Features:
3 SHIPYARD TRIVIA
4 FROM THE COMMANDER: NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW YEAR, SHIPYARD WORKLOAD AND HIRING EFFORTS
5 USS JOHN WARNER ENTERS MAINTENANCE AVAILABILITY
6 SHIPYARD INSIDER
7 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH GRAPHIC BY COLE FRASER
8 CODE 130 QUALITY EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM CELEBRATES LATEST FLIGHT 3 GRADUATE
9 CFRAM FRAUD SCHEME AWARENESS: EXPORT LAWS
10 EYE ON INNOVATION: NNSY’S DAN STANLEY SPEAKS COLD SPRAY AT SURFACE NAVY ASSOCIATION
12 NNSY CELEBRATES MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY AND BLACK HISTORY MONTH
13 BLACK HISTORY MONTH GRAPHIC BY COLE FRASER
14 CODE 900 PRODUCTION RESOURCE DEPARTMENT RECOGNIZES EMPLOYEES WITH CONFERENCE ROOM NAMING CEREMONY
15 USO BIRTHDAY GRAPHIC BY MARISA BERKEY
16 SHIPYARD SPOTLIGHT: SANDRA WALTON
18 OUR YARD HISTORY: THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF DRY DOCK 2
20 HEART HEALTH MONTH GRAPHIC BY JUSTIN DEBRAUX
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SHIPYARD COMMANDER
Capt. Dianna Wolfson
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Capt. Randy Reid
ACTING COMMAND MASTER CHIEF
MMACS (SS/EXW) Matthew Purkins
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (CODE 1100)
Brad Crosby
ACTING PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
Alan Baribeau
SERVICE TO THE FLEET EDITOR
Kristi Britt
PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF
Michael Brayshaw, Troy Miller, Erica Miranda, Marcus Robbins, Curtis Steward
VISUAL INFORMATION DIRECTOR
Jason Scarborough
VISUAL INFORMATION STAFF
Marisa Berkey, Danny DeAngelis, Justin
Debraux, Cole Fraser, Lorenzo Raines, Shelby West
EMAIL THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE nnsy_pao@us.navy.mil
EMPLOYEE INFORMATION HOTLINE
(757) 396-9551
FRAUD, WASTE & ABUSE HOTLINE (757) 396-7971
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.
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I write extensively about the old Norfolk Navy Yard but occasionally I enjoy looking even further back in time when it was under another name. Just after the United States Navy Department was created on April 30, 1798, this shipyard location was referred to as the United States Navy Yard Gosport.
The first physical footprint expansion of the shipyard property occurred to the west between modern day 2nd and 3rd Streets from Lincoln Street proceeding south, these were all privately held residential lots purchased (1826 - 1833). It is here where three large officer quarters are constructed along with other huge two-story brick storage and supply buildings of which most are still standing today.
Also, much larger tracts of open land beyond the Shipyard's early southern boundary are procured in the same timeframe, it is here where eventually the stone dock is constructed (1827 - 1834).
When you can view up-close and personal an artifact, it brings history alive. Such an artifact is an actual Navy Yard Gosport boundary marker stone as displayed within the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum located at #2 High St, Portsmouth, Va., 23704.
minimizing time lost during handoffs and transitions.
Hello, America’s Shipyard! Starting a New Year is one of the best opportunities we have annually for self-assessing and identifying where to get better. In many ways, resolutions mark a renewed commitment to just doing the necessary work. They can absolutely be professional as well as personal. Regardless of which side of the fenceline they fall on, for resolutions to be successful you have to first believe you can do it. I believe we can be successful this year as ONE TEAM. But I also believe for us to reach the goal line, we must appreciate we are in this together. It’s critical to our ability to achieve excellence as an organization—our successes and failures are shared.
There’s been a lot of energy and focus on getting better as ONE TEAM the past two years. As we enter 2023 we must concentrate on bringing that collaboration fully to bear on our ONE MISSION in timely and dependable service to the Fleet with the essential safety, cost and quality. The initiatives we have been focusing on, whether they be our Strategic Framework, Naval Sustainment System—Shipyards (NSSSY) initiatives or Get Real, Get Better (GRGB) behaviors, they all support the drive in helping us to get better in our business. The real investment is in our planning. Don’t Give Up The Shift isn’t about working harder or faster in execution, it is about working smarter in our planning. It is here that we will reap the dividends to more effectively and efficiently accomplish our work,
Supporting our ONE MISSION, we are in the process of rebaselining our workload which requires a thoughtful balance of our available personnel with the work we have on deck. Changes can be required to our baseline plan as emergent work, shifts in operational schedules and other circumstances come into play. We must deliver our vital strategic assets back to sea where they belong. We are working to complete our rebaselining package by the end of this month. And it’s a big deal for us, it’s our commitment to ourselves and to the Fleet!
