Service to the Fleet - June 2020

DON'T MISS: NNSY HIRING VARIOUS TRADES AND PROFESSIONS

SERVICE TO THE FLEET Norfolk Naval Shipyard

We Are America's Shipyard

June 2020

HONORING THE FALLEN NNSY collaborates with City of Portsmouth and NSA Hampton Roads Portsmouth in honor of Memorial Day

NNSY TEEN NAMED VIRGINIA MILITARY YOUTH OF THE YEAR

Table of Contents

IN THIS ISSUE Features: 4 FROM THE COMMANDER: SHARED OWNERSHIP AT AMERICA'S SHIPYARD

5 NNSY PARTICIPATES IN

PORTSMOUTH MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS

6 HONORING THE FALLEN WITH MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

7NNSY RECEIVES FULL

AUTHORIZATION TO OPERATE IT SYSTEMS THROUGH MARCH 2023

8 NNSY HIRING ACROSS TRADES AND PROFESSIONS

CHAMPLAIN

22 NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH:

HOW AMERICA'S SHIPYARD HAS PROTECTED THE WORKFORCE DURING COVID-19

24 NNSY'S CARRIER TEAM ONE HOSTS TIMELINE TOUR

26 CODE 106 EARTH DAY TEAM GIFTS COMPLIMENTARY PLANTS TO SAIL LOFT PERSONNEL FOR MAKING MASKS

27 TEAMS BAND TOGETHER TO

PERFORM FIRST TIME MAINTENANCE ON USS GEORGIA (SSGN 729)

10 EYE ON INNOVATION:

14

NNSY PERSONNEL 3-D PRINT PPE FOR LOCAL MEDICAL FACILITIES

12 EDP HIGHLIGHT: SASHA NORFLEET

14 NNSY TEEN WINS VIRGINIA MILITARY YOUTH OF THE YEAR AWARD

16

15 NNSY WORKS SMARTER

UTILIZING DRONE TECHNOLOGY

16 SHIPYARD SPOTLIGHT: ZACHARY NELSON

18 NNSY’S ENGINEERING

AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS UPCOMING USS IWO JIMA AVAILABILITY

20 THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF NNSY'S WORLD WAR II AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS LAKE 2 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

10

20

VOLUME 83 • NUMBER 6 SHIPYARD COMMANDER Capt. Kai Torkelson EXECUTIVE OFFICER Capt. Daniel Rossler COMMAND MASTER CHIEF CMDCM Gene Garland EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (CODE 1100) Fred McKenna PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER Terri Davis SERVICE TO THE FLEET EDITOR Kristi Britt PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF Hannah Bondoc, Michael Brayshaw, Allison Conti, Floyd Logan, Troy Miller, Jennie Rentas, Jason Scarborough, Curtis Steward EMAIL THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE nfsh_nnsy_pao@navy.mil EMPLOYEE INFORMATION HOTLINE (757) 396-9551 FRAUD, WASTE & ABUSE HOTLINE (757) 396-7971 SHIPYARD RADIO ADVISORY 1630 AM SERVICE TO THE FLEET is a Department of Defense publication and is authorized for members of the DoD. Contents of Service to the Fleet are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the DoD, or Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Service to the Fleet is published monthly. Submissions are due on the 10th of each month. The public affairs staff reserves the right to edit submissions for content and brevity.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/NorfolkNavalShipyard1 FOLLOW US ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/NNSYNews

Service to the Fleet

MENTAL HEALTH AND POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) AWARENESS STORY BY JENNIEVETTE RENTAS • PUBLIC AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Life can become overwhelming, especially in today’s times.

People worry about work, home life, money, a worldwide pandemic and so forth. The days go by and the world continues to move from day to night but it does not make these worries fade from our minds.

Before you know it, you may start struggling with getting the proper amount of sleep, eating healthy meals, or losing focus at work or on a project. The world will feel as though it is consuming you, causing you to become angry or depressed.

Our minds run all day with all life’s drama necessary to place food on the table and being able to provide a roof over your head. Sometimes people experience interruptions in their lives not being able to define where they should move forward and remaining still due to previous trauma they have experienced.

Many will experience these feelings and have no idea there is a world out there willing to help them get through these trials that complicate life.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been long associated with military members returning from war.

However, many have been diagnosed with PTSD due to other traumatic events that have transpired at some point in their lives. For example, it can be someone who was involved in a robbery while withdrawing funds from an account at the bank. A location or experience may trigger a sensation to forever take them back to that event and cause them to panic. This can result in complications when it comes to interacting with others, being at work, or being present at any location where it will result in a memory

tied to that incident. Some may elect to receive counseling, cope with it on their own, and unfortunately, some may even choose suicide as their way of coping.

This is one of the many mental health illnesses many individuals cope with. Depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder are all examples of mental health illness. These conditions can become overwhelming when someone does not seek professional help or realize that it is available to them. There are resources available to assist employees at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY).

Know that you are not on your own and there is always someone there to assist, whether you are active duty military or a civilian.

To learn more about your options, please contact: • National Suicide Prevention Line: (757) 273-TALK - (757) 273-8255 • National Hope Line Network: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-7842433) • Department of the Navy Civilian Employee Assistance Program (DONCEAP): (844)-DONCEAP (844) 3662327 Domestic, (888) 2627848 TTY and 866 829-0270 International or visit www. navy.mil, www.facebook.com/ usnavy, or www.twitter.com/ usnavy.

• Military One Source: (757) 342-9647 • Fleet and Family: (757) 4442102

WATCH VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE www.youtube.com/NNSYBroadcast FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @norfolknavalshipyard READ STTF ONLINE www.issuu.com/nnsy JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 3

From the Commander, Capt. Kai O. Torkelson:

Shared Ownership in America's Shipyard

June is upon us, and what’s normally a month of great celebrations—graduations, weddings, Father’s Day and the like—is much more muted this year because of the continued challenges with COVID-19. Some of you may be parents who are unable to see your child walk across the stage and pick up their diploma; some of you may be postponing or downsizing your wedding plans. COVID-19 has had a way of both putting a damper on celebrations, and making painful experiences that much more difficult. While our country and Commonwealth have made progress in recent weeks in opening back up many services and establishments, many challenges remain in the current climate, and we’re all personally affected to some extent—some of us, to a great extent. I know many of you were unable to see your children or mom during Mother’s Day, and now will be in the same situation with Father’s Day. I just experienced my first Mother’s Day since my mom’s passing and my wife Beth will be experiencing her first Father’s Day without her dad—it’s that much harder experiencing some of these things with added stressors and physical distancing measures in place. I’m reminded of words from Admiral Chester Nimitz who provided a Mother’s Day message in 1942, during the thick of World War II: “This Mother’s Day finds your sons fighting for freedom on worldwide battlefields. There will be long periods of silence when your boys will be active at stations in far places from which no word can come . . . there will be losses along the road to victory. If it is God’s will that your son or mine be called to make the supreme

sacrifice, I know that we will face this stern reality as bravely as they do themselves.” While we aren’t actively at war, we are all in this battle against COVID-19 together fighting for the future health, prosperity, and even security of our nation, and it takes all our individual commitments to successfully navigate this challenging period in our national history.

Thanks to our shared ownership in working to minimize the spread across America’s Shipyard, we’re starting to return to some semblance of normalcy here as well, or at least establishing a “new normal.” Progress made in the last month included holding our first major command event in 2 ½ months with our annual Memorial Day observance, resuming many of our regularly scheduled trainings, and getting back to more of our usual activities within our work groups while still practicing prudent physical distancing and wearing face masks.

A lot of our collective energy since March has been in informing, safeguarding and checking in with our employees. Now that many measures are well in place, and quite successfully in many instances, we can begin to shift more of our thoughts and efforts to maximizing the mission of ensuring superior quality and reliable delivery back to the Fleet.

Among the positive outcomes I’ve seen in our response to COVID-19 include working as a high-performing team to quickly determine innovative solutions—some of these are in widespread response to conducting our work, like expanding shift options and enhancing teleworking capabilities. Others are smaller high-performing teams taking on a specific project, such as our cold spray team performing the first organically developed and executed cold spray repair in the history of the four public shipyards, or our team performing maintenance on USS Georgia (SSGN 729) and engaging our pipefitters to build and transport a mockup station so members could effectively prepare to execute the work onboard.

As I shared in my February 2020 Commander’s Comments, my resolutions for the year “centered on thinking differently,

challenging assumptions, taking targeted risk and no longer doing things that add no value.”

While I didn’t plan those resolutions with COVID-19 in mind, they all apply directly to our current environment. I’ve seen some great examples of our C.O.R.E. value of Ownership with you, our shipyard employees, seeing every problem as an opportunity to learn, improve, innovate and teach. In addition to our great innovations, I’ve seen us curtail or eliminate some functions across the shipyard that were of uncertain value. As an organization, we should take a long look and ask ourselves some key questions before reinstituting some of those after we get through this pandemic. Are each of these a requirement? Do they directly support achieving excellence in repair and modernization of ships and submarines? Is our conservatism to certain processes holding us back from challenging assumptions and taking targeted risk?

