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Team GW Meets Mast Milestone

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070713-01
Release Date: 7/13/2007 11:06:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Blackwell II, USS George Washington Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) (GW) Sailors completed a key milestone June 21 during its Planned Incremental Availability plus Docking at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) when contractors returned ownership of the ship’s main mast to the crew.

Replacing the mast fulfilled a major objective in the maintenance schedule for the Nimitz-class carrier, keeping the crew on schedule to complete the availability later this summer.

“The shipyard and the crew have managed an extraordinary collaborative effort to keep us on schedule and this was another great accomplishment toward our goal. I could not be prouder of our Sailors,” said Commanding Officer Capt. Dave Dykhoff.

George Washington assistant Combat Systems Maintenance Officer Lt. Jaime Sigala, credited the synergy between NNSY workers, contractors and George Washington Sailors with making the mast replacement a success.

“Everyone involved really did a great job,” he said. “It’s a great -- looking mast and I’m sure it will do well for us.”

The former mast was removed Nov. 10. The new mast, which stands 15 feet taller, was installed Jan. 13, 2007 after contractors completed continuity checks and cable banding, along with painting and closing all access covers leading to the interior of the mast.

The new mast features a variety of upgrades according to Electronics Technician 2nd Class (SW/AW) Ian Ershen, aloft maintenance petty officer for combat systems.

Ershen explained one of the major upgrades with the installation of the new mast, all cables and cooling system pipes are housed inside the mast itself rather than mounted to the outside.

“This will reduce wear and tear from environmental elements and increase the reliability of the equipment,” he explained.

He said another new upgrade for the ship is the new SAF-T-LOK system, which will make aloft evolutions far safer and will make equipment more accessible to Sailors performing maintenance to systems on the main mast.

“The Norfolk Naval Shipyard contractors were extremely helpful in providing us with the information base we needed to complete the job,” Ershen said. “With all milestones for the mast completed, we can now fully utilize our radar and communications capabilities.”

GW is undergoing a $300 million shipyard availability at NNSY as it prepares to relieve USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) as the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Japan in 2008.