NNS Delivers First Redesigned VCS Bow 4 l 2 l 2018
Just a few weeks ago, Newport News Shipbuilding shipped the bow section of Vermont (SSN 792) – the first boat of the Virginia-Class Submarine Program’s Block IV – to General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, to be joined with the rest of the hull.
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Vermont’s bow – and the rest of Block IV – includes significant design changes aimed at reducing life-cycle maintenance. The design changes, combined with late material availability, created challenges that shipbuilders overcame, according to Construction Superintendent Scott Whitmore.
Welder David Garrow works in the Manufacturing Assembly and Coating Facility. Photo by Ashley Cowan
NNS Commemorating National Welding Month Newport News Shipbuilding is highlighting the importance of first-time quality as it recognizes April as National Welding Month and kicks off an awareness campaign called "Make it Match." Throughout the month, NNS is spotlighting the "Make it Match" process for welders: making sure the base material, filler metal and preheat/interpass temperatures match the authorizing documentation. “Welding at NNS is a core process, and this campaign’s goal is to bring awareness to how critical it is that our process is under control at all times,” said X11/X18/O68 Trades Director Joe Sabol. “Whether you are a tack welder or a pipe or structural welder in the shops or on...
“These design changes resulted in the structural rebuild of the sail – which integrated non-corrosive metals and composite materials that have not been used on prior hulls,” he said. Although this impacted the schedule, Whitmore said there were “extensive lessons learned” from this first bow that have already been applied to future ships. “This will become a great cost reduction for the VCS team and the Navy for the life of the ship,” said General Foreman Vernon Silver. “In the future, the trades will receive a completely outfitted sail cap and be able to land it, install the mechanisms to the alreadyfunctional doors and fit them to their adjacent coamings, dramatically cutting time from the build process of the sail for X11 and X43.” The Block IV bow also includes a redesigned Light-Weight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA), which allowed for a 36 percent reduction in installation time. “The new LWWAA design allows us to achieve proper alignment the first time. It eliminates...
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More Than 500 Spaces Added at Hidens Parking Lot In January, Newport News Shipbuilding announced that 500 parking spaces would be added to the Hidens Parking Lot, located off Warwick Boulevard, by the end of the first quarter. Today, NNS can report that more than 500 spaces have been added to Hidens and are currently available for employee use.
Shipbuilders exit a shipyard shuttle at the Hidens Parking Lot after their shift. Photo by Matt Hildreth
NNS continues to evaluate additional parking solutions and remains committed to advancing more permanent solutions. Additional parking updates will be communicated to employees via Currents, the NNS to Go app and MyNNS.