With new opportunities in the New Year and related to the rebaselining discussion, we just docked USS JOHN WARNER (SSN 785) on Wednesday for its Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA). If that type of availability sounds like a mouthful, there’s a workload to match, with major maintenance and modernization upgrades throughout the boat. Similar to USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75), we’ve had extensive preparation with our stakeholders, are aligned on proven Project Management Fundamentals, have an exceptional project and Ship’s Force partnership, and will leverage NSS-SY initiatives and GRGB behaviors to self-correct as needed, and ensure a winning and unified ONE TEAM focused on on-time delivery.
To be effective in all our work this year, we need the right number of people to accomplish it. NNSY started FY23 with an aggressive hiring goal bringing 1,410 people onboard for our workload the next two fiscal years. Welcoming new teammates is significant to training and readying ourselves for an increased workload. To achieve this, we have focused on process improvements to streamline both external and internal hiring. As an organization, this is both one of our highest priorities and biggest challenges. Here’s how you can help: as we have made some parts of the hiring process smoother, our biggest constraint is getting enough medical appointments for pre-hiring physicals. Unfortunately, one reason that’s a problem is because
we are having high rates of missed appointments for medical surveillances. As part of our ONE TEAM mindset, understand an appointment made should be an appointment kept! If you believe you are unnecessarily enrolled in a surveillance program, tell your supervisor. Every single person involved in this makes a big difference, as every missed appointment is also a missed opportunity to onboard a new employee to help us meet our ONE MISSION.
Thank you in advance for all the many ideas and accomplishments you will bring to bear on our mission in 2023. Together, let’s make it an awesome year! #wegotthis
Capt. Dianna Wolfson Commander, Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) personnel successfully docked the submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) for the shipyard’s first Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Virginiaclass Extended Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA), Jan. 11.
A CNO availability is more extensive than other maintenance availabilities and is scheduled with the approval of the CNO. During an EDSRA, the submarine is drydocked to enable hull, propulsion system, and modernization upgrades, allowing the submarine to remain fully operational for its planned service life.
“This is a first not only for America’s Shipyard but our corporation as a whole, as we dock our first Virginia Class Block III, providing critical repair and modernization upgrades to one of our nation’s greatest assets,” said Shipyard Commander Capt. Dianna Wolfson. “Our extensive preparation has positioned us well for a very strong start to this availability.”
Block III refers to submarines procured during the third, or Block III, Virginia Class acquisition contract. Block III submarines are redesigned, enabling a cost avoidance of approximately 20 percent in acquisition costs.
“Preparations for this availability required extensive teaming and learning from both Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as they have executed Virginia-class CNO availabilities in the past,” said Jed Sweigart, project superintendent. “The project team has been teaming extensively to complete the
work package. This partnership has been excellent as we prepare to service John Warner.”
Commissioned Aug. 1, 2015, John Warner is the 12th Virginiaclass attack submarine and the first ship to bear the name of Senator John Warner, former Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia who passed away May 21, 2021. Warner served as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1999 to 2001, and again from 2003 to 2007. The submarine, under the operational command of Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic, arrived at NNSY following a deployment where it directly supported the nation’s maritime strategy.
“We have aligned on goals and standards using proven Project Management Fundamentals and, with valuable input from our stakeholders, self-assessed some of our biggest challenges on this project. Now as we move into execution, we can self-correct and improve by fixing or elevating barriers as they arise all while continuing to build a winning and unified team founded on ownership, trust and respect. We do have an exceptional team,” said Wolfson.
Wolfson added, "this Get Real, Get Better Framework will absolutely keep us laser focused as ONE TEAM serving our ONE MISSION. We will also be leveraging Naval Sustainment System – Shipyards initiatives through extensive planning to ensure on-time execution – working together with our fellow shipyards to streamline the best Virginia Class practices and processes for on-time delivery.”