I wanted to extend a thank you to everyone who supported the Navy’s annual Hurricane Exercise (HURREX) last month!

We must all remember that hurricane season is upon us and it won’t be on hiatus just because we’re dealing with COVID-19. If anything, facing these dual threats emphasizes the importance of having ample supplies on hand and being prepared for a variety of emergency scenarios, even the potential of dealing with them concurrently. Great job to our Code 1130 all-hazards team and Code 800 emergency management staff for helping to get us ready for hurricane season.

Now that the standard has been set across the installation, we must practice the continuous ownership in maintaining it and caring for our cleanliness zones. We’ve seen the dangers of what may happen when we don’t, with one of our teammates being injured in April due to flying debris in a severe storm shattering his office window.

Given my passion for history, there are two key anniversaries in June that I wanted to mention, both in relation to World War II. June 26 will mark the 80th anniversary of the $17 million contract for building Dry Dock 8 on a cost-plus basis was announced.

Co's Comments Continued on Page 23

4 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

Left to Right: The Honorable Mayor John Rowe, City of Portsmouth, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard Commander Capt. Kai Torkelson lay a wreath for the fallen at High Street Landing Flagpole Stage as part of the City of Portsmouth's Memorial Day Observance; Veteran Employee Readiness Group Member Ricky Burroughs places a flag on the grave of a fallen service member at the Captain Ted Conaway Memorial Naval Cemetery; Mayor Rowe and Capt. Torkelson march in the procession as part of the City of Portsmouth's Memorial Day Observance.

NNSY Participates in Portsmouth Memorial Day Events STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTOS BY DANNY DEANGELIS • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) collaborated with the City of Portsmouth and Naval Support Activity (NSA) Hampton Roads Portsmouth to observe Memorial Day in honor of the fallen May 25. Physical distancing was practiced as part of the precautions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this did not stop NNSY from showing support for those that paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the nation.

This year was meant to host a full-fledged 136th Annual Portsmouth Memorial Day Parade, one of the oldest Memorial Day parades in the country. However, with COVID-19 precautions still in effect, the city had to downsize the highly anticipated event to ensure the safety of those in attendance. This consisted of a small procession featuring the City of Portsmouth’s Honorable Mayor John Rowe, NNSY Shipyard Commander Capt. Kai Torkelson as the grand marshal, a color guard, and police and firefighter responders making their way to the High Street Landing Flagpole Stage to lay a wreath for the fallen.

“Throughout our nation, citizens are celebrating this special day where we remember those brave men and women who gave their life in service of our country while serving in the armed forces,” said Mayor Rowe. “As President Abraham Lincoln said in his famous speech at Gettysburg, we’re here to honor those who ‘gave the last full measure of devotion’ to our country. And although COVID-19 limits citizens across the nation, in the Commonwealth and in Portsmouth to gather in large commune to honor those who died while serving, we are here today to honor those brave men and women in any way we can. I urge all citizens in the City of Portsmouth to remember these brave women and men in their own small way.”

Capt. Torkelson said, “Thank you to the City of Portsmouth for allowing us to participate in this time-honored tradition on this solemn day. I thank you for honoring those who gave their lives for this country and our freedom. If you look back in history at some of the great battles that were fought, one of the first things to occur at the conclusion of those battles was honoring those who gave their lives. They would come together in divine services to honor those who were killed, honoring those who gave their lives for our freedom.”

He added, “This day touches each of our hearts in some way, remembering those we’ve lost – whether it be family or friends who are no longer with us. I want us all to take a moment and remember them, honor them, cherish them. They paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom and we will never forget them.”

In addition, the NNSY Veteran Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) attended the Memorial Day Flag Placement Ceremony at the Captain Ted Conaway Memorial Naval Cemetery in Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, teaming with NSA Hampton Roads Portsmouth to place flags at more than 880 graves of fallen service members from eight countries.

“We’ve been doing this for about eight years and it’s wonderful to see members of our base and those with the NNSY VET-ERG come together to show our support for our fallen service members,” said NSA Hampton Roads Portsmouth Site Director Kenneth Pugh.

“We’re able to safely pay our respects for those who gave their all in defense of our nation and I am very proud of all of those who came out today and each day to honor these brave men and women.”

VET-ERG President Nicholas Boyle said, “We’re very happy to be here to support this great cause in honor of our fallen. It’s a tradition that our team holds dear to our hearts.”

VET-ERG Founding Member Jonathan Echols has come out to the cemetery for six years to place flags on the graves of the fallen.

Even in a pandemic, he worked hard to ensure the event continued stronger than ever. “We come out here diligently every year to place these flags on these honorable grave sites,” he said. “It’s an honor to be able to participate and assist our brothers and sisters here at NMCP to ensure these brave men and women are honored for their sacrifices. Being a veteran myself, this is a tremendous opportunity and we’re doing our part to ensure our safety while honoring our fallen brothers and sisters. Even though COVID-19 is still a looming presence for our country, we still have the ability to show respect and honor the fallen this Memorial Day. I encourage others to do their part in remembrance of the fallen.”

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 5

From Left to Right: Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Commander, Capt. Kai Torkelson, speaks at the Memorial Day Fall-In for Colors. "We stand here today in solidarity both as dedicated members of Norfolk Naval Shipyard and as proud Americans," said Torkelson; NNSY Veteran Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) Information and Awareness Officer Nate Benton stands ready with the VET-ERG flag; The NNSY VET-ERG displays a Battlefield Cross during the Memorial Day Fall-In for Colors made out of the personal effects of shipyard veterans to represent their fallen brothers and sisters.

NNSY Honors the Fallen with Memorial Day Ceremony STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS BY SHELBY WEST • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER

Each year in May, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) members come together to observe Memorial Day in remembrance of the service members who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States Armed Forces. The NNSY Veteran Employee Group (VETERG) aimed to continue their annual celebration of life for the fallen heroes despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The group did so by putting precautions in place to effectively provide physical distancing while still honoring those who are “Gone, But Never Forgotten.”

The NNSY VET-ERG held the Memorial Day Fall-In for Colors May 19, inviting the civilian workforce, Sailors, and tenant command employees to come together to pay respects to those who have passed.

“We observe Memorial Day to honor the service members who sacrificed their lives in service of the United States Armed Forces,” said Shipyard Commander Capt. Kai Torkelson at the ceremony.

“Today is a day of remembrance and reflection honoring the many lives lost, many perishing in the prime of their lives and leaving so many loved ones behind to treasure their memories and honor their legacies. We stand here today in solidarity both as dedicated members of Norfolk Naval Shipyard and as proud Americans.”

The VET-ERG team held a wreath dedication during the ceremony and crafted a symbolic Battlefield Cross out of personal effects of shipyard veterans to represent their fallen brothers and

sisters. In addition, NNSY’s Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department (Code 2340) Assistant Shift Test Engineer (ASTE) William Silke returned to play a rendition of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes for the second year in a row – a skill he took up 14 years ago in honor and celebration of his uncle, New York Police Department Officer Stephen P. Driscoll who passed away Sept. 11, 2001. Lastly, Ret. MSgt. Tom Draper provided his service as a bugler for the event, playing “Taps” in honor of the fallen.

“The observance of Memorial Day is one of the biggest events conducted by the VET-ERG and in spite of current restrictions, we wanted to ensure that it happened to help boost the morale of our NNSY family,” said VET-ERG President Nicholas Boyle.

“The requirement of physical distancing prevented the larger scale contribution of past years, but we didn’t want to lose the key elements, so with the necessity to scale down the event, we ensured that the major components of the program were kept. This was all coordinated by members of the group, on short notice, due in part from the evolving policy enacted as a response to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. It once again shows how well our veterans can answer the call when requested.”

For more information regarding the VET-ERG, contact Boyle at Nicholas.boyle@navy.mil.

NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD RECEIVES FULL AUTHORIZATION TO OPERATE IT SYSTEMS THROUGH MARCH 2023 STORY BY GENE CHRISTOPHER • CODE 109.21 CYBERSECURITY DIVISION ASSESSMENT AND AUTHORIZATION BRANCH MANAGER PHOTO BY BIANCA WILSON • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER

Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) IT Department recently received a full Authorization To Operate (ATO) its information technology (IT) systems through March 2023.

Security and compliance are primary considerations to ensure continued safeguarding of IT systems within America’s Shipyard.

With an ATO issued by the Navy Authorizing Official (NAO), NNSY cyber IT and cybersecurity functions throughout the shipyard are permitted to operate safely and securely.

