Military

The crew of USS Chicago (SSN-721) recently completed a challenging maintenance period which illustrated that, more than ever, submariners are committed to doing more with less.

USS Chicago (SSN-721) recently completed a 22-month Depot Modernization Period (DMP), a six-month post-availability test period, and then a six-month POM cycle in preparation for a WESTPAC deployment. Many of the same Sailors that prepared the submarine for the DMP also readied the ship for the challenging deployment that followed. Maintaining steady progress required a solid commitment to the fundamentals, as the crew's basic mission, work environment, watch routines, and lifestyle changed radically with the ship's material condition.

One of the most important requirements was to ensure stable and adequate crew manning - and then to keep it that way for the post-availability inspections. Chicago faced a particular challenge when the DMP was extended from 12 months to 22, bringing it right up to the start of the POM. Luckily, many of our personnel transfers occurred at the 15-month point, so the crew was relatively stable for the entire end game.

There were also significant hurdles to overcome in terms of morale and retention, particularly among junior personnel. New Sailors naturally saw the shipyard as "The Navy" - hardly what they thought service life was going to be like. Participating in an availability just doesn't compare to the excitement of being out at sea protecting America's interests and seeing the world! Thus, senior personnel needed to show these young Sailors that life in the yard, although occasionally necessary, is not the entire reason for their existence. It certainly helped to couple shipyard duties with stimulating operational and interactive training and to provide opportunities for underway periods on other submarines. Experience on Chicago showed that although it takes substantial "juggling" and ingenuity to implement these strategies, the benefits to morale, retention, and operational proficiency far outweigh the scheduling and manpower inconveniences. One way to ease the workload effects of temporary absence is to scour the waterfront for any individuals available to assist in routine shipyard duties, such as fire and barge watches or off-hour paint teams. Chicago had significant assistance from reservists during the summer months and from TAD personnel who were unable to get underway on operational submarines. Although a one-to-one swap with an experienced replacement may rarely be achieved, getting a crewmember to sea is the overall goal, and any help you can get is useful.

Once the crew was established - along with a rotational system to get them to sea - the command focused on getting the men ready for assuming operational control of the boat once the shipyard period was over. They had to be prepared to close out maintenance, start up systems, restart preventive maintenance procedures, and qualify on legacy, as well as newly-installed, equipment. Although shipyard testing will give ample opportunity for most of the crew to become proficient with individual systems, the real challenge is getting them to operate together effectively as a unit to run the submarine proficiently. The best way to prepare the crew for the end of availability and the beginning of at-sea operations is to focus on basic submarining. Concentrating on sound silencing, proper maintenance, professional watch-standing, and basic damage control will prepare the crew not only for post-shipyard testing and sea trials, but also for completing the post-DMP inspections and starting the POM. Shifting from "Shipyard Mode" to "Operational Mode" is a challenge for everybody. The steady stream of major tasks that need to be accomplished in a shipyard availability creates a mind-set for looking only as far ahead as the next assignment. In the process, it's easy to lose sight of what an operational ship is supposed to look and feel like. The command needs to work on changing that mind-set and focusing the crew on returning to "the waterfront" as quickly as possible.

Leave is always an important issue. Many personnel on Chicago were unable to take leave they desired during the availability because of the need to support shipyard maintenance and testing. This inability to take leave, coupled with the loss of excess leave at the end of the fiscal year, was particularly demoralizing to senior enlisted and their families. Many had accrued leave during the deployment before entering the shipyard in hopes of taking time off when in port. They never imagined this would be a problem in the shipyard. To minimize the adverse effects, CINPACFLT's permission was obtained to roll excess leave from one year to the next, much like the case for deployments. This action had two benefits: it proved to Sailors that the command was aware of the hardships and was committed to easing them; and it showed that the Navy acknowledges that a lengthy shipyard period is not really shore duty, and time can be as constrained as during a deployment.

Another issue - often overlooked - is the effect that family life has on a Sailor's morale. Families new to the service may never have thought that shipyard duty is what Navy life could be like. Other Navy families may offer little understanding of the challenges they face. After all, their husband isn't out on deployment! But he's on a boat that they may never have seen - since it's in a secure ship-yard - and the only pattern they really notice is that Dad is exhausted when he gets home.

For this reason, forming DMP families into a cohesive group is good for everyone, and keeping lines of communication open between family members and the CO is key. Even something as simple as attending wives' club meetings periodically to answer questions can show families that they're important to the CO. It can also show families how significant the work is that their Sailors go off and do every morning, or night, or both. Ship's picnics, parties, or other get-togethers are also useful for fostering a sense of ship's community. Family members can meet with their counterparts and see that they're not alone in facing difficulties that develop during a shipyard period. Associating names and faces can make it a lot easier for family mem- bers to make a call for help or simply find some- one else to talk to about their experiences.

After FY 01, more and more submarine crews will be challenged to transition their ships from maintenance to operational status. Specifically, the eleven crews scheduled for yard periods in 2002 should be preparing now to counter the potential adverse effects of their availabilities, as well as working to minimize the time their boat will be un-available to our smaller Submarine Force.

Hopefully, my experience from Chicago's DMP will take some of the bumps out of the shipyard ride for many submariners and their families; especially those who find that goodbyes during the sea tour are more often from a chain link fence than a pier.

CDR Don Neubert was the Executive Officer on USS Chicago during a majority of her DMP. He is currently the Submarine Analyst in the Office of Program Appraisal in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy