IN THIS ISSUE Shipyard Warehousing is Big Business Operating NNS’ Mighty Tugs
Yardlines
Photo by Ricky Thompson
USS Enterprise’s Final Homecoming
A Publication of Newport News Shipbuilding
July 2013
BIG E
With more than a half-century of service and a life full of historic firsts, “Big E” came home to Newport News Shipbuilding on June 20 for one more first – the inactivation of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It was the late 1950s, and Newport News Shipbuilding Welder Charles Greene was one of thousands of shipbuilders helping to build the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the world, USS Enterprise (CVN 65). More than 50 years later, his granddaughter Kimberly Thompson is a production planner and scheduler at the shipyard and has been making her own mark on the legendary ship since 2000. Thompson was once part of a team handling Enterprise’s maintenance and repairs, and is now on the team executing her inactivation. “My grandfather helped to raise me, and it means a lot to me that he helped build the ship and I get to help lay her to rest. I’m really proud to be part of this legacy,” she said. Over the next three years, members of the CVN 65 team, along with other shipbuilders, will be handling the extensive project, which includes defueling the eight reactors and preparing the ship for open-ocean tow. At its peak, more than 1,200 shipbuilders will be using their shipbuilding skills to complete the process. Project Manager Jim Calabrese has been working at the shipyard for 25 years, and his first assignment was the refueling and complex overhaul of Enterprise. “When you service Enterprise, it really is a thought-provoking process. Given the uniqueness of the ship, the geometry of the ship, and the complexity of the ship, it’s a technical challenge,” he said. Engineer John Bilinski first experienced Enterprise as a sailor and has been assigned to her as a shipbuilder for 10 years. He says that challenges come with the territory. “We’re doing things nobody has done before. There’s a definite learning curve,” he said. “Even after 50 years of service and operations, she’ll still surprise you.” Like many others who have a deeply-rooted connection with the legendary ship, Bilinksi plans to stick around. “This ship and I go way back and, God willing, I’ll see her through until the end.” I By Jeremy Bustin
After a historic 51-year career, the inactivated USS Enterprise was towed from Naval Station Norfolk to Newport News Shipbuilding on June 20 for defueling of the aircraft carrier’s eight reactors. Photo by Ricky Thompson
passes the
CAMDEN WEST
TEST
On June 6 when Minnesota was delivered to the U.S. Navy 11 months ahead of schedule, Camden West was among the thousands of shipbuilders who felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment. She had recently completed her first assignment as the chief nuclear test engineer (CTE) on Minnesota – the first female ever to hold the position on a Virginia-class submarine (VCS). West grew up helping her dad work on his HarleyDavidson, so it’s not at all surprising to her that she ended up in a career that pays her to wear jeans, boots and a little grease under her fingernails every day. What she didn’t realize is that she would knock down walls in the process. West started out at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) 12 years ago as a mechanical test engineer. In her current position as the CTE, she had daily oversight over the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems testing on the Minnesota to ensure the testing performed met all technical and safety requirements. West made sure the test team was properly trained and understood the technical operations associated with the system being tested, obtained the required data, and verified that the data was within the required parameters. She also worked alongside the VCS construction team to ensure the building sequence supported the required testing, and in partnership with the Navy to train them on operating temporary systems in the shipyard environment. “Camden possesses a drive to always improve the program. That is a true testament to being a great shipbuilder,” said Gary Graham, director of engineering. “She had some skeptics in the beginning, given she was coming into a predominantly male environment, but she has made believers out of everyone. It is a true pleasure to have seen her be the first female chief test engineer at
NNS, and I have no doubt that someday, I’ll be calling her ‘Boss!’” “It takes years of hard work that is worth every minute spent just to watch that boat sail down the river to serve and protect our country,” she said. “I am proud to send the men and women of the military to sea on the finest vessels ever built.” West has been the first female to accomplish other engineering feats at the shipyard, but she’s especially proud of this one. The Pittsburgh native worked her fair
share of shifts and long hours, and she also credits her success to a team brimming with talent and supportive bosses along the way. “But I’m especially proud because it means I’m knocking down walls for my daughters, Camden and Cayden,” West said. “I tell them all the time that they can be whatever they want to be.” She tries to be a role model for her co-workers, too. “I tell them to worry about their jobs and not what
