March 8, 2021

3 l 8 l 2021

A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding

One Day, Two Milestones The Virginia-Class Submarine Program at Newport News Shipbuilding recently celebrated milestones for two different submarines – Montana (SSN 794) and New Jersey (SSN 796) – on the same day.

Shipbuilders working on New Jersey reached pressure hull complete, meaning that all of its hull sections were joined to form a single, watertight unit. Meanwhile, Montana was launched into the James River for the first time.

CONTINUED ON PG 2

Photo by Ashley Cowan

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Nominations Underway The Model of Excellence (MOE) award is presented to any individual or team demonstrating extraordinary performance that aligns with Newport News Shipbuilding’s core values, operational strategy and direction, and business objectives that align with the NNSFORWARD Strategy.

Shipbuilders recently achieved pressure hull complete on New Jersey (SSN 796), the 23rd Virginia-class submarine.

Photo by Matt Hildreth

One Day, Two Milestones CONTINUED FROM PG 1

The Floating Dry Dock, where Montana had been since being transferred from a construction facility in October, was flooded and the submarine was moved by tugboats to a pier for final outfitting, testing and crew certification.

Any NNS employee may nominate a person or project for an MOE award. Nominations for this year’s program are due on April 2 and should be submitted to division representatives using form NN 9134, available on the MOE website on MyNNS. For more information about the program, employees should contact their division representative or Heather Land (O29) at 688-8496.

“For our shipbuilders, launching Montana signifies five years of hard work, commitment and dedicated service,” said Jason Ward, vice president of Virginia-Class Submarine Construction. “We look forward to executing our waterborne test program, and working toward sea trials and delivering the submarine to the Navy later this year.”

HII Scholarship Fund

New Jersey’s pressure hull complete milestone moves the submarine one step closer to christening. Both submarines are being constructed through a teaming agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat. Montana is scheduled for delivery to the Navy late this year. New Jersey’s delivery is scheduled for late 2022.

Shipbuilders with children who will be enrolled in a two- or four-year college program or attending a pre-kindergarten school readiness program in the fall can learn more about the program and apply at huntingtoningalls.com/scholarship.

Watch a video of Montana’s launch on MyNNS.

Zone Parking to Begin March 15 Zone parking will begin next Monday, March 15, in all company-owned parking lots. The new zones will maximize available parking across the shipyard for employees.

Hangtags are being distributed through division points of contact.

Shipbuilders must display their assigned hangtags around their rearview mirror to park in their designated zone.

New signage is being posted in company parking lots, however, open parking remains in effect through Sunday, March 14. Details about the transition, including frequently asked questions, a video and parking maps are available at nns.huntingtoningalls.com/parking-transportation.

A new zone parking sign is posted in a Newport News Shipbuilding parking lot. Photo by Matt Hildreth

The HII Scholarship Fund is accepting applications through April 16.

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AROUND THE YARD A Suffolk native, Hill started her apprenticeship on Feb. 1 as an outside machinist. She is a graduate of Nansemond River High School and a 2020 graduate of Tidewater Community College, where she graduated with a GPA of 3.49.

In the photo on the left are Kaniqua Gray and Stan Best. In the photo on the right are Jessica Walker, left, and McKenna Hill. Best and Walker are Apprentice School Foundation board members.

Apprentice School Foundation Awards Two Scholarships The Apprentice School Foundation awarded scholarships to Kaniqua Gray and McKenna Hill for the first quarter of 2021.

A Charles City, Virginia, native, Gray started her apprenticeship on Feb. 1 as an insulator.

She is a graduate of Charles City County High School and a 2020 graduate of Old Dominion University, where she graduated with a GPA of 4.0.

Gray was active in her community, high school and college experiences. In college, she served as a volunteer officer of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, where she completed over 200 hours of service. In high school, she participated in track, cheerleading and band.

Hill was active in her community, church and high school. She volunteered as a supervisor in a homeless shelter, where she prepared rooms and served dinners. At her church, she helped maintain the grounds, coordinated a project to expand the church’s garden and worked with the AV team to organize worship service slides and lyrics to music.

The Apprentice School Foundation provides a tax-deductible opportunity for alumni, friends and community partners of The Apprentice School to help fund scholarships, historic preservation and community service projects that carry on the school’s legacy. The foundation awards four scholarships annually. Visit The Apprentice School Foundation’s website (www.tasfd.org) for more information.

NNS Renews Participation in Virginia Environmental Excellence Program Newport News Shipbuilding recently renewed participation in the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP), which encourages and assists facilities and organizations that have strong environmental records to go above and beyond legal requirements.

NNS is an Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise (E4) participant, which is VEEP’s highest level.

Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise facilities have a fully implemented environmental management system that has been verified by an independent third party and are committed to

measures for continuous and sustainable environmental progress and community involvement.

Participation in the program provides a number of benefits for NNS, including public recognition, permit fee discounts, and a single point of contact within the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

For more information about VEEP, visit the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s website.

Annual Tornado Drill is March 16 Newport News Shipbuilding is participating in Virginia’s annual statewide tornado drill next week.

drill is initiated, the one-minute all-clear whistle will be sounded to conclude the drill.

At 9:45 a.m. and again at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16, NNS will sound the shipyard whistle for three 30-second blasts at 30-second intervals and activate the electronic Send Word Now notification for text and email messages. Five minutes after the

Shipbuilders are not required to actually take shelter during the drill, but they should recognize the tornado warning signal and know where they would move in the event of an actual tornado. See the Distribution A memo for more information.

