Sept. 12, 2022

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A weekly publication of Newport News Shipbuilding

Ocean transport barge Holland approaches the new berthing area near Dry Dock 12. Photo by Aaron Pritchett

Special Delivery A new ocean transport barge that will support the delivery of Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine modules between Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat arrived at NNS for the first time in August.

Dock 12 to support the transportation of Columbia-class modules. Due to Holland’s large size, the existing berthing area near the Modular Outfitting Facility (MOF) was modified to support the transportation of Virginia-class modules.

Holland, a 400-by-100-foot barge, came to NNS from Groton, Connecticut, to begin testing and pier interface commissioning. A new berthing area was built at the northwest corner of Dry

The barge’s name pays tribute to John Holland, an Irish-born immigrant who designed the first submarine purchased by the U.S. Navy.

Appliance Inspections Help Minimize Fire Risk From refrigerators and coffee makers to space heaters and even griddles, Tamika Armstead (O43) is responsible for inspecting about 20,000 company-owned and personal appliances across Newport News Shipbuilding. It’s all an effort to keep employees safe and protect company and U.S. Navy assets. “What we’re really trying to do is avoid fires,” Armstead said. Appliances must be approved by Environmental Health and Safety (O27) and Security (O15) and are inspected and stickered when they are first brought into the shipyard. Company policy requires reinspection every five years. However, the process was less than ideal. Past due emails were sent to supervisors instead of the employees responsible for appliances, and inspections had to be requested. That was until Armstead overhauled the process. “Tamika came

Tamika Armstead, left, and Vivian Lopez prepare to put stickers on newly arrived appliances. Photo by Nicholas Langhorne

up with a zone system to get us ahead of the game,” said Vivian Lopez (O43), Armstead’s manager. CONTINUED ON PG 2

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A Solemn Anniversary The following is a message from Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin regarding the 21st anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Sunday marked 21 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks rocked our nation. Like many of you, I still remember exactly where I was and exactly how I felt at this fateful moment. Even in remembering, I can feel the shock, horror and unspeakable pain. But I also remember how we pulled together as Americans and showed strength and resilience in the face of overwhelming grief. Newport News shipbuilders handed out American flags in the days following the attacks as a way for shipbuilders to show their patriotism. This somber anniversary is an important reminder of the role of shipbuilders in our nation’s defense. Our mission is critical. U.S. Navy sailors and our entire nation depend on us and the aircraft carriers and submarines we deliver. In fact, two NNS-built aircraft carriers – USS George Washington (CVN 73) and the first USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) – were positioned off the East Coast within

Shipbuilders wave American flags days that were handed out after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. NNS Photo Archive

hours of the attacks to protect Washington, D.C., and New York. I hope you all will join me in remembering those lost and honoring those who stepped up in the face of national tragedy. I also hope you will continue to share your personal 9/11 story with fellow shipbuilders and others, especially those who were very young – or hadn’t yet been born – when the attacks occurred. We must never forget.

Appliance Inspections Help Minimize Fire Risk CONTINUED FROM PG 1

In 2020, Armstead made her way through the South Yard, visiting every facility to locate and inspect appliances. The idea is to go through a different zone – South Yard, Mid-Yard, North Yard and outlying buildings – each year. “Since our inspections are once every five years, the South Yard will need to be reinspected in 2025. However, we only have four zones. So in 2024, we can start going through the South Yard a year early to stay ahead of those past due emails,” Lopez said. “It takes the burden off of the owners of the appliances to put in inspection requests.” As she goes through the zones, Armstead inspects appliances that are in plain sight. That means inspections still need to be requested for appliances that are tucked away or in locked spaces. If she comes across something that requires attention – such as a frayed power cord or an appliance plugged into a surge protector or extension cord – Armstead said she tries to provide context about why it is unsafe. “I am an electrician, so I can explain how this is a real-life safety issue,” she said. “A lot of people honestly don’t know they’re doing

something wrong. They’re not thinking about a microwave being a fire hazard, but it can be.” Instead of filling out paper forms that have to be sent via Yardmail, appliance inspection requests can now be submitted on the Appliance Inspection Hub on MyNNS, which also makes it easy for employees to update information about appliances, including new locations. Each department also is required to have an appliance coordinator. Also in the works is a “trash and treasure” document where departments can list appliances they no longer need. “It’s reducing trash and saving money for a department if they are looking for a microwave – for example – and another department has one available,” Lopez said. The changes have already impacted appliance inspection statistics. At the beginning of the year, there were nearly 450 past due appliance inspections at NNS. By August, the number was down to zero. Armstead plans to keep it that way. “We just have to maintain,” she said.