everyone may be saying or thinking,” she said. “If you pay attention to what you’re doing and you do your job well, you will excel. I also remind them that they are no different than anyone else, so don’t expect any special treatment.” | By Christie Miller
Camden West, a 12-year shipyard veteran, is the first female to serve as chief nuclear test engineer on a Virginia-class submarine. She recently completed the assignment on Minnesota (SSN 783), which delivered June 6. Photo by Ricky Thompson
TAILORING You could call them the tailors of the shipyard. The Sail Loft is filled with rolls of fabric, sewing machines, scissors and hundreds of niche tools. When things get busy, space for the highly-engaged team can quickly become hard to manage. Most of their time is spent creating vitally important containment materials that protect expensive equipment from dust or that protect workers from potentially hazardous materials. Between the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), work orders are flowing in. The Sail Loft began implementing an Engagement Action Plan earlier this year in response to the annual Gallup Engagement survey. Jason Roach, the Sail Loft’s general foreman, asked for creative ideas on how the shop could be safer and more efficient. The team came up with a long list of ideas, from reorganizing how templates are stored, to making sure that material rolls are safer to pick up and move. The team quickly engaged as they saw their opinions become realities, resulting in a cleaner, more efficient shop. “We worked together to create this list… everyone contributed,” said Arlene Quinn, a Sail Loft craftsman and the safety task team leader who was instrumental in creating the list of ideas. “We came up with the ideas,
but Jason showed us he was serious about making our ideas become reality.” One idea was to organize the rolls of material in a way that made it safer for Sail Loft craftsmen to look through and pick up the material. Roach had the Hanger Shop create a special rack that solved the problem. Many of the ideas made simple everyday tasks safer, like adding a handle to a floor pedal so that it could be moved without bending over. Many of the ideas on the list were implemented within days of being identified. Duck Manuel, who has worked at the shipyard for 34 years, felt a shift in the attitudes of the shop. “Everything is easier. We’re working together better. We’re communicating better, and we feel more like a family now,” said Manuel. Roach gives all the credit back to his team. “I’m smart enough to know that they’re smarter than I am!” he said. “I have discovered that I just need to listen to their ideas.” I By Peter Stern
Sail Loft General Foreman Jason Roach (left) listened and helped make ideas presented by Arlene Quinn and Duck Manuel on how to improve the shop’s safety and efficiency a reality. Photo by John Whalen
Poetry
IN MOTION
According to Docking Pilot Captain Fred Burns and his crew, “Any tuggin’ day is a good day!” Capt. Burns and his four-person crew are assigned to Huntington, one of Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) three tugboats that are responsible for safely transporting NNS vessels in and out to sea and to various docking locations around the shipyard’s waterfront. Huntington Deck Hands Glenn Alligood and Cedric Moore describe the tugboat crew as family. “Although Huntington is the largest tugboat at NNS, we still work in very close quarters, so we’ve gotten to know each other really well,” Moore said.
Alligood added, “Our crew also works closely with the tug crews aboard Captain Ambrose and Dauntless. During a move, the tug crews and riggers on land have to be in sync to successfully move a vessel to its new location – so it’s crucial that we have each other’s back at all times.” Capt. Burns likes to think of the moves as poetry in motion. “All things must come together for the move to be successful,” he said. “The planning, the weather, the tides – everything.” This year alone, NNS’ tugs have successfully made several large moves. “We have repositioned USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), escorted Minnesota (SSN 783) in and
out to sea for trials, and transported USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and USS Enterprise (CVN 65) from Naval Station Norfolk to the shipyard,” said Captain Allen Sutton, NNS docking pilot. “We stay busy, to say the least.” Aside from planning and executing large transports, tugboat crews are also responsible for conducting preventive maintenance on their tug, participating in various drills, including collaboration drills with the U.S. Coast Guard, and assisting McAllister Towing and Transportation Company Inc. with moves in the James River as needed. The crews have offices both on the tug and on land, but
they prefer to be out on the water on their tug. “One of the most complicated parts of our job is that there are no do-overs,” said Capt. Burns. “You only get one chance, so you have to be on your ‘A-Game’ all the time. But nothing beats looking back after a job is completed, with a cup of ‘tugboat coffee,’ and realizing all the planning and aggravation were well worth it.” I By Lauren Ward
Huntington’s tugboat crew attaches itself to Minnesota (SSN 783) in the James River prior to transporting her back to NNS following sea trials. Photo by John Whalen.
