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GW Moves to Dry Dock, Begins Availability

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060929-18
Release Date: 9/29/2006 4:44:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Jennifer Crowell, USS George Washington Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW) completed its move into the dry dock at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Sept. 28.

The berth shift marks the beginning of the Planned Incremental Availability + Docking (PIA+D) before the ship heads to Japan in 2008.

According to Lt. Brian McLain, NNSY’s docking officer, teamwork played a crucial role during the docking, which began just after 7 a.m. Thursday and wrapped up at 7 a.m. Friday.

“The docking evolution went very well,” McLain said. “It’s a complicated effort to move a ship this size into the dock, but it went smoothly. I’m proud of everyone who was involved with the evolution.”

GW returned to the fleet at the end of 2005, but the ship will undergo more maintenance and upgrading before the ship leaves the dock.

“There are two reasons we’re back in the yards,” said Lt. Cmdr. Bill Pollitz, GW’s maintenance manager and overall availability coordinator. “One reason is the ship needs to have the Capstone suite installed. The other reason is the amount of tank work that needs to be done before GW heads to Yokosuka.”

During the Capstone installation, Sailors will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the main mast removed and replaced with a larger, sturdier mast capable of carrying more antennae.

“The capstone is a huge electronic suite for combat systems and operations,” Pollitz said. “It’s a major upgrade for our electronic warfighting capabilities.”

Capstone installation and main mast correction are providing the ship with a chance to do something that has never been done before, removing the mast in a single lift.

“It’s going to be a major rigging feat,” Pollitz said. “We’re confident we have a good plan to make that happen.”

Main mast correction is not the only major job being undertaken during this yard period. Aside from renovations to berthings and heads, as well as repainting the hull, the ship’s tanks and voids will be opened and inspected.

“Once the tanks are opened and inspected, they’ll be blasted and recoated,” Pollitz explained. “That type of work can only be done in the dock.”

“This is the last chance for the ship to go into dry dock, so that makes the maintenance that needs to be done more important to get done before GW leaves the dock,” McLain said.

“The work we’re doing now is something that has to be done between now and the refueling overhaul,” Pollitz said. “Once the ship gets to Yokosuka, we’ll still have maintenance and upkeep periods, but there will be no more docking.”

The $300 million availability will prepare GW to relieve USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) as the fleet’s forward deployed carrier in 2008. As the ship prepares to head to Japan, McLain emphasized NNSY is ready to help send GW to the Land of the Rising Sun.

“Everyone here at Norfolk Naval Shipyard is committed to ensuring the Spirit of Freedom is ready to move forward,” he said.