Congratulations to Shop 72 of NNSY’s Lifting and Handling Department (Code 700), winner of the October 2022 Safety Flag! Shop 72 has elevated itself in safety performance with ongoing surveillances, weekly meetings examining safety data and trends, and emphasizing safe work evolutions during training. This is the shop’s first safety flag win of the year.
For many retiring employees, retirement doesn't mean they won't work anymore. Some of them are even offered jobs to work for local contractors. That usually can be done without violating any ethics rules, even if they accept jobs to do similar work that they did as government employees. But, there are laws -- even criminal laws -- that may apply in some situations. For example, if you were a program manager or were on a source selection team for a large contract, or if you ever took official action that had an impact on any contract, your choice of post-government employment may be restricted. The best and safest bet is to consult with an ethics counselor in the legal office prior to accepting a job with a contractor.
If you have any questions, please contact the Shipyard Office of Counsel (Code 107) at 757-396-8625.
All Department of the Navy (DON) mandatory and required training shall be completed, documented, and tracked in Waypoints - transitioning from Automated Training Management System (ATMS) and Total Workforce Management System (TWMS). Trainings will be available in early 2023 for all users and will be able to be found under the "Learner Home" tab. Reminder that shipyard employees can access Waypoints at https://don.csod.com/. For users who do not have a computer account, local activities will have computer based training labs or classroom training sessions will be made available. For more information, contact NNSYWaypointsDivisionAdmins@us.navy.mil. Weekly Waypoints update meetings are held every Wednesday at 9 to 10 a.m. via Microsoft Teams. For more information or to sign up for a future session, contact Shelly Simpson at shelly.a.simpson2.civ@us.navy.mil or email NNSYWaypointsDivisionAdmins@us.navy.mil.
Individual certificates of appreciation were presented to Kenny Bullock and Joshua Jones for their efforts in contributing to a safer workplace. (Photo by Danny De Angelis, NNSY Photographer.)
STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • NNSY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST I PHOTO BY SHELBY WEST • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER
Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Quality Assurance Department (Code 130) recently celebrated the graduation of Code 135 Non-Destructive Test Inspector Jonathan Brazas from the Quality Employee Development Program (QEDP) Flight 3.
The 16-week course helps employees develop a plan for their career while developing their skills overall in becoming high performing, results-oriented leaders in their field.
“Code 130 is fully invested in the development of every employee, both in their respective position as well as their overall career,” said Code 130 Workforce Development Instructor Roy Gilbert. “The department managers realize that people will develop at different rates based on their abilities and motivation. The program was developed to further advance Code 130 employees’ personal growth and improve their overall understanding of America’s Shipyard, organization, and operation. Participants aim to work through six terminal learning objectives with this course - knowing themselves, building their team, developing leadership, knowing the department, knowing the organization and building the future through innovation.”
Each flight typically consists of six to 12 participants who attend 16 four-hour sessions utilizing assessment tools,
knowledge transfer activities, writing and briefing projects, and individual coaching. Flight 3 was a unique case due to the timeframe of the launch only able to welcome one full-time participant to the ranks; however, Code 130 Quality Assurance Director Maria Williams is expanding the sessions to open enrollment to allow more participants to develop their skills while providing a better experience overall for Brazas in his journey in the QEDP.
"The QED program taught me many lessons that can be applied to work and all other aspects of life,” said Brazas. There is always room to improve, and this program can help anyone expand who they are professionally and personally. The experiences I gained have helped reframe my perspective on how everything in the shipyard works at a macro and micro level. I learned what my natural strengths are and how to form interdependence with others. It has helped to reinvigorate my desire for continual self-improvement."
Code 130 employees interested in participating in a future QEDP Flight can contact their division head or Roy Gilbert for an application or to learn more about the program. You can also visit https://webcentral.nnsy.navy.mil/Departments/ C130/C130S/Lists/Opportunities/AllTraining.aspx.
Export Control Laws are in Place to Protect U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and Economic Interests Without Imposing Undue Regulatory Burdens on Legitimate International Trade. An Export Control License is the U.S. Government's Mechanism to Allow and Trace Transfers of Export Controlled Technologies.
On December 21, 2021, a former U.S. Navy sailor was sentenced to 30 months in custody and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine for conspiring with her husband to illegally export sensitive military equipment to China. Ye Sang "Ivy" Wang used her position in the Navy as a Logistics Specialist First Class to purchase military equipment and have it shipped to her husband to sell to Chinese buyers. From 2015 to 2019, she used her military email and mailing address to order devices, including one used to identify U.S. military personnel in the field. It was shipped to her command while she was deployed and she informed her command it was camping equipment for her husband.