“This means our legacy Shipyard Local Area Network (SYLAN) is given permission to provide the computing services our NNSY staff need to roll out the finest services to the fleet,” said Kevin Williams, NNSY Cybersecurity Division Head (Code 109.2). “Without the ATO, the SYLAN network would be issued a denial to operate and no cyber IT services would be available on the shipyard. This would mean no payroll data would be transmitted to DFAS. No data collaboration between NNSY and the other shipyards would be permitted. Every SYLAN function on the base would cease to exist, until the effort to attain a good ATO was executed.”

The action of ensuring our DoD/DON/NNSY computing devices, which include sites, systems, and applications, operate without risk of compromise, or loss of data, is known as Cyber Risk Management.

Central to this is the Risk Management Framework (RMF). The RMF provides a vehicle to evaluate the security posture of our NNSY computing devices and provide an assessment to the officials who permit operation of these devices within the DoD Information Networks (DoDIN).

The authorizing officials, both at the NAVSEA Functional level and at the Navy level, provide RMF oversight permitting the NNSY staff, with NAVSEA 04 ECH II support, to request the ATO be granted for a three-year period.

Once that process is complete and an ATO is granted, the NNSY staff will roll efforts into the RMF process known as Continuous Monitoring.

This involves ensuring correct Cyber IT Lifecycle Management strategies are in place and continue to be used, as well as a

function Information Assurance Vulnerability Management (IAVM) program is utilized to correctly support the continued operation of the computing devices.

At the core of the success is the combined efforts of many NNSY branches and divisions, working in unison to provide the correct presentation of the ATO request.

From the Cyber IT engineers within the C109.1 division, led

by Gary LaFon, who replaced over 450 NNSY SYLAN legacy desktop within a one week period, to the C109.3 division, led by Becky Yates, who manages the acquisition processes in the Cyber Lifecycle, including the procurement and warehousing of the 450 desktops that were deployed, to the C109.2 division, led by Kevin Williams, who hosts the C109.21 Assessment and Authorization team, led by Gene Christopher, made up of many Security Control Assessors (ISSE), as well as the embedded RMF Fully Qualified Navy Validators (NQV), who provided the glue merging RMF pieces together.

NAVSEA 04 efforts, led by Eric Mallo, effectively coordinated with Code 109 on the ability to present three separate ATO requests at the same time.

Commending the efforts of Acting Chief Information Officer Bobby McClure, NNSY senior civilian Curt Hart said, “Bobby came in and has done remarkable things to improve staffing, training and operations which have allowed him to get us to this point. Huge BZ to Code 109 and Mr. McClure!”

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 7

NOW

Norfolk Naval Shipyard Hiring

STORY BY ALLISON CONTI • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTOS BY SHELBY WEST • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) is currently hiring eligible workers across various trades and professions. As the fourth largest employer in Hampton Roads, NNSY offers employees the opportunity to serve their country as a member of a team that is a critical provider for the U.S. Naval Fleet while earning a competitive salary and generous benefits.

The shipyard is seeking candidates to variety of production and support positions. Currently, NNSY is hiring Boilermakers, High Voltage Electricians, General Electricians, Shipwrights, Marine Machinery Mechanics, Information Technology Specialists, Contract Specialists, and Engineers. Along with these positions, the shipyard is recruiting candidates for its Helper to Worker Program, an entry level program across various trades for those with minimum experience looking to start a career.

Job seekers interested in joining the NNSY team can apply for one or more of these jobs either through USAJobs.gov or by submitting an application to the Human Resources (HR) department at FLTHRO_NNSY@navy.mil. Complete details on eligibility, qualifications, benefits, and application instructions are listed in the online recruiting announcement for each position.

8 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

NNSY is actively recruiting those transitioning from military service, the private sector, other federal positions, and recent high school, trade school, and university graduates. According to Human Resources Specialist Cindy Dehne, “We are looking for missionfocused applicants who are committed to the team, NNSY, and the Department of the Navy. Specifically, we want enthusiastic, informed candidates that possess the requisite knowledge, display enthusiasm, and have the ability to create positive change throughout the organization.”

While the shipyard is seeking experienced tradespeople for several positions, there are multiple programs in place for job seekers looking to learn a trade and build their career. Specifically, NNSY offers the Entry Level Engineer (ELE) Program, the Apprenticeship Program, the Pathways Program, and most recently the Helper to Worker Program.

The ELE Program provides challenging and rewarding careers for recent engineering graduates in one of the largest concentrations of engineers on the East Coast. NNSY’s robust mission-essential work includes conversion, overhaul, repair, alteration, construction, dry docking and outfitting ships as craft as well as performing

HIRING

Across Trades and Professions manufacturing, research, development, and test work which provides engineers with vast opportunities to develop their expertise. NNSY recruits engineers from multiple disciplines and fields who hold a degree from an Accredited Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) institution. Currently, the shipyard is recruiting recent graduates with the following engineering degrees: Civil, Electrical, Electronic, Environment, Industrial, Material, Marine, Naval Architecture, Nuclear, Ocean, Safety, Structural, and Welding.

The NNSY Apprenticeship Program is an intense and highly challenging four-year program in which students pursue academic training, including college level courses and trade theory, combined with on-the-job training, which prepares them to become skilled journeymen. Candidates must possess a high school diploma or a GED and take a college placement test to apply. Applications for the program are accepted February – April annually.

The Pathways Internship Program also offers students the opportunity to combine academic studies with work experience. The program provides students in high school, college, or trade school paid opportunities to work and explore federal careers while completing their education. Employees in the pathway program typically begin

work in June.

Finally, the Helper to Worker Program at NNSY is designed to meet the long-range needs of the shipyard by providing quality workers, skilled to assist in the repair, overhaul, conversion, and modernization of ships in support of fleet readiness. No experience is required for this entry-level program; however, previous training or experience can be evaluated and impact the pay level at which the trainee is hired. Employees in the Helper to Worker Program will receive trade theory courses provided by shipyard instructors, onthe-job training, core tasks, and take competency exams. NNSY is currently recruiting candidates for the program and those interested should submit a resume to FLTHRO_NNSY@navy.mil.

For more information on working for America’s Shipyard, interested applicants can visit NNSYJobs.com or view open positions on USAJobs.gov.

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 9

EYE ON INNOVATION

Code 2330 Nuclear Engineer David Shamblin used his personal 3-D printer to print PPE that was donated to Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk, Virginia.

“YOU MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE WHEN YOU HELP OTHERS”: NNSY PERSONNEL HELP LOCAL MEDICAL FACILITIES IN FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS BY DANNY DEANGELIS • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and medical professionals work around the clock to care for those affected, there has been a need for equipment and a call-to-action for those willing to assist. For many, this meant simply following the guidelines set forth by their state, donating what they could. However, some took a more innovative

10 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

approach to ensure those working on the frontlines were well equipped for the challenges at hand.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Code 105.7 Radiological Control Technical Qualification School (RCTQS) Instructor Aaron Bass saw an opportunity to help. Being friends with two Infectious Disease Doctors at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, he heard directly what frontline workers were experiencing.

“As we are all dealing with the impact of COVID-19 in every aspect of our lives, we are seeing and hearing about the struggles it is placing on the health care community,” said Bass. “Like most hospitals and medical facilities around the country, Sentara Norfolk General was facing a significant shortage in the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to continue to protect the health care workers that we rely on to take care of those affected by this virus.”

Bass explained that the hospital estimated that there may not be enough supplies to last through the coming weeks with the rate of patients being admitted to the hospital. “This isn’t an isolated problem but one that is being experienced in every community, in every corner of America,” said Bass. “My friend working on the frontline in the hospital said that he was on the verge of using a bandana as a last resort for PPE and it offered little protection.

When I realized that I could possibly do something to help I felt obligated to do whatever I could.”

Bass recently bought a three-dimensional (3-D) printer after losing one of his index fingers at the beginning of 2020 as a way to construct a prosthetic in his time of need. Fairly new to the technology, Bass was able to find several open source files online to help construct a substitute respirator and face shield mount that

Code 105.7 RCTQS Instructor Aaron Bass saw an opportunity to help Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and used his personal 3-D printer to print substitute respirator and face shield mounts for the medical teams. best fit the needs of the medical team at Norfolk General.

“I was inspired by the outside the box thinking and actions at all the shipyards. I also drew inspiration from all the efforts NNSY had been put in place to ensure our employees had proper PPE and cleaning supplies to minimize the spread,” said Bass. “I worked with my friends to find the best fit for their team and provided them with printed PPE that could be used throughout the hospital. The feedback I’ve received from the medical team has been sheer gratitude for my help.”

Bass continued, “I recognized that the scope of the current crisis affects everyone and it is something that requires effort from everyone to overcome. We rely on medical personnel to be there to help us when we are sick and in need, and if we don’t take care of those people who are on the frontline there won’t be people there to help when we need it. If we have the ability to help, I feel like we have a moral obligation to act.”