Newport News Shipbuilding likes big things. But for the shipyard’s largest footprint – its 2.1 million square feet of warehouse space and the 500 shipbuilders charged with receiving, stocking, organizing and delivering thousands of pieces and parts to more than 300 material stops on the waterfront on a daily basis – bigger is not always better. Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Director of Material Distribution Terry Voltz oversees the lifeblood of the shipyard. If materials don’t flow when they are needed, nothing happens, and Voltz knows where to find every screw, bolt or piece of pipe that’s stacked in the shipyard’s more than 40 warehouses, some of which are behind the gates. Others are as far away as Suffolk. Like much of the shipyard, schedule and budget drive movement of materials, and organization is key to the Material Logistics Department’s success.
Stacey Schrier, material handling supervisor and 16-year NNS veteran, understands organization. She is preparing the yard’s newest warehouse, the Spiegel Building, to accept everything NNS is currently storing in Suffolk. The items coming over include new materials for the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) aircraft carrier, and some of them are so big that modifications are being made to the building to get the items inside. Her latest challenge: the storage of 450 cabinets that will eventually hold on-board repair parts aboard CVN 78. She points out short ones, tall ones, red and gray ones – all needing a place to stay until they can be moved to the ship. Organization would be easy if everything came in a stackable box, she said, but when the items range from valves and hoses to televisions and workout equipment, it’s not that simple. Schrier enjoys the challenge, which has carried over
The Lifeblood of the Shipyard into her personal life. “It drives my son crazy and people make fun of me. I’m one of those people who has drawers inside of drawers, and everything is color-coded.” Color coding is just one of many ways Material Logistics organizes NNS materials inside each warehouse. NNS methods are fairly typical of other logistics operations, Voltz admits, but there is one thing that sets the shipyard apart: controlled material. “We have to trace forward and backward any nuclear material we are handling,” he said. “It’s one of the things that make us unique.”
On average, Campbell averages 40-50 large parts per day. He said he prefers smaller parts over the larger, more awkward ones, adding that he can whip through about 100 small parts per day. “It doesn’t suit everybody, but it suits me,” Campbell said, taking a break from etching on a bronze valve. “I have a knack for doing this because I’ve been doing it for so long.” Voltz agrees. The warehouse environment doesn’t suit everyone.
To do it, materials such as piping system components, fasteners and fittings are permanently etched with information needed to provide traceability to that specific part.
“The amount of work Logistics and Transportation performs daily always amazes me,” Voltz said. “The work is hard, much more diverse and complex than most people realize, and we have to do it safely each and every day.” | By Christie Miller
Etching is done by hand. It’s a precise job, and Barbara Anderson and Malcolm Campbell are the shipbuilders who do it.
Material handlers Christy Carson (left) and Rodney Thornton check inventory in the surplus sales warehouse. Photo by Ricky Thompson
to
FromTrash
Treasure
It looks like a mountain of metal spaghetti. Metal shavings from the Machine Shop, chunks of scrap from Foundry pours, and discarded cable from facilities are all part of the recipe that creates a huge pile of scrap metal in Newport News Shipbuilding’s (NNS) scrapyard. The mountain is sorted into ferrous and non-ferrous metal by a 20-ton gantry crane equipped with a 6-ton magnet. It’s all part of a highly-efficient recycling program that takes the shipyard’s trash and turns it into treasure. Scrap-metal recycling may seem like a small endeavor for the nation’s largest shipbuilder, but the scrapyard team hands a lot of money back to the Navy. Over the last five years, the team has processed, sorted and sold 150 million pounds of scrap metal, reeling in $36 million in sales. Though the shipyard has recycled its scrap metal for many years, higher global demand for recycled metal has changed the game. According to the National Recycling Coalition, recycling metal takes about 60 percent less energy than the mining process. The scrapyard’s clients include major players like Sims Group USA, which is part of the largest metal recycling company in the world. Bob Pye, who manages the metals recycling program for NNS, from strategic planning of special sales, to the implementation of annual contacts with metal processors, keeps a close watch on the metals market pricing, which changes like the stock market. “Our success is tied to the metals market pricing as well as how efficiently we process the material we receive. The sorting team is the backbone of this operation,” said Pye. “They are out here – rain or snow, heat or ice – sorting scrap metal, which can be dangerous work. It’s sharp, often heavy and the scrapyard can be a busy place. You’re working around a crane with a powerful magnet that sorts materials and loads the buyer’s tractor trailers, handling skiffs and containers with forklifts, and sorting metals by hand. But I can’t tell you the last time we had an injury; it’s been several years.”