When she returned from deployment in October 2018, she was interviewed regarding her husband's activity. Despite that, she still picked up the package and gave it to her husband. While she was on deployment, she provided her email and password to her husband to pose as her and continue to order items, knowing those items were being sold in China.
Her husband, Shaohua "Eric" Wang plead guilty on September 26, 2019 to selling export-controlled U.S. military equipment to China and to enlisting his wife to purchase the items for resale. He also admitted to maintaining a warehouse in China to house the military equipment and traveled back and forth frequently. He was sentenced to 46 months for his role on February 3, 2020.
Items are missing from inventory; Employee is living beyond their means; Missing or altered documentation.
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 757-396-7971 or NNSY_IG_HOTLINE@navy.mil.
Some speak to people numbering a division or zone. Others speak to personnel spanning a department. And then there’s NNSY’s Dan Stanley, who spoke to representatives across the entire surface Navy at the annual Surface Navy Association (SNA) Symposium, Jan. 10-12.
Stanley, a NNSY mechanical engineer supervisor, temporarily detailed to NAVSEA Headquarters, was asked to speak about the benefits of Cold Spray. Cold Spray is an additive repair process in which a heated gas such as nitrogen or helium is used to accelerate and deposit a powdered metal/ceramic onto a base metal. Cold Spray is primarily used to restore dimensions to components that have endured some level of deficiency due to corrosion, wear or other environmental conditions.
Following Stanley’s SNA presentation at the NAVSEA booth he took a few moments with STTF to talk about Cold Spray.
Q. Why did NAVSEA invite you to speak at Surface Navy Association?
A. Recently, NNSY, in collaboration with Penn State ARL, NRL, SUPSHIP Groton, PMS 450 and Electric Boat Corporation completed the first ever shipboard cold spray repair on a vessel located pier side in Groton, Conn. For the Navy, this repair allowed the avoidance of a five-month delay and five million dollar cost. This cold spray repair is also significant for the fact it is to knowledge the first time a cold spray repair was conducted shipboard on any maritime vessel in the world.
BY NNSY PUBLIC AFFAIRS I U.S. NAVY PHOTOS BY GRACE THOMSONDiscussing the details of this shipboard repair along with the efforts put forward to date with the NAVSEA cold spray program is the intent of speaking at this conference as the cold spray community works to push use of cold spray repair technology into other facets of Navy maintenance.
Q. Why is Cold Spray important?
A. Cold Spray is another process in the toolbox that allows the US Navy and the other branches within the DOD to repair existing components. Compared to many of the other innovative technologies available, cold spray has the ability to make a direct impact on the material condition of the equipment we repair each day. With cold spray's low heat input into the base metal, it is able to repair critically machined parts that one would be concerned about the heat input of welding or thermal spray. It also provides a more durable repair than what can be achieved with traditional epoxy and electroplating repairs.
Q. Where or when did NNSY use Cold Spray?
A. NNSY fielded its first cold spray repaired component in 2019 on USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) utilizing the facilities and expertise of Penn State Applied Research Laboratory. In 2020, NNSY established its own organic cold spray repair capabilities and is an approved cold spray repair site for NAVSEA. To date, 15 components have been cold spray repaired and fielded by NNSY supporting repairs on various CVN, SSN and MTS projects. The NNSY Cold Spray facility is located on the first floor of BLDG 163 and staffed full time by Code 930 personnel.
Q. How did Cold Spray come to be?
A. Initially cold spray was discovered by the USSR during the cold war time frame. At the conclusion of the cold war period, the technology eventually transitioned to other countries where it has been refined over the past few decades. NAVSEA started working with cold spray through efforts of Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNSY&IMF) in 2014 to repair a submarine hydraulic actuator. Since that time each of the respective shipyards have been working to leverage the technology for various maintenance needs and establish their own organic repair capabilities.
Q. Who else uses Cold Spray?
A. With respect to the public shipyards, NNSY and PHNSY currently have established cold spray capabilities. PSNSY and PNSY are actively working thru the infrastructure hurdles to establish their own cold spray repair capabilities. Augmenting the shipyard capabilities, NAVSEA has established a number of "pop-up cells" including one located in Chesapeake that are certified to perform cold spray repairs for US Navy assets. Cold Spray is also actively being used in the Naval Air Systems Command, Army, Air Force and Marine communities as well as within the commercial/private industry.