Bass, who is currently teleworking, is thankful to those who have risen to the challenge to face COVID-19 head on, whether they be medical professionals, or essential workers like those on the waterfront maximizing the mission of the Navy. “What I have accomplished on this effort is minimal compared to the folks who are reporting to work at the shipyard every day and getting the job done – working to protect our country. Many of them are working tirelessly to ensure we have the proper equipment and protection to face the challenges safely - they are the ones who deserve the most credit. Thank you for all that you do.”

Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department Director Curt Hart relayed Bass’s success up the chain to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Executive Director James Smerchansky.

Impressed with this initiative, NNSY was provided point of

contacts to share corporately and expand this capability well beyond Hampton Roads. Bass’s design files were shared around with other NAVSEA sites around the country and the Navy now has shops on both coasts using 3-D printing to create the much needed PPE supplies.

Another NNSY employee who found a way to help those in need was Code 2330 Nuclear Engineer David Shamblin. He also has a personal 3-D printer, and is working to print PPE utilizing the National Institute of Health (NIH) files available. When he reached out to his shipyard team to share his efforts, Code 2330.5 Training Branch Head Kevin Katula shared that his wife, who worked at Sentara Obici Hospital in Suffolk, Virginia, was experiencing a shortage of PPE. “I wanted to reduce scarcity for needed PPE and give frontline workers the tools they needed to be successful in helping to treat others. Since I had the equipment and ability to do it, I did it,” said Shamblin. “I used a face shield design from the NIH approved for clinical settings. I secured materials including printer filament, clear plastic shields, and headbands, and got to work.”

He was able to turn over face shield frames to the hospital, receiving gratitude from the workers for his high-quality prints and the utility of the designs. Shamblin explained that the workers have been so impressed that they have looked to him to continue his printing efforts not only for face shields, but also for ventilator adapters so that one ventilator can be used for up to four people.

Shamblin noted that this effort to assist has grown more than he ever thought possible, all thanks to the power of the internet and communication. “I posted an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace asking if there were further needs among frontline organizations for 3-D printed PPE and together with other individuals we started a group to coordinate efforts within the area to manufacture and deliver PPE to those in need. Individuals were able to assist in any way they could, including donating materials. What started as a simple gesture turned into a wave of assistance. The ventilator adapter has involved a few of us from our group, including an engineer from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley who made the final design for print. We’re all coming together and facing whatever challenge to help wherever we’re needed – bringing our own skills to the plate to overcome whatever hurdle stands in our way.”

As the country continues to combat COVID-19, Shamblin is hopeful thanks to those who do their part for their community. “You make the world a better place when you help others. Things are hard enough right now as it is, so I’m hoping that all the people doing what they can is making this whole situation a little more bearable,” he said.

“My advice is if you want to help, do what you’re good at and leverage your abilities. Join a group that’s making PPE and offer to distribute or organize their spreadsheets if that’s your thing. Do your part to help protect yourself and others – be leaders in ensuring we all have the protection we need to minimize the spread.”

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 11

EDP HIGHLIGHT: Sasha Norfleet

STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST

For nine years, Code 105 Radiological Engineer Sasha Norfleet has dedicated himself to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) and being someone his fellow shipyarders could turn to for assistance. What has become a lifelong career for him was something he never dreamed of having in his younger days.

Norfleet graduated from Old Dominion University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s of Science. His original intent through school was to pursue medical school following his graduation; however, he felt he wasn’t on the right path.

“I am very big into health, fitness, and the medical field so I thought this was what I wanted to do with my career,” said Norfleet. “However, after four years of undergraduate it just wasn’t something I felt was in the cards for me.”

Looking for a next step, he was encouraged by his family to try his hand at America’s Shipyard.

“My parents were both nuclear engineers and said that I could build a future at NNSY. They were able to support us growing up and very proud of their careers. My dad was someone I always looked up to and I wanted to be someone like him, someone who could make my family proud and provide for those that mattered to me. So I applied and got accepted to the NNSY team and have been growing in my career in Radiological Controls ever since.”

As he continued to pursue ways to better himself in his career, Norfleet spoke with Addis Woldetsadik, Brian Darden, and Mike Williams – three previous graduates of the Executive Development Program (EDP). They shared with him what the program was about and encouraged him to apply. “I began filling everything out and a few days before the application was due I felt myself not wanting to pursue this venture, saying to myself that I could always try again 12 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

next year,” said Norfleet. “However, these men stayed on me and built up my confidence to follow through. And it was honestly one of the best decisions of my career. Because they believed in what I could accomplish, I was able to apply and was accepted into the 2020 program.”

Norfleet was recently selected as one of the four candidates in Cadre 9 of the EDP and is excited to build up his skills as a future leader of the shipyard.

“There’s so many things I hope to accomplish with the EDP,” said Norfleet. “I want to learn how to network with others and learn about the organization as a whole. Many of us in the EDP have been bottlenecked in our codes and all we really know is our codes and what we do every day. Therefore, I want to understand the big picture by learning the organization, the leaders of our organization, and to come out of this experience as a better leader. I want to learn what true leadership can be.”

The EDP is a six-month program designed to give qualified personnel the opportunity to experience, firsthand, the leadership competencies and styles, as well as the operational parameters and guidelines, that make up the total picture of successful naval shipyard operations. To learn more about the program, visit https://webcentral.nnsy.navy.mil/ departments/c900/C900CU/leadership%20developement/NNSY%20Executive%20 Developement%20Program.aspx.

Getting to Know Sasha Norfleet Q. What is some advice you’d give to your fellow shipyarders?

A. One of the biggest things I think more people need to do is to drown out the naysayers. Negativity is all around us every day, overpowering and causing us to lose sight of the positives in our lives. There’s always going to be someone out there who wants to bring you down. But if you want to accomplish something, don’t let their negativity dictate your decisions. Pursue your dreams and build yourself up to be the best you can be.

Also if someone is out there offering you advice or constructive means to better yourself, listen to what they have to say. They are actively taking the time to help you be better and their advice can help you succeed in ways you never thought before.

Q. Are there any mentors you’ve had that have played a role in your career?

A. Honestly, there are so many out there that have helped me along my path in life. I never really thought I had any official mentors until I started looking back at my career and realized that mentors don’t always come where you expect it. They can come in all shapes and sizes, helping to lead you down your path. Their input can be a few conversations like Mike, Brian, and Addis who saw potential in me and pushed me to pursue the EDP. Or someone like my father, who to this day I still look up to, who always taught me to pursue my dreams and be proud of what I accomplished. The multiple mentors throughout my life have helped shaped me into the man I am today and I’m very thankful for them all.

Q. Talk a little bit about your family and life outside of work.

A. As I said, I’m a huge health and fitness guy. I actually run a little gym from my garage called Hard Knox Gym – which is named after my one-year-old son Knox. He’s my wife and my miracle baby and he helped pave the way to this exciting adventure about a year ago.

We were so thankful to have our son; however, being as my time was spent between the shipyard and helping my wife take care of our baby, I was unable to make it out to

my previous gym to work out every day like I was used to. So we decided as a family to start gathering equipment at home to keep up our fitness journeys. What started out as our own personal place of fitness soon turned into a full community gym. I have twenty or so people at my house throughout the week working out, a diverse group of personalities all working together to be our best selves. We’re working together to achieve our fitness goals and it’s honestly one of my biggest accomplishments I’ve done in my life building this from the ground up. I’m extremely proud of Hard Knox Gym and my family.

Oh and we also have a little book club as well, the Hard Knox Book Club – which encourages all of us to read and share what we’ve learned from these books. We all have a goal of 20 books through the year and it’s been fun to encourage one another as we pursue these goals of ours and share our differing opinions.

Q. What do you hope will be your legacy at the shipyard?

A. I want to be the leader that everyone can come to no matter what. If someone had a problem they needed help with, they could come to me and talk to them. I would listen and help them where I could. And if I didn’t have an answer, I could help them find someone who could assist. I’m a people person and genuinely care about everyone I work with. So I want to be able to do what I can to help them succeed, personally and professionally, just as others have done for me in my career.

I want everyone to feel they matter and are heard when they come to me. Because everyone deserves to be heard.

WHAT IS THE EDP? The Executive Development Program, or EDP, is an annual program that opens its doors to candidates with a common goal: to learn from senior leadership from across the enterprise.

It's a competitive, corporate program across the four public shipyards. It's open to all NNSY civilians who are at a permanent GS-12 or GS-13 level who've been in their position for at least one year.

Each candidate is given the opportunity to directly mentor under some of the most influential senior leaders within America's Shipyard. In addition, they get to travel to the other public shipyards as well as Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Headquarters.

For more information about the program, please contact Danielle Larrew at danielle.larrew@navy.mil.

From Left to Right: Norfolk Naval Shipyard's (NNSY) Executive Development Program (EDP) Cadre 9 - Code 2370 Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department (NEPD) Training Branch Head Matt DeLong, Code 254 Naval Architect Rachel Yarasavich, Code 105.2 Radiological Engineer Sasha Norfleet, and Code 361 Nuclear Zone Manager Robert Jarman.

