WASHINGTON SURVEYOR THE
DEC. 12, 2016
By USS George Washington Public Affairs
rcoh ready
Message from the CO
RCOH - W H AT C A N YO U E X P E C T ? By LTJG Andrew Bertucci, Deputy Public Affairs Officer
GW Warriors, This issue of the Washington Surveyor was prepared to help guide each of us through the complex and at times arduous Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) for GW’s mid-life maintenance. These articles will introduce you to the upcoming phases, terminology, and timelines we should each expect to meet in the months ahead. Our ship will see an aggressive change from its mission of launching and recovering aircraft to refurbishing and repairing the ship, or as I like to call this mission, Sharpening the Spear. An RCOH is a full recapitalization of the ship that represents greater than 35 percent of all maintenance and modernization in an aircraft carrier’s 50-year service life. This publication has some valuable information and illustrates some of the challenges that lie ahead. Please read the information thoroughly and familiarize yourself with the RCOH process, terms, and information that will aid each of us in understanding and successfully accomplishing our next mission. Our work will be difficult at times, and each of us will play an important role in making this a successful undertaking. RCOH is a long and necessary process that will include the refueling of the ship’s reactors, as well as extensive modernization work to more than 2,300 compartments, 600 tanks, and hundreds of distributive systems. In addition, we can expect major upgrades to food service areas, aircraft launch and recovery systems, combat systems, and the island. Your contribution to the RCOH process is vital to sharpening the spear. I observed it first-hand as the Executive Officer on USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN as they began their RCOH, and I cannot stress enough how important our efforts will be in preparing our great warship for the next twenty-five years. Your focus and hard work, with the help and support of about 3,700 shipbuilders from all areas of Huntington Ingalls, will be essential to successfully accomplishing RCOH safely and on time. Thank you in advance for your leadership and dedication to our new mission!
T. Kuehhas
staff Commanding Officer
Executive Officer
Command Master Chief
CAPT Timothy Kuehhas
CDR Colin Day
MCPO James Tocorzic
Public Affairs Officer
Deputy Public Affairs Officer
Media DLCPO
LCDR Gregory L. Flores
LTJG Andrew Bertucci
Editors PO1 Alan Gragg PO2 Jennifer O’Rourke PO3 Kashif Basharat
CPO Mary Popejoy
Content PO2 Alora Blosch PO2 Bryan Mai PO3 Wyatt Anthony PO3 Clemente Lynch
SN Krystofer Belknap SN Jamin Gordon SN Oscar Moreno Jr. SN Julie Vujevich
The Washington Surveyor is an authorized publication for Sailors serving aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73). Contents herein are not the visions of, or endorsed by the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy or the Commanding Officer of USS George Washington. All news releases, photos or information for publication in The Washington Surveyor must be submitted to the Public Affairs Officer (7726).
On the cover: PO3 Devin Brown performs rehabilitation maintenance. (Photo by PO3 Clemente A. Lynch)
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ound the world and back again, that’s the Sailor’s way! Hello GW Nation, I know you’re all ready to finally get a taste of the shipyard life. That said, our ship is going to be undergoing a complete bilge to brow overhaul and our lives, our jobs and our ship are going to be put through some massive changes. It is therefore fitting and proper to give you a complete rundown of the RCOH process and what you need to know. Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) is ship’s midlife maintenance where in the ship is gutted, rebuilt and modernized from the ground up. Occurring at the 25-year mark in a Carrier’s life, the process is akin to taking your car for its 100,000-mile maintenance. RCOH accounts for approximately 35% of all depot-level maintenance in the ship’s life and is integral to both the overall Aircraft Carrier Incremental Maintenance Plan and Life Cycle Maintenance Program. Like your vehicle, the Navy recognizes RCOH as a cost-efficient means to extend the life of one of the nation’s most expensive national assets. The overhaul can last between four to five years. Once complete, the USS George Washington will return to the Fleet for another 25 years of service. RCOH is divided into sections; Smart Start, crew move-off, SCOOP, transition to Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) for dry-dock maintenance, crew moveaboard, pre-certification, and sea trials. Here is some more information about the first two years of what lies ahead for GW:
Smart Start
Smart Start will begin in January and is the initial preparations made prior to our transit across the bay to Newport News. This phase will include finishing all last minute maintenance, as well prepping the reactor for refueling and polishing off any requirements that cannot be completed during the
overhaul. All hands will be needed to de-trash the ship and prepare spaces for our transition to SCOOP.
Crew Move-Off
The crew move-off phase will begin no later than January 30 and is scheduled for completion by February 28. It is important to mention the galley will also shift to the Floating Accommodation Facility (FAF) moored alongside USS George Washington. The FAF is scheduled to arrive at Pier 12 early in January. During the Smart Start and SCOOP phases leading up to our move to Newport News Sailors and departments will have the FAF provided as a base of operations before our move to Newport News Shipyard next summer. Welcome to your new office. The FAF serves as an extension to various shipboard systems such as the 1MC and NIPR computer access. Finally, duty sections will sleep on the FAF and are the only personnel authorized to sleep overnight.