Q. Anything else you would like to add?
A. In the years of innovative effort I have put forward with my engineering role at NNSY and with implementing Cold Spray, I have come to embrace the phrase "The results will speak for themselves." When approaching a first time challenge and stepping out of the "safe to fail" environment, there is no guarantee of success. As an innovator, you have to be confident in your knowledge of the innovation you are pushing, knowledge of the problem you are seeking to solve and the skills of your executing team. When those three elements are well evaluated and executed, you have done all you can do. The results will speak for themselves.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard's (NNSY) African American Employee Resource Group (AA-ERG) held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day Celebration Jan. 12 to honor MLK's legacy as a civil rights activist.
“Dr. King was a blessing loaned to us, to pray for us, to fight for us, to pave the way for us, to combat injustice and to seek justice and to ensure that equality was stamped in every fiber and fabric of America at a time where there were massive barriers to overcome,” said Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Director and event speaker Tarane Parker.
In partnership with the AA-ERG, Shipyard Historian Marcus Robbins developed a display of photographs featuring African American workers at America's Shipyard from the 1920s to the 1980s entitled "With These Hands: Seventy Years of African American Service." This display is available to view throughout January and February in Bldg. 1500 First Floor outside the Command Briefing Room and Heritage Room to celebrate MLK Day and Black History Month.
STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • NNSY PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST
PHOTOS BY DANNY DEANGELIS • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER
In an effort to recognize employees for their hard work and dedication to America’s Shipyard and building a better culture, the Production Resource Department (Code 900) aims to celebrate individuals monthly with a conference room naming ceremony. Each month, two individuals chosen will have a conference room named after them in Code 900’s spaces in Building 1500.
“In building a better culture, we wanted to do this as a creative way to celebrate our workforce, highlighting those individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to service our shipyard and Nation’s fleet,” said Code 900 Production Resources Officer Frank Gasperetti. “We wanted to kick off this endeavor with members of our employee resource groups (ERGs) who help provide service to our employees directly, as well as work to provide support to our community. The Veterans Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) was one of Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) first recognized ERGs and I thought they would be a great start in our efforts.”
“The idea to rename these conference rooms in order to recognize the contributions of our workforce, including our ERGs, shows the commitment our leadership makes to recognizing diversity across the NNSY workforce,” said VETERG President Josh Wannemacher. The two chosen were plank owners for the VET-ERG, Program Analyst Jon Echols and Rick Nelson who is retired yet continues to service the team where he can. Both were recognized in the first naming ceremony held Jan. 11. “It was a privilege to nominate two dedicated members for this type of recognition as they both, as founding plank owners, were instrumental in establishing the VET-ERG
and continue to serve as key contributors to the VET-ERG’s continuous success.”
A U.S. Marines Corps veteran (Nelson) and U.S. Navy veteran (Echols) respectively, these men aimed to continue their service to the Nation as Federal Government employees, soon finding themselves as part of the NNSY family. Both were pivotal in the initial discussions to bring ERGs to the shipyard, their efforts and guidance officially standing up the VET-ERG in 2014. Today, the VET-ERG services the workforce and community to aid our Nation’s veterans - including hosting events such as the Flag Day collection, Toys for Tots collection, and the Veterans Day and Memorial Day Fall-in for Colors. This ERG would not be where it was today without the efforts of the plank owners like Echols and Nelson.
“Thank you for the honor, privilege and invitation,” said Nelson. “The VET-ERG is my legacy and being able to see our fellow teammates take up the mantle after I’ve gone is really inspiring. The strength of the ERGs are the strength of the people – and being able to see how much this group has grown and continues to take on the mission of servicing our veterans is wonderful.”
Echols added, “We do what we do to ensure our veterans get the support they need. I’m honored to do my part.”
Both will be recognized throughout the month of January. As new months bring new recipients, each recognized individual will receive their official plaque and photograph. In addition, their photos and recognition will encircle the conference room to ensure their hard work and dedication is recognized for many years to come.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) Occupational Safety, Health, and Environmental (OSHE) Office (Code 106) Environmental Monitoring Supervisor Sandra Walton started her adult life entering NNSY’s apprenticeship program in 1984. She graduated in 1988 as a sheet metal worker in Shop 17, the Sheet Metal Mechanic shop.