NNSY Teen Wins Virginia Military Youth of the Year Award STORY BY ALLISON CONTI • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTO COURTESY OF NNSY TEEN CENTER AND JAIDYN JOHNSON Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019-2020 school year has looked a lot different than any previous year. Yet, for Jaidyn A. Johnson, a junior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth and a member of Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Teen Program, the obstacles set in place by COVID-19 have not stopped her from achieving great things. On Apr. 17, Johnson competed against five other military teens from across Virginia to be named the Virginia State Military Youth of the Year. The competition, which is typically held in-person, was conducted using Zoom video chat this year.

Despite the different setting, Johnson did not miss a beat and became the third teen from NNSY’s program in consecutive years to win the title.

The award is the state-level of the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) Youth of the Year competition. The competition was established in 1947 to celebrate the accomplishments of young people from across the country. The military youth of the year category was introduced in 2013 to recognize outstanding teens served by BGCAaffiliated youth centers on U.S. military installations worldwide.

There are four levels to the Youth of the Year competition: local, state, regional, and national.

Prior to winning the state award, Johnson won locally and was named the NNSY Youth of the Year. According to NNSY’s Teen Program Coordinator Joshua Kester, she was selected because of her character and leadership traits. Kester described Johnson as a “strong, purposeful and vibrant young woman.”

With a grade point average of 4.12, Johnson is currently the second in her class. At school, she serves as the Vice President of National Honor Society, secretary for her student government, and as a commanding officer for Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (NJROTC). She has been an active member of NNSY’s Teen Program for four years. In that time she has taken on leadership roles including serving as the Vice President of the Keystone Club and as the installation’s youth representative on the Youth Sponsorship Council.

Additionally, Johnson has led multiple community service projects for the local military community including the annual Back to School Bash which helps provide local families with school supplies.

Johnson herself is a proud military child – her mother is an active duty sailor in the U.S. Navy. Along with her mother, her loving family includes her grandmother and younger sister. She hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps and serve her country. Johnson’s goal is to attend Clark Atlanta University and pursue a naval career as a Military Family Psychologist.

The teen program and the NNSY Youth Center have been central to Johnson’s development as a leader. She said, “The youth center has helped me navigate through the overwhelming pressure to succeed and find my passions. Because of that, I want to be an advocate for my peers to let them know that they should not feel forced to take the traditional route, but instead trust, embrace and admire the uniqueness of their process.”

14 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

Jaidyn A. Johnson, a junior at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth and a member of Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Teen Program, was named the Virginia State Military Youth of the Year for 2020. She is the third teen from NNSY’s program in consecutive years to win the title.

Child Youth Programs (CYP) is operated by Fleet and Family Readiness and strives to support military youth within the community by offering both a school age care program and a teen program. Kester said, “Our teen program offers a fun and safe environment for the teens in our community to participate in a variety of activities.”

Some of the activities include the Keystone Club, community service projects, field trips, college tours, and “a chance to meet teens from other military installations in our region,” Kester added.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration for Johnson had to be delayed; however, Kester said they are planning on holding one after things are deemed safe and physical distancing restrictions are relaxed. But the competition for Johnson is not over. Next fall, as she starts her senior year of high school, Johnson will compete for the title of Southeastern Military Youth of the Year. If she wins, she will go on to compete for the national title.

Kester has full faith that Johnson will do well in the competition and in the future. He said, “Jaidyn has overcome a lot of obstacles in her life and through that she has gained confidence in herself. Through hard work and her own self-confidence, she has accomplished a lot and I am certain she will continue on that path. I believe that she is a great example of how if you believe in yourself and work hard, there is nothing you cannot achieve.”

Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Refueling Security Branch (Code 1124) Drone Pilot John Powell, Branch Head Robert Hale and Drone Pilot Jose Del Olmo demonstrate the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also known as drones, used to evaluate damage caused by a recent storm.

NNSY Works Smarter Utilizing Drone Technology STORY BY ALLISON CONTI • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTO BY BIANCA WILSON • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER A recent project at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) utilized collaboration and innovation, putting the adage “work smarter, not harder” into practice. After NNSY was hit by a destructive storm April 13, various departments worked together to assess the damage and speedily make repairs under the direction of NNSY’s Nuclear Engineering and Planning Manager (NEPD) Curt Hart.

The storm, which took place on Apr. 13, caused damage to several buildings. In one building, two large windows were blown out, shattering on the floor. No employees were injured, but the area needed to be assessed before repairs could begin. Hart was concerned performing a traditional inspection of the area would have taken weeks to complete. Instead, Hart called upon Security and Fire (Code 1120) and the Public Works Department (PWD) to use drones to assess the damage.

According to Refueling Security Branch (Code 1124) Head Rob Hale, “by using the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), also known as a drone, for observation, we were able to save significant time that would have been required to construct staging for access to the involved areas.”

Hale and his team worked with Public Works Officer Commander William Butler and Engineer Chris Boucher to plan the flight and identify a launch site for the drone. Additionally, they partnered with NNSY’s Duty Office and Police Department so they

were aware of the project.

The flight produced direct visual observation and still photos of the areas of interest. The images captured confirmed engineers suspicions that the building had failing window fasteners and provided details that would not have been able to be captured without drone support.

An evolution of approximately 90 minutes saved several weeks’ worth of time and effort. “This saved time and money, eliminated the need for personnel to perform high-risk work, and provided better support for the Fleet by getting the critical shop resources located inside the building back in action quicker,” said Hale.

The project paved a path forward at NNSY to utilize drones on work previously done by personnel such as rooftop inspections, crane boom inspections, and in confined spaces. The shipyard’s Technology and Innovation (T&I) Lab has begun working to determine how UAS can be used industrially. NNSY plans on using drones to support emergent security and fire situations and emergency management.

Keeping employees safer, getting critical work done faster, and saving resources while doing it – that really is working smarter, not harder.

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 15

Welding Shop’s Nuclear Welding Supervisor Zachary Nelson has been welding for Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) since 2011 and has recently been praised for his maintenance work on the USS Georgia (SSGN 729).

SHIPYARD SPOTLIGHT: ZACHARY NELSON

STORY BY HANNAH BONDOC • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST | PHOTOS BY DANNY DEANGELIS • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER A leader is only as good as its team--Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Welding Shop’s Nuclear Welding Supervisor Zachary Nelson put this belief into practice when he took it upon himself to train team members on the USS Georgia (SSGN 729) to perform recent maintenance down at Naval Submarine Base—Kings Bay. Although he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, Nelson is just as familiar with Virginia as he spent summers with his grandparents at the beach. His grandfather used to work at a yacht repair center near NNSY and was familiar with the shipyard’s apprenticeship program.

Before graduating from Hillsboro High School, Nelson applied to the program. “I gained entrance into a couple of colleges, but I figured I could meet my financial goals here if I worked my way up,” he said. “I also didn’t want to be in debt from college.” A few months after moving to Virginia, he was admitted to the program and became an apprentice in 2011. Having grown up off-roading and knowing how to weld on trucks, he pursued welding, working his way up to a supervisor position in Code 926.

Performing the recent maintenance on Georgia included various mock-up and training products that Nelson developed to train his fellow welders on specific techniques, working side-by-side with them and demonstrating what to do. “If I asked someone to do something,” he said, “I was right there with them, but also let 16 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

them lead with what they were doing.”

Nelson and his team also had to work within COVID-19 protective measures. “We had to heed questionnaire screenings similar to the ones here at NNSY to get back on base,” he explained.

“We did what we could to protect each other, such as wearing masks and gloves.”

Despite the obstacles, Nelson and his team worked with pinpoint accuracy, and accomplished the job ahead of schedule. The maintenance was expected to potentially take months to complete, but was finished within a week and a half.

Nelson credits his ability to lead others to his own mentors at NNSY, such as Code 926 Supervisor Chad Baum and Zone Manager Ken Little. “They are not just bosses, but more like older brothers to me,” he said fondly. “They don’t just tell you what to do, they are right there with you and they show you what to do.”

He also wanted to give credit to Curtis O’Neil, the fellow welder who was at his side the most during the work on Georgia.

“He was my backup,” Nelson explained. “If I needed something, he was right there. He deserves as much credit as I do, along with the other welders.”

Nelson received recognition and praise for his accomplishment on the Georgia from his leadership. “Mr. Nelson faces every

9 Things You May Not Know About Zachary Nelson 1. He loves going to the beach.

Welding Shop’s Nuclear Welding Supervisor Zachary Nelson came to work for Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) through the apprentice program and has recently been promoted to a supervisor position.