James Hogge, the scrapyard’s foreman, manages day-to-day operations. “We’re all pretty close, and many of us have been doing this for a long time,” said Hogge. “When it comes to processing scrap metal, we know what we’re doing and we do it safe.” Another element that adds to the program’s success is the team’s commitment to properly identifying the metal they are selling, a challenge in the scrapmetal business. Several years ago, the team invested in a Niton metal analyzer (X-ray gun) that looks like a big grocery store label scanner. Point the gun at the metal, pull the trigger and a report on the metal’s chemical makeup reveals what the metal is and how to sell it. “We don’t want to have a reputation for selling anything that’s not what we said it was,” said Hogge. “Our clients trust us, which means we are able to sign annual contracts where they buy whatever we have. Our guys are committed to that kind of excellence.” I By Peter Stern Newport News Shipbuilding has processed, sorted and sold 150 million pounds of scrap metal over the last five years. Photo by Ricky Thompson
Newport News Shipbuilding is
T he Yard
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) won FM 99’s Second Annual Cardboard Boat Building competition on June 15, earning bragging rights to call itself “The Yard” of Hampton Roads. To determine which Hampton Roads shipyard would win, each team had one hour to build a vessel out of cardboard and duct tape. The boats were judged on three criteria – best resemblance to a naval vessel, the least amount of duct tape on display, and the vessel that could hold the most weight for 10 seconds without sinking. NNS’ winning entry – a replica of the dredge barge Norfolk (Hull 282) originally built by the company in 1925 – held 344 pounds, which included the 114-pound son of team member Kevin Miller. “We put a lot more planning into it this year,” said Michael Nyberg. “Our engineering colleagues helped with
calculations to ensure we had everything right.” In 2012, NNS won first place in two categories, but Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s 233-pound vessel won first in the weight category, giving their team five extra points to win the contest. “Every member went above and beyond to make this endeavor a success,” said Test Engineering Technician and NNS Team Captain Stiles Bliss. “We put an awesome team together this year that embodied what our shipyard is all about.” Other members of the winning NNS team included Mayranne Brock, Kevin Doyle, Kevin Miller, Dasha Nyberg, Melynda Roberts, Darryl Trautner, Corrie Wright, Matthew Wright, and Mike Yankanwich. The community-wide event hosted by FM 99 and the Virginia Ship Repair Association was held in Suffolk, Va. I By Gina Chew-Holman
Newport News shipbuilders (L to R) Michael Nyberg , Corrie Wright, Mike Yankanwich, Stiles Bliss, Mayranne Brock and Kevin Doyle built a cardboard replica of the Norfolk (Hull 282) to win the FM 99 “The Yard” competition. Photo by Dar Deerfield Mook
Long Service MASTER SHIPBUILDERS
JUNE
Jim Allen 40 years
Anson Blevins 50 years
Tom Brady 45 years
Jerry Buchanan 40 years
Wave Dryden 40 years
Vance Eason 40 years
Hjalmar Fond 45 years
Kenny Hargrove 45 years
C.P. Jones 40 years
Lee Jones 40 years
Neal Jones 40 years
Allen Kreicar 40 years
Robert Maker 45 years
Gilbert “Meko” Meekins 40 years
Stumpy Newbern 40 years