“I joined the apprenticeship program knowing it was a great opportunity to learn a trade with benefits,” said Walton. “The sheet metal trade was fun, interesting, and I love placing parts together like a puzzle.”
As someone who craved higher learning and bettering herself, Walton took college night courses and graduated from Norfolk State University in 1987 with a major in Sociology with emphasis in Criminal Justice. She was laid off from NNSY due to a Reduction in Force (RIF) in 1994.
“I had to come up with a new game plan and that’s okay. It gave me a chance to reorganize my priorities,” said Walton. “While I was laid off I worked at BAE Shipyard, Norfolk State University Police Department, and other professional duties with law enforcement."
A few years later, she entered the apprenticeship program once again, this time graduating as part of the Fabric Worker Shop (Shop 64). It was at this time her interests started to change and she saw another way to contribute to NNSY’s
mission.
“I decided to change course and work in a different area at NNSY,” said Walton. “This decision took me to the Occupational Safety, Health, and Environmental (OSHE) Office (Code 106) where I first became an Environmental Protection Assistant.”
She rose through the ranks becoming an Environmental Protection Specialist and eventually to her current job, Environmental Protection Specialist Supervisor.
“I’m now the Environmental Monitoring Supervisor, responsible for monitoring and sampling the storm water under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Water Act,” said Walton. “Also, my area of responsibility includes Hampton Roads Sanitary District (HRSD) monitoring NNSY‘s sewer system since this section holds the permit.”
In 2022 she earned her master’s degree in Occupational Safety & Health/Environmental Management from Colombia Southern University with the help of NNSY’s tuition assistance program. She is taking the steps necessary to reach her goal of becoming a branch head.
Her career highlights include NNSY receiving the HRSD Gold Award while serving as HRSD Program Manager in which her efforts contributed to maintaining a 100 percent conformance. The Program Manager Nikicha Boone and her team consisting of James Berry, Kenneth Clarke, Andre Braxton and Walton
played a major role in maintaining strict permit compliance and preventing pollution, despite daily discharging on an average 1,000,000 gallons of wastewater into HRSD’s system. This earned NNSY HRSD’s Pollution Prevention Partner Award in 2020 and 2021.
Helping to improve the natural environment isn’t the only thing she does to give back to society. “I love helping the community, my church, my family, and others,” said Walton. “I have assisted with the Federal Managers Association (FMA) at a local food bank and handed out food to the homeless and feeding the needy.”
Walton added, “I have volunteered for Code 106 annual Earth Day event at NNSY as well as Family Day.”
Her list of service continues with she is a member of the Department Command Resiliency Team, the Command Resiliency Team, the Federal Women’s Program and at one time being a chairperson for the Code Combined Federal Campaign. “I am also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. where I volunteer for community outreach programs as well.”
Walton will have been married to Melvin Walton for 40 years this May. She is a proud parent of two daughters and one son, with four grandchildren.
“I love my family to the moon and back and what makes working here at NNSY all the more special is I work for an organization where my husband, who also works in the Welding & Non-Destructive Test Engineering Division (Code 138)," said Walton. “Although we work in different areas of the shipyard, we have another common thread that we get to share with each other.”
Over the course of her 36 years of service at NNSY, she has gained a vast wealth of knowledge and much experience. When she meets a new NNSY employee she likes to give them what she feels is the best advice to share with them. “Stay positive. Be patient. Ask questions. Learn your job,” said Walton. “But most of all, learn from your mistakes. This will give you the experience needed to become successful at NNSY.”
10. If she could have lunch with anyone of her choosing, it would be former First Lady Michelle
1. Walton’s favorite movie is Black Panther. 2. She is a diehard Minnesota Vikings fan. 3. Walton is the 10th child of 11 siblings and she credits her mother for creating an attitude of kindness. 4. Yolanda Adams is Walton’s favorite singer. 5. NCIS: New Orleans is her favorite television show. 6. Her favorite book is the Holy Bible. 7. She considers Environmental Division Head/Deputy John Briganti; Environmental Branch Head John Coup; and Environmental Protection Specialist Supervisor Daniel Spencer as her mentors. 8. Her favorite actress is Angela Bassett. 9. A Mercedes Benz is Walton’s dream car. Obama. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Norfolk Naval Shipyard Environmental Monitoring Supervisor Sandra Walton performs her duties for the Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Office (Code 106); Walton stands with her team Kenneth Clarke, Nikicha Boone, James Berry and Andre Braxton; Walton and her husband, Melvin, attends a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. fundraising event.