2. His favorite color is black.

3. His favorite food is blue crabs.

4. His favorite music is reggae.

5. His hobbies are fishing and boating.

6. His favorite memories growing up were going to the beach with his grandparents.

7. His favorite shows are Outer Banks and The Office.

8. His hero growing up was his grandfather.

9. One of the favorite quotes is from his grandfather: "If you empower people, they empower themselves." challenge that comes his way with energy, enthusiasm and a desire to plan for success,” said Code 926 Welding Superintendent Chris Comar. “As a highly-skilled welder and more recently as a Nuclear Welding Supervisor, Zach has prioritized mission over personal life numerous times to support the demands of the job. His selflessness and commitment to being part of a successful team makes him a pleasure to work with, and his overwhelming competence and knowledge make him integral to the team’s success.” Code 926 Nuclear Director Matt Melvin Myers agreed and added, “The training and execution of the maintenance was a big team win for the Code 926 and NNSY.” Nelson’s leadership skills and his team’s hard work have set a precedent of teamwork that represents the excellence that NNSY strives for. As Program Manager Commissioned Submarines (NAVSEA 08) William Knoll said, “This success shows what we all know NNSY is capable of on a grander scale.”

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 17

WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER: NORFOL PLANNING DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS UPCO

STORY BY MICHAEL BRAYSHAW • LEAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2 Saving time, reducing personnel on travel, and harnessing beneficial technology while practicing smart behaviors to prevent COVID-19 are just some of the ways Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Engineering and Planning Department (Code 200) is effectively supporting an integrated shipcheck onboard USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) in Mayport, Florida.

Even in a good month with favorable conditions, coordinating a shipcheck takes a lot of time, effort and planning. Shipchecks provide vital information for the development of Ship Installation Drawings (SIDs), which in this instance will be supporting modernization work during Iwo Jima’s upcoming Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA). To coordinate this effort, NNSY’s Code 200 Planning Yard collaborated with Naval Surface Force Atlantic (COMNAVSURLANT), Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC), NAVSEA’s Surface Ship Modernization Program Office 18 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

(PMS 407) as well as ship’s force to plan an effective and integrated shipcheck with respect to the current concerns related to COVID-19.

Teaming between these entities had both a spirit of collaboration and sense of urgency, as coordination and execution of advanced planning for the shipcheck happened in less than a week when it usually takes a month.

With continued concerns about minimizing travel and downsizing large teams as practical, Code 200 was able to assemble a team of 12 planning yard engineers, a fraction of the originally planned 62 personnel, to travel to Mayport. To minimize the spread of COVID-19 while maximizing the mission of supporting Iwo Jima’s upcoming availability, Code 200 is providing personal protective equipment to its team members as well as sanitizing stations onboard the ship. “The Planning Yard shipcheck coordinator worked with the ship’s [Executive Officer] and Medical Officer to ensure compliance

LK NAVAL SHIPYARD’S ENGINEERING AND OMING USS IWO JIMA AVAILABILITY

2ND CLASS MEGAN ANUCI with the ship’s safety requirements and support of daily health screenings,” said Gil Vieira, Code 280 Planning Yard Division Head.

“Planning Yard personnel will undergo daily temperature checks and health assessments, in accordance with the CUSFF/NAVNORTH COVID-19 Screening Questionnaire, before going onboard the ship. All our engineers will follow bubble-to-bubble protocol, with shipcheck team members travelling individually using their own vehicles or rental cars. Code 200 is committed to continue to support to the fleet while protecting the well-being of its employees.”

In regards to how the Planning Yard is able to meet its mission with less than one-fifth of the onsite team’s initially expected size, Code 200 is effectively capitalizing on both technology and teleworking. A small cross section of hull, mechanical and electrical engineers, in adherence with COMNAVSURFLANT safety measures, will ensure data collection is attained for the drawings supporting upcoming

execution of essential modernization work onboard. Concurrently, additional Planning Yard engineers, many of whom are currently teleworking, will use three-dimensional scans from previous shipchecks, as well as drawings developed for similar alterations on other amphibious warfare vessels, to support continued drawing development for alterations scheduled for shipcheck this September.

“These are great demonstrations of what our high-performing teams are capable of, even while contending with COVID-19,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Kai Torkelson. “I thank the members of Code 200 for their personal leadership and resilience during this challenging time as we continue to minimize the spread and maximize the mission.”

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 19

Great Lake: The Fascinating History of NNSY's World War II Aircraft Carrier USS Lake Champlain STORY BY MICHAEL BRAYSHAW • LEAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARCUS ROBBINS • SHIPYARD HISTORIAN

Before it became a facility dedicated to maintenance and modernization almost 70 years ago, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) used to build ships.

In the case of World War II, sometimes 27,000 ton ones.

June 3 will mark the 75th anniversary of commissioning the NNSY aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain (CV-39). Commissioned a couple months before World War II ended in Japan, Lake Champlain didn’t serve in those battles. However, it would set speed records for returning troops back home, provided vital support during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and served as the primary recovery ship for America’s first manned flight into space. In just two decades of service, the ship nicknamed “the straightest and greatest” was recommissioned, twice redesignated, sailed the world, and participated in some of the most pivotal moments of the Cold War era. Its service history might not have been the straightest, but by its decommissioning in 1966, it could lay its claim among the greatest.

NNSY devoted a lot of time, manpower and resources to building its three carriers during World War II because of their expected value in the Pacific theater. As the second in line behind the USS Shangri La (CV-38), Lake Champlain finished nine months ahead of schedule despite having to contend with multiple construction priorities and shifting tradesmen around the shipyard. Mass production methods with prefabricated parts and central purchasing of equipment greatly aided construction.

Quickly constructed, speediness came to be a defining quality of Lake Champlain’s legacy. Less than six months since commissioning, Lake Champlain was already making history, making the fastestever crossing of the Atlantic Ocean carrying home more than 5,000 Americans from Europe as part of Operation Magic Carpet. The carrier averaged 32.048 knots while cruising the 3,360.3 nautical miles from Gibraltar to Chesapeake Bay in four days, eight hours and 51 minutes.

As one of a whopping 24 Essex-class carriers— the most robust ship class of the 20th century—built within a 3 ½ year period, Lake Champlain faced an uncertain future once the war ended and troops were

20 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

back stateside. Mothballed in February 1947, it sat in the reserve fleet for more than three years. Two months after the start of the Korean War in June 1950, Lake Champlain began conversion as part of the SCB-27A modernization program. With the unique distinction of getting a rebuilt superstructure and flight deck, but no angled flight deck and hurricane bow, Lake Champlain became the last U.S. carrier in operation without an axial flight deck.

Recommissioned in September 1952, the carrier became the largest ship to transit the Suez Canal in its 83-year history on the way to the Pacific. Now redesignated as an attack carrier, Lake Champlain earned that label as flagship of Carrier Task Force 77.

In the final six weeks of the Korean War, the carrier’s air group rained down on North Korea’s bunkers, trenches, runways and large guns, escorting bombers and providing air support to ground soldiers until a signed truce on July 27, 1953.

After the ship was converted a second time, to an antisubmarine carrier (CVS-39) which became official in August 1957, Lake Champlain spent a relatively quiet few years until it would make history again as the prime recovery ship for America’s first manned flight into space, Freedom 7. NNSY’s carrier that brought more than 5,000 heroes home at the end of 1945 would again play host to another American hero following victory, this time on May 5, 1961. Just 11 minutes after splashdown, Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard was onboard the carrier to take a congratulatory call from President John F. Kennedy. Four years later, Lake Champlain would subsequently serve as recovery ship for the Gemini 2 and Gemini 5 missions.

Prior to that, the carrier still had another historic role to play during Kennedy’s presidency. On October 24, 1962, the carrier pulled into position supporting the quarantine of Cuba, where the Soviet Union was building bases for offensive missiles. The naval blockade, fortified by the carrier, was a key contributor preventing military supplies from reaching Cuba and forcing the withdrawal of the Soviet missiles.

With the Navy recommending Lake Champlain for modernization as part of its Fiscal Year 1966 budget, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara demurred due

Above: USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) was the second of three aircraft carriers constructed at Norfolk Naval Shipyard during World War II; Bottom Left: Lake Champlain served as the prime recovery ship for America’s first manned flight into space, Freedom 7, on May 5, 1961; Bottom Right: Lake Champlain during construction in Dry Dock 8 with this photo taken July 4, 1944.

to concerns about limited capabilities of anti-submarine carriers. Lake Champlain was decommissioned May 2, 1966.

NNSY’s three carriers built during World War II were all part of the Essex-class. In the last two years of the war, this class provided crucial support to the Pacific theater, beginning with centralized raids in the region and the invasion of Tarawa. Coming full circle, NNSY’s last carrier—the USS Tarawa (CV-40)—commissioned December 1945, was named in honor of that bloody but pivotal battle that transpired two years before. During the war, Essex-class ships protected other naval ships, supported troop landings, bombed Japanese islands, and provided vital transport of soldiers and aircraft.

They were bombed, torpedoed, and crashed into by kamikaze pilots.

Not a single Essex-class carrier was sunk.

