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Dynamic Dry Dock Identifies New Ways to Fix Ships

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS121211-09
12/11/2012

By Douglas Denzine, Norfolk Ship Support Activity Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Dynamic (AFDL 6) reinforced their new partnership with the Army by completing maintenance assistance on the Landing Craft, Mechanized (LCM 8588) at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in Norfolk, Va., Dec. 7.

Dynamic's crew inspected and loaded the ship into the dock Dec. 4, allowing the Army's 1098th Transportation Detachment preformed routine cleaning of the ship's shafts, propellers, and engine coolers. Painting and preservation was also fulfilled on the hull of the ship.

'I cannot be more pleased with the relationship we have formed with the Army. As soon as we brought them in, they were here early every day, ready to work. In less than a week, we have the ship looking like it just left the shipyard,' said Lt. Joe Towles, Dynamic commanding officer.

This newly formed relationship has helped revamp Dynamic's productivity after down-time due to a Material Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) preparations and maintenance that took place earlier this year.

While the drydock was undergoing repairs, it was determined Dynamic was no longer sufficient for maintaining Patrol Crafts, which made up a large portion of Dynamics work load.

Towles, along with his Senior Chief Electrician's Mate (SW) Sean Hopkins, executive officer, quickly began piecing together other watercrafts that Dynamic could service and help maintain.

'We are doing a lot of work on small crafts. We have begun working with Assault Craft Unit 2 and their Landing Craft Utility (LCU) boats. We take care of structural work to their hulls, perform maintenance, conduct INSURVs and will also lend support for emergent repairs,' said Towles.

'The Dynamic's 30-member crew works closely like a family,' said Towles. 'They are always ready to support whatever the days mission brings, which means they have to be prepared at all times to put the drydock to use.

'We are very flexible, if we don't have a craft in dock and somebody needs to come in, we can pretty much, in a day or so, turn them around and get them in here if they have emergent work that needs to be done,' said Towles. 'Having ships in the dock brings up the morale of all of our guys. A working Sailor is a happy Sailor. We are really happy with the utilization of the dock that we have seen over the last couple of months.'

Dynamic will prepare to go into holiday stand-down for the next couple of weeks, but several LCUs have already been scheduled to be docked early in the new year.

For more information about Norfolk Ship Support Activity (NSSA), visit
https://www.nssa.nmci.navy.mil.

For more news from Norfolk Ship Support Activity, visit www.navy.mil/local/nssa/.