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Theodore Roosevelt Deck Removal Team Reaches New RCOH Milestone

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101009-01
10/9/2010

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Austin Rooney, USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- Deck Removal Team members aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) reached a major milestone Sept. 30 when they removed the 200,000th sq. ft. of deck from the ship during an extensive Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) maintenance period at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding.

The team has been working on clearing nearly three and a half football fields' worth of deteriorated decks and tiles from spaces aboard the ship since June 2009, and is currently eight months ahead of schedule.

Ens. Sidney Jones, Deck Removal Team officer in charge, said the team accomplished the milestone with no major accidents or mishaps, which he said is unusual for such a dangerous job.

"The physical aspect of this job is the most intense part," Jones said. "These guys are lifting heavy equipment all day. The toll that it takes on the body is huge. Our goal is to continue to have zero mishaps as we continue."

Jones said the original estimates predicted that 574 spaces would be cleared by Oct. 4, while in reality the team has already reached 794. Jones said they've devoted more than 112,000 man-hours to the project since June 2009.

"If we can finish ahead of schedule it'll help other departments in their RCOH goals," said Jones. "Right now we're looking at finishing at least 8 months earlier than we were supposed to. I still think we can do it sooner than that."

Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) (AW/SW) Matt Scarlato, Deck Removal Team leading chief petty officer, said the job is not only dangerous, but also physically demanding.

Sailors who belong to the Deck Removal Team must use heavy equipment, such as jackhammers and deck grinders, which can weigh up to 40 pounds, to remove the deck. Taking tile and deck out of one space can last about a day, and the discarded tile can take up anywhere from 75 to 150 full trash bags, said Scarlato.

"Until you start to tear up the tile, you don't know what's under it," he said. "Everyone thinks it's just one layer of tile, but there's usually a lot more to it."

Sailors from Air Department make up the majority of the 34-man Deck Removal Team, and are split up into groups of six or seven to work on spaces, said Scarlato. He said even though the work is hard, many Sailors on the team volunteered to be there and actually enjoy going to work every day.

"These are the hardest working Sailors aboard Theodore Roosevelt," said Scarlato. "They know that each day they come into work they're making a difference for the future of the TR. As a result of their hard work, our ship stays ahead of the game."

The RCOH is an extensive yard period all Nimitz-class aircraft carriers go through near the mid-point of their 50-year life cycle.

During RCOH Theodore Roosevelt's nuclear fuel will be replenished and the ship's services and infrastructure will be upgraded to make her the most state-of-the-art aircraft carrier in the fleet and prepared for another 25 years or more of service.