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Cases reported last week: 82

Total cases at NNS: 3,012

Total number of NNS employees medically cleared to return to work: 2,301

See case details at nns.huntingtoningalls.com/411.

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DATEBOOK MARCH 8

The Engagement and Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I) offices invite you to join their monthly ED&I Together Strong Life Unites Panel Discussion Series: The Impact of Inclusion Celebrating Women from 4:30 until 6 p.m. The panel will discuss topics related to the inclusion of women’s history and women in shipbuilding. Register on MyNNS.

MARCH 9

Join BeWell for Life wellness coordinators for live, virtual cooking demos to learn how to prepare customizable, oneskillet meals in just 30 minutes. The WebEx classes will be held on Tuesday, March 9, at noon and 4:30 p.m. You can attend both sessions if you choose. Different meals will be prepared. Visit myquadmed.com/BeWell to register.

MARCH 10

Join Engineering and Design and guest speaker Justin Novak from 12 until 12:30 p.m. for a Virtual Learning Session (VLS) on Metrology Solutions. Metrology Solutions is a specialized department at NNS that consists of seven different groups – planning, engineering, work control, metrology, training, business services and quality.

This department services internal and external customers.

Sign up on MyNNS to receive a calendar invite to attend.

No charge is provided. For questions and concerns, email E&D Connections.

MARCH 10

Know the truth between financial fact and fiction? Attend a free webinar from SmartPath on busting common money myths. Register at www.mysmartpath.com/hii/classes for the noon webinar.

MARCH 11

The Project Management Shipbuilder Association (PMSA) is hosting a lunchtime presentation with Kelli James, MBA, PMP, project management analyst, from 12 until 1 p.m. via WebEx. The event is open to all employees by reservation only. Sign up on the PMSA website on MyNNS. For questions, contact Dennis Diones or email PMSA@hii-nns.com. No charge is provided.

MARCH 16 & 18

Join Scale Back, a virtual program designed to help you build healthy habits and lose weight. Participants meet with BeWell for Life wellness coaches in weekly 30-minute group support classes to focus on movement, meals and motivation. Sessions begin Tuesdays at noon on March 16 or Thursdays at 5 p.m. on March 18. Space is limited so visit www.myquadmed.com/bewell to register for your preferred time.

MARCH 17

The Professional Enhancement and Enrichment Rotation (PEER) Program is hosting a learn at lunch WebEx event for potential candidates from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The program is open to salaried individual contributors.

To sign up, visit the PEER Program website on MyNNS or email PEERProgram@hii-nns.com.

MARCH 23

Working from home? Get ergonomics tips from HII Family Health Center physical therapists to improve your home workstation. Register at www.myquadmed.com/bewell for the free webinar at noon.

MARCH 23

The L.E.A.R.N. Program and Shipbuilders Together Realizing Inclusion, Diversity, and Equality (STRIDE) will host an after-work presentation with Julia Jones, vice president of Manufacturing and Facilities, from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m. via WebEx. The event is open to all employees by reservation only. Sign up on the L.E.A.R.N. website on MyNNS. No charge is provided. For questions, contact Tanika Vasquez (E08) at 688-7916, Chris Porro (E47) at 534-0332 or email LEARN@hii-nns.com.

MARCH 24

Join Engineering and Design and guest speaker Margaret Williams from 12 until 12:30 p.m. for a Virtual Learning Session (VLS) on creating an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch (also known as an elevator speech) is a quick synopsis of your background and experience that is short enough to present during a brief elevator ride. An elevator pitch helps you to introduce yourself to connections in a compelling way. Attend the session to learn more about why you should create an elevator pitch. Sign up on MyNNS to receive a calendar invite to attend. No charge is provided. For questions and concerns, email E&D Connections.

MARCH 31

Eligible employees must complete the Know Your Numbers wellness profile and health screening by March 31 to save $600 on Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Anthem medical plans. Visit www.hiibenefits.com for a calendar of onsite health screening appointments, instructions to complete the wellness profile and more.

MARCH 31

The Professional Enhancement and Enrichment Rotation (PEER) Program is hosting a learn at lunch WebEx event for potential candidates from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The program is open to salaried individual contributors.

To sign up, visit the PEER Program website on MyNNS or email PEERProgram@hii-nns.com.

MARCH 24

The Professional Enhancement and Enrichment Rotation (PEER) Program is hosting a learn at lunch WebEx event for potential candidates from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The program is open to salaried individual contributors.

To sign up, visit the PEER Program website on MyNNS or email PEERProgram@hii-nns.com.

SEEKING SHIPBUILDERS

Visit www.buildyourcareer.com to search for the latest NNS job openings.

Job Title

Req Number

Dept.

Location

Pipefitter (Experienced) Engineering Technician 3 Production Planner Scheduler 3

5169 3968 5024

X42 E25 N930

Newport News Newport News Newport News

Employees are encouraged to use MyHR or the “Current HII Employees Job Search” button at www.buildyourcareer.com to apply. The company continues to offer cash bonus awards for referrals to select positions, visit www.huntingtoningalls.com/hii-careers/refer-a-friend for more information.

Editor: Nicholas Langhorne

Contributing Writer: Lena Wallace Currents@hii-nns.com Currents is published every Monday for employees of Newport News Shipbuilding. To submit a story, visit nns.huntingtoningalls.com/currents.

Cover Photo: Montana (SSN 794) is shown at a pier after being launched into the James River. Photo by Ashley Cowan

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