John “Blue” Parks 40 years
Mike Shelton 40 years
Charlie Smith 45 years
Howard Smith 40 years
Mike Sowder 40 years
Keith Strayer 40 years
John Teague 45 years
Don WeIss 40 years
Bill West 40 years
Dan White 40 years
Kenny Wyatt 40 years
Long Service JUNE 50 YEARS Anson L. Blevins O43 45 YEARS Thomas H. Brady Jr. T53 John N. Cary Jr. X82 James E. Everette X42 Hjalmar J. Fond E63 Kenny L. Hargrove X73 Robert A. Maker X31 Welford B. McElwee X32 Charlie E. Smith Jr. O22 John N. Teague Jr. X58 40 YEARS James S. Allen Jr. E26 Randy L. Batten X87 Jerry T. Buchanan X89 Waverly V. Dryden X36 Vance S. Eason E84 Lynn C. Folks X70 Lee B. Jones X18 Neal R. Jones K93 Allen O. Kreicar X18 Gilbert E. Meekins X10 William T. Newbern O98 John L. Parks X18 Michael A. Shelton X74 Howard L. Smith X42 Joseph M. Sowder E81 Calvin K. Strayer X18 Allen H. Thacker X11 Donald W. Weiss X82 William L. West X67 Daniel L. White X88 Kenneth R. Wyatt E26 35 YEARS Daniel O. Bochman X89
Wesley M. Copling M53 George H. Cotsimopoulos X50 Donald G. Curnutte Jr. AMSEC Steven P. Gurvich E24 Gregory H. Harju E26 Alan D. Harvey E49 William E. Hilbmann IV E88 Keith Jefferson O46 Gary L. Morton E73 Rudolph S. Powell E30 John M. Schoch Jr. O62 Jonathan Spielberger M53 Josephine F. Stith O53 William W. Trevathan X10 Catherine M. Weisskopf X36 Elwood A. Whitley E25 30 YEARS Carlos R. Acosta X42 Jorge C. Antezana M30 Reginald E. Bagley X10 Alvin V. Bailey X11 James H. Bailey Jr. O46 Gregory L. Baize X73 Milton J. Banks X32 James C. Boyce Jr. X18 James G. Bridges X58 Sharon H. Bryant O14 Gerald T. Bulles O67 William P. Carr X73 James A. Carroll X18 Louis A. Carter X36 Abel L. Cary X33 David M. Cassell X88 Howard A. Chamblee X88 Mark R. Coast E17 Jackson M. Copeland Jr. X33 Donald W. Cribb E25 Jesse L. Davis X36
Oscar J. Deloatch X18 Keith O. Dennis X36 Bernard D. Dickson X11 Joseph F. Diggs X33 Phillip T. Dildy Jr. X18 Robert B. Eagan Jr. O39 Rufus T. Edwards Jr. O53 Kenneth S. Evans X11 Melvin L. Everette X31 George R. Foreman X33 Dean W. Fyfe O53 James D. Garrow X32 Michael W. Gibson X82 Michael D. Guzik X31 William J. Handy Jr. O87 Cynthia G. Hanna M30 Thomas A. Hawkins E45 Gregory F. Heinrich E26 Robert B. Hill E51 Dennis K. Holmes X31 Reginald L. Holmes X69 Tracy L. Howard E03 William C. Howard O39 Norman A. Jacobs E47 Wade H. Jenkins X42 David Johnson O53 Marvin E. Johnson X36 Tracy J. Johnson M25 Antonio L. Jones X18 Kevin Jones X43 Larry D. Jones E81 Michael H. Jones X11 Ronald W. Jones X42 Rickie A. Joyner X36 Michael E. Justice O43 David P. King E75 Richard S. Knorowski E22 Douglas K. Kruschke AMSEC George E. Landis X31
Jasper J. Lashley X18 Christopher P. Lee X10 Warner Lee X11 Antony A. Mann O15 Ronald D. March X43 Leslie H. Matthews Jr. X67 David A. McBride X36 Charles H. McElrath Jr. X10 Christopher J. Miner K70 Henry L. Moody X43 William E. Muhich O45 Kenneth D. Parker E25 Harrie A. Pearson X89 Shelton L. Perkins O53 Phillip A. Perry X33 Richard A. Pippins X11 Timothy Pope X43 Timothy D. Pope M30 Stanley C. Reams O67 Donald K. Reid X33 James T. Rodgers X43 Edward O. Ross K60 Jerald L. Saunders X18 Willie N. Sears X73 Mark A. Shaffer O15 Morris A. Shaw X31 Robert L. Sheppard Jr. X18 George M. Siegel O53 Stephen E. Speight O19 Patricia S. Spradlin E68 James F. Stamper X31 Douglas Stephenson X36 Gary L. Sullivan X42 Ricky R. Turner X36 Raymond S. West O39 Kelvin L. White X42 Robert F. Whiteman Jr. E25 Alan R. Wiley E84 John R. Winsley E45