Employee Engagement Survey to Begin Next Week All Newport News Shipbuilding employees will have the opportunity to participate in this year’s employee engagement survey Sept. 21 through Oct. 7. The survey provides employees the opportunity to let their voices be heard and results serve as a guide

for leaders to understand how they are performing and what areas could be improved. A list of frequently asked questions is available on MyNNS.

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AROUND THE YARD Apprentice School Fall Golf Season Underway The fall season for The Apprentice School golf team is underway, and team captain Ethan Flanders is optimistic. “I’ve already seen a big improvement since last year, and I believe we can place well in a bunch of these tournaments,” he said. The team’s goal is to have every player “shooting in the 70s.” Flanders – an X11 apprentice in his sophomore year – is the most experienced golfer on the team. The rest are freshmen. Despite the team’s youth, Flanders is confident about their chances this season and in the future. He’s also grateful to serve as a leader. “We’ve got a good group of guys on the team, and I’m able to help them out and give them advice on the golf course,” he said. “Since we’re all young, you’ve got three or four more years here. With all the practice and experience we’ll get, we’ll be really good these next few years.” Flanders said Apprentice School athletes are representatives for the company, and he hopes fellow shipbuilders will respect and support them throughout the season. “We go through a lot working all day and then going to golf practice after and going to tournaments on the weekend,” he said.

For more information about Apprentice School golf, including the fall schedule, visit GoBuilders.com. “You can come out to any event free of charge,” Flanders said. “Come out and watch some good golf.” The team is hosting the Virginia State Division III Tournament at its home course – Sleepy Hole Golf Course in Suffolk – beginning at 8 a.m. Oct. 17 and 18.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month As Newport News Shipbuilding celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, take time to not only recognize the great achievements and innovations of Hispanics throughout the nation’s history, but also their significant impact on NNS’ success.

The Hispanic Heritage Month theme for 2022 is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.” Learn more by visiting nationalcouncilhepm.org.

president of Business Transformation & Technology (BT&T), did for his division. Sutton called upon his teams to go the extra mile in their 2022 United Way campaign by giving them a little extra motivation: if BT&T exceeded the division’s goal of $3,708.73 by more than 10%, the director from the winning department could throw a pie in his face. In the spirit of friendly competition, BT&T raised $6,832.37, almost doubling its original goal. “I say it frequently, and I mean it when I say it…it is great to be a part of an organization that is willing to give,” Sutton said.

Fundraising Success Leads to Pie in the Face for Vice President It’s not every day that a vice president at Newport News Shipbuilding volunteers to take a pie in the face as part of a fundraising challenge, but that is exactly what Jason Sutton, vice

When it was time for the actual pie throwing, Sutton’s daughter Olivia stepped in at the last minute and took full advantage of the opportunity to ‘reward’ her dad. Check out the video of this event on MyNNS. BT&T was grateful for the opportunity to raise money for United Way, and the division looks forward to future fundraising activities.

Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Cases reported at NNS from Aug. 29-Sept. 11: 156

See updates at nns.huntingtoningalls.com/411.

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DATEBOOK SEPTEMBER 12-16

Newport News Shipbuilding is observing Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) Week Sept. 12-16 with a slate of activities. The week is meant to promote awareness and education to keep the values of inclusion, diversity and engagement fresh in the minds of shipbuilders. See the Sept. 6 edition of Currents for a full list of events.

SEPTEMBER 13

The Veterans Employee Resource Group (VERG) will host an event as part of ED&I Week from 4 until 5 p.m. in the VASCIC Conference Room. Join us as we bring together two commanding officers and two shipyard executives to discuss the importance of readiness and how our mission at NNS aligns with the nation’s maritime strategy. Open to all employees by reservation only. Sign up on MyNNS. For more information, contact Michael Altrogge (E84) via email. No charge is provided. Si vis pacem, para bellum.

SEPTEMBER 14