Truman arrives for PIA

Waterfront Watch: ALL HANDS ON DECK

TRUMAN ARRIVES

24 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • OCTOBER 2016

FOR PIA

BY ANNA TAYLOR • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Aug. 25 for its 10-month Planned Incremental Availability.

Critical work during the availability, which will officially begin Sept. 27, includes an upgrade to the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES), the Navy's next generation tactical afloat network, which enhances operational effectiveness and provides better quality of life for deployed Sailors.

“It’s a very complex availability with a heavy contracting package and a lot of moving parts,” said Truman Project Superintendent Mike Jennings. “It’s the biggest integration, as far as logistics go, ever encountered on an aircraft carrier project.”

Because Truman’s last availability at NNSY was condensed, the project team will be dealing with emergent issues that were not addressed last time the ship was at NNSY, including a significant amount of pump work.

“What we didn’t do last time, we’re doing this time,” said Deputy Project Superintendent Bobby Leigh. “Last time Truman was here, we adjusted the work to make it fit the timeframe. So now there’s a lot of significant maintenance that was deferred to this availability to go do. It’s a heavy load.”

Truman’s PIA will total roughly 499,773 mandays, 56 percent of which will be completed by contractors.

“This project is unique because of the amount of contractors we have on board,” said Jennings. “We’re partnering with Huntington Ingalls Industries in a way we’ve never done before, and we are extra motivated to deliver this carrier on time.”

Jennings said the ship’s crew is very experienced, and most of the 2015 Truman team is also returning to the project.

According to Leigh, many of the Sailors aboard Truman during its last availability are returning, so the project’s team mentality is still in place.

“If you have friction with the ship it’s like mixing oil and water,” he explained. “We’ve got to be on the same page and it starts with maintaining those relationships and building their trust.”

The project’s motto is “One Team,” and Jennings said there has been much discussion about how to mitigate differences to ensure an on-time departure.

“We will leave on time. It’s back to the basics. We are going to hold ourselves and each other accountable as a team. We’re one team working to get the ship out of here.”

Photo by Shayne Hensley • NNSY Photographer

OCTOBER 2016 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 25