James Wright Jr. X42 25 YEARS Melanie P. Alvey E24 James N. Anderson Sr. E85 William I. Beaver E85 Garry A. Bonds X11 John H. Bowser Jr. E85 Jordan N. Brown Jr. X33 Graeme S. Buchwald E17 Todd A. Cannon E83 Donald R. Carter O14 Roxane U. Carter X11 Sergio E. Ceballos E49 Daniel W. Cerny E88 Kenneth L. Chapman E27 Michael J. Conway E73 Garreth J. Cooke E21 Terry L. Cooley X18 Matthew Coyle E85 Mark R. Crowley E71 Charles J. Dalrymple O19 David D. Delvecchio T56 William G. Doucette X83 Simon R. Esperanza E71 Jackie R. Everett E82 Kevin S. Fallon O76 Joel R. Griffen E46 Russell R. Hollingsworth X57 Kenneth D. Hubbard E82 Adel R. Ibrahim E15 Kathy M. Johnson O51 Alton P. King X33 John M. Liberta E81 Robert L. Lisle Jr. K76 Samuel L. Lovett E85 Christopher M. MacPherson X88 Daniel J. Mahar III E25 Robert W. Marcella E82
Kelly M. Martin X33 Russell T. Massengill O67 James A. McDonald O41 Andre C. McKie X33 Neila E. Menser O35 Derrick B. Moore E85 Timothy W. Nelson AMSEC James E. Olmsted E85 John W. Ormond O82 Reginald W. Powell X33 Robert E. Prior X76 Tracy W. Renn M25 Stephen B. Rosen E83 Catherine J. Ruehe E83 Brenda L. Satterwhite X33 James E. Sawyer E85 Gerald J. Sazio Jr. E83 Ronald S. Slaughter E13 James E. Steinke E87 Kenneth A. Stewart E83 Joseph F. Stumpo E82 Hal R. Thompson Jr. E81 Daniel J. Ulishney E22 Andra R. Weatherford X32 Pamella H. Weathers E83 Paul W. Weathers E69 Michael J. Webb E85 Norman E. Whittaker E83 Edward G. Williams E84 Clarence D. Wyatt O67 James C. Yoko E60 20 YEARS Kevin C. Beckner X88 Jermaine R. Bellamy O46 Ernesto B. Bisco AMSEC John J. Keegan AMSEC Michael A. Wallace E13
Retirements MAY Clarence B. Harrell X33 Joyacelyn Y. Harris X33
James M. Hartman X43 Melton W. Mitchell X18
Thomas J. Ransom X33 Forest M. Sanders X18
Frank A. Taylor Jr. X31 David B. Turner E81
Kenneth J. Walker O15
Yardlines is published 10 times a year for the employees of Newport News Shipbuilding. This issue of Yardlines was produced by: Jeremy Bustin, Gina Chew-Holman, Troy Cooper, Mike Dillard, Christie Miller, Eugene Phillips, LaMar Smith, Peter Stern, Susan Sumner, Lauren Ward and Kimberly Zayakowski. Photographs by: Chris Oxley, Ricky Thompson and John Whalen. Send comments, questions and story ideas to Yardlines editor: gina.chewholman@hii-nns.com or call 757-380-2627. To stop receiving Yardlines, go to nns.huntingtoningalls.com/Yardlines to unsubscribe. Look for more news at nns.huntingtoningalls.com.
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July 2013
USS Roosevelt
Turns at Pier
On May 17, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) was turned and positioned with the stern of the ship to the river to complete testing on the main engines and combat systems. Through a combination of tug boats and the power of the natural tide, Roosevelt performed an about-face maneuver and shifted 180 degrees at its pier, putting it another step closer to the end of its Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) and return to the U.S. Navy operational fleet. This operation marks the first time CVN 71 has left her dock at Pier 3 in two years. Roosevelt arrived at the shipyard for her mid-life RCOH in August 2009. It’s the fourth Nimitz-class ship to undergo this major life-cycle milestone. Photo by John Whalen