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 21

NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH: HOW AMERICA'S SHIPYARD HAS PROTECTED THE WORKFORCE DURING COVID-19 STORY BY MICHAEL BRAYSHAW • LEAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTOS BY DANNY DEANGELIS • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER Observing National Safety Month at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) is usually devoted to highlighting important efforts like electrical safety and fall protection. This June, the health and safety issue of greatest workforce concern is minimizing the spread of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Since COVID-19 impacts began at NNSY in March, shipyard leadership across all departments worked to swiftly brainstorm innovative ways to both conduct work and attain—or in many cases, make--vital supplies and equipment. New processes like enhanced screening at the shipyard gates and physical distancing during work evolutions, along with equipment like handwashing stations and face masks, have all helped NNSY minimize the spread while maximizing the mission.

In one of the most visible and immediately beneficial measures, NNSY began enhanced screening procedures April 22 for installation entry, with personnel taking temperatures and asking questions to ensure employees are not exhibiting any symptoms or at increased risk for having COVID-19. NNSY was the first installation in the region and first of the four public shipyards to conduct temperature checks at its gates. Improvements were already made to the process within a matter of days, both for employees and to assist supervisors in the event personnel are denied access. In addition to NNSY implementing a daily self-screening website created by its Nuclear Corporate Training Initiatives Division (Code 2360), the Duty Office began providing employees real-time gate traffic updates on their phones via AtHoc. The Turn Around Hotline was implemented May 1 for shipyard supervisors to call if they have questions when one of their employees is denied access to NNSY due to a screening problem.

Per guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, handwashing is more effective than using hand sanitizer for preventing COVID-19, which prompted the shipyard attaining and installing handwashing stations in early April. Operated via foot pump, these stations were placed in 18 locations around the shipyard including all major docks and servicing piers. Technicians service the stations several times per week to ensure they are fully supplied and operational.

Shipyard personnel were also provided additional time at lunch to practice thorough handwashing and hygiene.

When faced with the challenge of ordering cleaning supplies and sanitizer early in the response, NNSY’s Supply Department coordinated with NNSY’s Safety, Health and Environmental Department (Code 106), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Mid-Atlantic Regional Materials Test Laboratory (Code 134) in assembling cleaning kits and making sanitizer from scratch using the World Health Organization (WHO) recipe. To increase accessibility, the Supply Department also established refilling stations for hand sanitizers and disinfectant sprays in convenient locations throughout the shipyard. These supplies are

22 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

used on a frequent basis thanks in part to NNSY designating several cleaning times throughout the workday.

Further bolstering workforce safety and health, employees were issued multiple facemasks in April to change out and launder as needed. A coordinated effort between NNSY’s Sail Loft, Insulation Shop and teleworking employees produced more than 40,000 of these cloth face masks to distribute across the workforce. Personnel are required to wear them if physical distancing is not maintained while on the installation. In addition, personnel are required to wear them in several areas, including onboard submarines and at the NNSY Branch Medical Clinic.

While members across all levels of the workforce have learned much in recent weeks about preventing spread and what actions to take in certain situations, questions still come up. On this front, the shipyard’s Code 106 has been assisting supervisors with the COVID-19 desk guide, providing helpful guidance on engineering and administrative controls in addition to safe work practices and information on how to obtain face mask and cleaning supplies. Code 106 has also been conducting ongoing safety surveillances across the shipyard to identify workspaces and common areas where personnel are not practicing effective physical distancing or wearing the appropriate face mask.

“Per our C.O.R.E. Ownership value, we are each responsible for our attitude, behavior, decisions and all their positive and negative consequences,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Kai Torkelson.

“That very much applies to our COVID-19 response where we are each responsible for making smart decisions to protect ourselves and our co-workers. And as important as our larger efforts like enhanced screening are, preventing spread is also on each of us as individuals by wearing face masks, thorough handwashing, not touching our faces, frequently cleaning surfaces, and maintaining sufficient distancing.

These practices take a daily commitment on our part, and we must keep up our dedication to minimizing the spread in America’s Shipyard.”

He added, “Your safety, security, health and well-being are my top priority. During this challenging time, shipyard leadership is continuing to do everything in its power to ensure a safe work environment, protecting the safety and health of our coworkers, ship’s force, all those within Norfolk Naval Shipyard.”

Co's Comments Continued From its infancy as a construction site for our World War II carriers to currently hosting the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), over eight decades of service the Navy’s sole carrier dry dock on the East Coast has proven its value to the Fleet time and again. Related to that anniversary, on June 3 we will mark 75 years since the USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) was commissioned. As the second of three carriers built in America’s Shipyard during World War II, Lake Champlain wasn’t used in battle during World War II, but it was utilized in several other interesting ways during its 20-plus years of service.

You can read about this fascinating history in the article on page 20.

I wanted to update everyone on the progress being made on NNSY’s Production Training Facility. It’s been almost a year since we held the official groundbreaking for this facility that will consolidate our shipyard training in a convenient, modernized facility befitting our high-performing teams at America’s Shipyard. I was just on site recently and saw some of the great progress being made. Now that foundational work is complete, we’re starting to see the building take shape, with the first structures such as the stair and elevator towers rising out of the ground. We’ve got 25 trucks worth of steel beams and girders being delivered in the next few weeks, with installation beginning late this month. This multistory, multifaceted facility is one of our biggest initiatives yet as part of NAVSEA’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan (SIOP), and it’s exciting to see America’s Shipyard being rebuilt for its next 250 years of service.

Summer officially begins this month, and we have a busy one on deck while working to complete USS Wyoming (SSBN 742), undocking USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and USS San Francisco (SSN 711), and completing our portion of the S8G overhaul at NPTU Ballston Spa, New York, all while starting work on USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75).

Thank you for all you continue to do as we collectively minimize the spread and maximize the mission. Committed to our C.O.R.E.!

Capt. Kai Torkelson Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s 108th Commander

Past, Present, and Future: Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s Carrier Team One Leadership Aligns the Old with “Timeline Tour” at February Event STORY BY HANNAH BONDOC • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTOS BY GREG BOYD • NNSY VIDEOGRAPHER Carrier Team One (CT1) is a knowledge sharing and improvement program that connects people across the carrier (CVN) community to help solve and improve maintenance related issues. Whether looking for specific information and solutions, or to improve a process, CT1 has allowed people to ask questions, improve upon the current practices, and share proven practices back to the community.

Keeping everyone aligned on moving forward and reiterating the team’s purpose while learning from the past across the national expanse of the carrier maintenance professional community was a top priority for Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) CT1 leadership members Program Director Kelly Souders and Assistant Process Master Kendra Dildy. Thus, they developed a way to meet this priority with a CT1 “Timeline Tour” at February's Winter Event in celebration of 25 years of CT1 orchestrating the learning to improve carrier availabilities.

The Winter Community Event is an annual CT1 conference where representatives from our shipyards, engineering centers, contractors, ship’s force and outside experts come together for three days of keynotes by admirals, influential leaders, and knowledge management experts. With a typical attendance of 250 to 300 people, the event conducts different workshops and panels on how to meet Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) goals for on time 24 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JUNE 2020

delivery of ships. Traditionally held on the West Coast, this year the program’s leadership decided to hold it in Maryland, allowing more participants from the Hampton Roads region, District of Columbia, and other East Coast locations to attend. This year’s convention title was “Building for Tomorrow: Linking Past, Present and Future for Continued CT1 Success.”

Souders, Dildy, and CT1 leaders strived to meet several goals when they planned this year’s convention. The goals were to strengthen CT1 strategy alignment to Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) priorities; expand the partnerships across the CVN Maintenance Community; leverage human creative capacity with digital tools to enhance innovation; brand the experience for those new to CT1; and recognize historic CT1 successes and methods in a way that excites both old and new. And, thus, the idea of the CT1 Timeline Tour museum was born.

The tour was intentionally scheduled after keynote addresses on day one of the event, and laid out the theme of the convention— the past, the present, and the future. As Souders explained it, the tour was designed to enable the attendees to connect CT1’s past and present with the initiatives of the future as they go through each session of the convention.

To add to the visuals of the historical installation, Dildy and Souders also obtained historical artifacts from the program’s past

LEFT: On average The Carrier Team One (CT1) Winter Community Event has 250 to 300 people in attendance. Carrier Team One (CT1) is a program that has been connecting people within the NNSY carrier community to discuss and assist on a variety of carrier related issues; ABOVE: Carrier Team One’s (CT1) Program Director Kelly Souders addresses attendees at the CT1 Winter Community Event; BELOW: With the help of NNSY Historian Marcus Robbins, the Timeline Tour showcasing the history of the group included Carrier Team One (CT1) artifacts and informational displays that attendees could read to learn more about CT1’s past. with the help of NNSY Historian Marcus Robbins. Creatively producing a true multi-media approach, the tour was much more than a walk down memory lane. As Dildy said, “By keeping people captivated, they will not get tired and will learn something,” “We felt like we had to revisit the past,” Souders added, “because we needed to not only prove our program’s validity and value to the new generations, but also show what it’s done for the maintenance community.”