STORY BY MARCUS W. ROBBINS • SHIPYARD HISTORIAN I PHOTOS FROM THE SHIPYARD ARCHIVES
Dry Dock 2 doesn’t quite receive the historical recognition as our famous stone dock Dry Dock 1 receives, yet it has its own unique history when you drill down to its very beginnings as described in the below periodicals of the day.
New York Times - Norfolk, Va. September 19, 1889:
NORFOLK'S BIG DRY DOCK IT COST THE GOVERNMENT A HALF A MILLION OVER ALL THE DOCK IS 530 FEET AND WILL HOLD 8,000,000 GALLONS OF WATER THE FORMAL OPENING
I'll circle back and share a few specific details from this newspaper story in a moment but first some background is in order.
Dry Dock 2 at the Norfolk Navy Yard was at one time a wooden dock. Yes, I said wood. It was also first referred to as the Simpson Dock named for the company that constructed it and several other like it around the country.
Its construction began in November of 1887 and was declared completed on September 19, 1889, with the docking
of the USS Yantic (IX-32). This new dock along with so many other Norfolk Navy Yard facilities upgraded in the later part of the 19th century firmly established Norfolk to be able to provide complex repairs and services upon the largest vessels in Uncle Sam's growing fleet.
I have made this statement before but it bears repeating again: "Any place can have a river berth or a pier to safely tie a vessel up to, but what sets apart a true shipyard is its ability to perform drydocking. This location, being the Norfolk Navy Yard along the Elizabeth River, has the ability to take any vessel of Uncle Sam’s Navy out of its natural element (water) and allow it to become docked (dry) so craftsmen may perform repairs to the underwater hull sections and components."
This new dock was established just to the south of the original Gosport Stone Dock and in time caused that structure's operational name to become known as Dry Dock #1. The Wooden Simpson Dock will over time then became know as today's Dry Dock 2.
Today we are all about staying loyal to our current modern-day motto of "Service To The Fleet", so what about the Yantic? Well, Yantic was a wooden-hulled vessel that served the Navy from 1864 until 1930 in various roles from
Civil War service to use as a training ship. In the year of 1889 there must have been a need to look below the waterline and perform maintenance and repairs, thus a docking.
Frank Leslie's Weekly Newspaper - November 2, 1889:
"The formal opening of the new Simpson Dry-dock at Norfolk (Va.) Navy Yard, which occurred a few weeks since, attracted a large crowd of visitors, including a number of prominent officials from Washington and elsewhere. The first vessel to steam into the dock after it was flooded, was the steamer Yantic, handsomely dressed with bunting in honor of the occasion. The dock is of large dimensions, and its construction adds materially to the facilities and advantages of the Norfolk Navy Yard. Its cost to the Government was $495,737."
So, circling back to that New York Times story we find these fascinating details about our new wooden dock. It took precisely one hour to fill the dock to a depth of 23 feet 9 inches of water. It took another hour to lighten the ballast of water within the caisson gate and swing it out of the way. After this,
the Yantic entered the dock with the Navy Yard band playing upon her deck both popular and patriotic strains. At 12:04 she settled down and the caisson gate was set down behind her.
As the story details the great number of private and naval dignitaries that spoke at the ceremony, what always fascinates me are construction details. The dock was able to be emptied of water in the short time of 1 hour and 5 minutes (8 million gallons of water). The foundation of the dock is piling, over which to the depth of three feet is a solid bed of concrete. Above the concrete floor, the dock is of wood and almost a million feet of Georgia heart pine and almost as much other lumber was used in its construction. The dock was completed in just 20 months from the time of the signing of the contracts.
Over the many decades of service our Dry Dock 2 was rebuilt out of total new formed sidewall and floor concrete beginning in 1933. To meet the challenge of a new workload of nuclear-powered submarines Dry Dock 2 received major work to both deepen and widen the dock between the years of 1964 to 1966. This is basically the same configuration you see today, yet plans are being made for yet even more upgrades and improvements to take us into the 22nd century and beyond with a deepening and extension of this same dock under the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP).
