Greene.

Once all 86 cables are connected from the bottom of the ship to the flight deck, they are connected together by 32 jumpers. The electricians then run test to ensure all cables are properly connected, then there is an electrical current put through the cable.

The process took GW only three days. Most ships usually take five days.

“Finishing something like this in three days instead of the normal five is just extraordinary,” said Whalen.