Spanning over 70 years, the historical display provided an overview for where the program is presently and its goals for the future by tying them to real world events and the way the Navy impacts them. “This tour was meant to showcase the successes and failures of our predecessors,” Souders explained. “This made everything easier for people to remember.”

Most importantly, the “Timeline Tour” served as a documented testament of the many ways that CT1 has connected various organizations in a team approach to improving carrier availabilities. “The only reason why we’ve succeeded is because of senior leadership’s buy-in and the strength of our partnerships across the organization—not just at a senior leadership level, but also throughout the workforce,” said Souders. As this year is only the beta test of the tour, the team hopes to continue using it in the future to help train its current employees and future generations.

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 25

Gratitude Comes in Green: Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s Earth Day Team Gifts Complimentary Plants to Sail Loft Personnel

Environmental Engineer Samantha Hindle and Earth Day Team Leader Jagruti Patel from Environmental Engineering (Code 106.31) present spider plants to the Sail Loft as a gift for making masks for Norfolk Naval Shipyard's (NNSY) workforce.

STORY BY HANNAH BONDOC • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTOS BY DANIEL DEANGELIS • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER Known for its spider-like flowers that dangle from the plant itself, Chlorophytum comosum or the “Spider Plant,” is one of the most adaptable houseplants and has been trendy since Victorian times. Because of its ability to adapt, it is not only an ideal gift for new gardeners, but also the perfect way for Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Earth Day team to express gratitude to Sail Loft personnel for making face masks for the workforce, according to Environmental Engineering’s (Code 106.31) Earth Day team leader Jagruti Patel.

NNSY’s Earth Day event, where different environmental groups come to educate shipyarders about their work and what people can do to help, has been going on for the past five years. The main goal of the event is to promote people’s awareness of their environmental impact and how they can improve it. For instance, not only do the vendors educate the attendees about the environment, but guests are also encouraged to choose a pledge to cut down on their own negative impacts on the environment in exchange for a free tree.

Pledges include buying local products to reduce carbon emissions, reducing energy consumption by unplugging electronics when not in use, repairing or reusing broken things to cut down on waste, or using reusable straws.

As is tradition, this year’s annual event required meticulous planning months ahead of time to coordinate 23 environmental groups, guests, acquire materials such as saplings and recycling bins, and other tasks that only an extensive team could accomplish. For Patel, who has been volunteering with the team since 2017, this year was her first in charge of coordinating the event.

One can imagine Patel and the team’s disappointment when they had to be cancel the Earth Day event due to distancing guidelines put in place in response to COVID-19. “We had already sent out 26 • JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET

the invitations and had posters made,” Patel explained. “As always, Earth Day was supposed to bring the shipyard together.” Despite the change, the team did not let the circumstances stop them from celebrating Earth Day – the commemoration just looked a little different than normal. They were determined to put the plants they hand grew for the event to good use.

The code passed out over 1,000 Bristly Locust saplings throughout the shipyard in advance of Earth Day, leaving them in buckets around the shipyard for people to take home. To date, almost all of the plants have been picked up, and now reside in the care of hundreds of NNSY employees.

The commemoration did not stop there. When Patel heard about NNSY’s Sail Loft making face masks for the workforce, she wanted to express the shipyard’s gratitude and did so by gifting the Sail Loft employees with spider plants. “They stopped what they were doing to provide face masks for the NNSY workforce,” she explained. “They thought of us first, so I thought we should return the favor.” She ran the idea by her team and after receiving a unanimous approval delivered the plants.

Patel made it clear however, that the Earth Day initiatives would not have been possible without her team. “Without our volunteers, neither the spider plants we gifted nor Earth Day would not be possible,” she said. “These are not jobs one person can do by themselves, but require a team effort to achieve our desired results.”

The Earth Day celebration might have been cancelled this year, but it is set to return in 2021. The Earth Day Team has already begun to look for volunteers. To volunteer, contact Jagruti Patel at (757)-3962170 or jagruti.patel@navy.mil.

The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729)(Gold) returns to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga. Ohio-class guided-missile submarines are capable of carrying up to 154 tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. The base is home to all East Coast Ohio-Class submarines.

Teams Band together to Perform First Time Maintenance on USS Georgia (SSGN 729) STORY BY TROY MILLER • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTO BY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS ASHLEY BERUMEN The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic forced people to alter the way they go about completing a task or a mission regardless of how complex it may or may not be. When USS Georgia (SSGN 729) arrived at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay for maintenance, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department Kings Bay (NRMD-KB), Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay (TRF-KB) and ship’s force had to take some imaginative leaps to come up with a creative strategy to get the job done.

“Before the pandemic, I would’ve sent a team from NNSY to Kings Bay to take care of the maintenance,” said Nuclear Special Emphasis Group Project Superintendent (Code 361) Joseph Singer.

“I couldn’t do it this time, because there were travel restrictions due to COVID-19.”

With an abundance of communication between all entities, what may have been unimaginable weeks ago was successfully done.

“NNSY had a few teams working on USS Alaska (SSBN 732).

We pulled them from their current duties and turned them into a combined team,” said Singer. “In addition, a fly away team that was already in Kings Bay joined the cause along with NRMD-KB, TRFKB, engineers, and ship’s force.”

While it often takes members of a new team time to develop a bond with one another and learn how to best work together, Code 2320 Nuclear Engineering Supervisor Michael Hougard said the entities supporting Georgia quickly rallied around the common goal of successfully completing maintenance on the boat ahead of schedule.

“They all went in there with a first-time quality attitude and that is what they delivered,” said Hougard.

As if the guidance for COVID-19 of wearing facemasks and social distancing wasn’t challenging enough, there was an even bigger obstacle the team had to overcome.

“This was the first time this crew performed this particular

maintenance,” said Hougard.

Pipefitters from NNSY’s Shop 56 built a mock up station which was shipped to Kings Bay. They practiced the maintenance first using this valuable training tool, ensuring they knew how to execute the procedure before moving on to Georgia itself.

“People like Zachary Nelson, a seasoned welder, stepped up and passed on his skill and experience to the other team members,” said Singer. “This was the best teamwork I’ve ever seen.”

As with any project, there were people working behind the scenes, ensuring that the main crewmembers had what they needed in order to complete the task.

“TRF-KB provided temporary services and staging areas,” said TRF-KB Production Management Assistant Cmdr. Timothy Pratt.

“We also let them use some of our facilities that were larger in order to keep them safe with more room for social distancing.”

Despite the obstacles that occurred along the way, the workforce found a way to overcome them, not keeping them from completing the mission.

“Their can-do attitude went a long way to get the job done in a matter of a couple of days, that could’ve taken them one to two weeks to perform,” said NRMD-KB Director David “Chip” Gaskins.

The way everyone worked as a team and believed in the mission, Singer saw something he knew all along.

“Regardless what the challenges are, whether it’s dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic or making sure we have the right people on the job, everyone involved proved NNSY can move mountains.”

JUNE 2020 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 27

C-FRAM FRAUD SCHEME AWARENESS JUNE EDITION: BIG RIGGING

Businesses Collude So That A Competing Business Can Secure A Contract

FEDERAL EXAMPLE

DOD EXAMPLE

In Sept. 2019, a former Veterans Affairs contracting official, Dwane Nevins, a small business specialist, pled guilty to corruption in connection with a scheme to rig bids for federal contracts. Nevins admitted to accepting payments from Anthony Bueno, Robert Revis, and an undercover FBI agent in return for helping manipulate the bidding process for two medical equipment contracts.Conspiring with Nevins, Revis and Bueno agreed to submit fraudulent bids from service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses under contract with their consulting company so the contracts would be set aside for those companies. The conspirators concealed payments to Nevins through kickbacks or payments for sham training classes.

Nevins also used his position at VA to extort $10,000 from the FBI agent. Nevins was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.

In Apr. 2020, a South Korean company agreed to pay the U.S. $2 million to settle allegations of rigging bids for Department of Defense (DoD) fuel supply contracts. The proposed settlement resolves the government's claims that Jier Shin Korea Co. Ltd. and its president, Sang Joo Lee - in conjunction with five other firms - engaged in anticompetitive conduct for fuel supply services to U.S. military bases in South Korea, effectively inflating prices for DoD. It also resolves civil claims against Lee and his firm for making false statements to the government regarding their agreement not to compete. This is the sixth and final agreement DOJ has reached related to the bid rigging scheme; the department previously agreed on settlements totaling over $205 Million with the other involved firms.

INDICATORS (RED FLAGS) Range of bid prices shows a wide gap between the winner and other bidders; all contractors submit consistently high bids; continued presence of glaring price increases; qualified constractors do not submit bids.

LEARN MORE TODAY Check out the C-FRAM site on WebCentral under C100CE for more information.

Need to report fraud? Contact the NNSY Hotline today at 757396-7971 or NNSY_IG_HOTLINE@navy.mil.