SCOOP
Shipboard Consolidated Offload and Outfitting Plan (SCOOP) is scheduled to begin February 28. The SCOOP phase of RCOH will require gutting the ship of anything not hard-wired, plumbed-in, or welded to the frame. Wires will be pulled, piping will be removed from the bulkheads, and tile will be stripped. Call me the bearer of bad news, but this is going to be hard, hard work. Items not torn out or thrown away will be inventoried and placed in storage or on board the FAF. Perhaps most important to our Sailors will be the reorganization of departments into RCOH working teams. In the four-plus years leading up to redelivery, GW Sailors will be heavily involved in the 20-plus teams such as paint teams, transportation, lagging teams, Light Industrial Facility teams, and deck replacement teams. Teams
will be determined by department size. Each department will be required to provide Sailors needed to fill team quotas. However, not all Sailors will be placed in teams as some will remain with their departments for required manning as necessary. Sailors on board GW will shift from working in Norfolk to working at the Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) shipyard once dry-docked.
Newport News Shipbuilding
Dry-dock is scheduled for Aug. 4, 2017 and officially begins RCOH. The commute from Norfolk to and from NNS might be a challenge during the initial change. However, transportation teams with eight Navy buses will take Sailors to and from temporary housing to NNS. To arrive at work on time it will be important to enter the 50th Street parking lot early as space is limited. Additionally, the parking lot is nearly a mile and a half from the dock so be sure to account for the 20 minute walk. There will be some short trip buses from different parking lots assisting Sailors in getting to work without having to walk the long distance. With the change in work location comes a change in living accommodations. Because the ship is no longer habitable, there will be alternate housing provided at Huntington Hall in Newport News, Navy Gateway Inn and Suites (NGIS) Portsmouth and government leased apartments for senior personnel. Living arrangements and transportation is fundamental to providing the necessary resources to help Sailors transition to life at NNS. RCOH is 48 months of nonstop action in getting an aircraft carrier mission capable and back out to sea for 25 more years. The planning and prepping leading up to where the GW is now has paid off as CVN 73 is going into RCOH well ahead of where many ships before were at the same point. However, each RCOH event is different and many unseen challenges lay ahead.
By P O 3 Wyat t A n t h o ny
THE
WHAT’S SCOOP? S
ailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) are preparing to enter the Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, next year to begin the ship’s midlife Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH). One of the larger-scale operations the crew members will take part in is the Shipboard Coordinated Offload and Outfitting Plan (SCOOP), which involves unloading the ship’s equipment, furniture and tools not welded, wired or piped into place. “The official SCOOP process will start Feb. 28, but we have already started the process of de-trashing the ship, removal of the F/A-18 Hornet shell and aviation support equipment,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Kidd, the ship’s SCOOP coordinator. “Over the next two months, collection of several items such as float coats and life preservers will occur to ensure we have good accountability.” Everything on the ship must be accounted for and inventoried to be placed in storage or transferred to the floating accommodation facility (FAF) before the ship’s scheduled 40-month RCOH period. “Planning for SCOOP has been underway for over a year,” said Kidd. All supplies and items on the ship will be inventoried and logged, before being moved to a warehouse for storage. “Each item will receive a bar code, during the December underway, by ship’s force, then departments will log and scan every item into a database during the SCOOP evolution,” said Lt. Dan
“This is an extremely demanding evolution. Imagine trying to pack your house, put everything in a pod, and then have another group of people unpack it in 4 years and put everything back where it should be. That is what we are doing, but on a far larger scale.” Lt . C m d r. M i c h a e l K i d d evolution. Imagine trying to pack your house, put everything in a pod, and then have another group of people unpack it in 4 years and put everything back where it should be,” said Kidd. “That is what we are doing, but on a far larger scale. Accountability of property and safety of personnel will be paramount.” SCOOP will be the largest evolution
conducted by GW before it enters RCOH, and despite the immensity of the process, Kidd said that preparation, attention to detail and the diverse experiences of the military and civilian team will ensure a successful SCOOP evolution. “Preparation is exceptionally important. Getting trash and personal items off the ship will make the pack
out far smoother,” said Simonds. “Care in packing and inventorying items will be essential as we get into the hustle and bustle of the SCOOP. Attention to detail will be of utmost importance when inventorying items. We are the ones setting GW up for success or failure in four years based on how well we execute now.”
PO1 Robert Stanley takes inventory of hydrogen bottles. (Photo by PO3 Kashif Basharat)
Simonds, Assistant SCOOP Coordinator. “Teams are already receiving training on the computer system that is used for the database entry, and additional sessions will be provided for the entire crew in early February. The training, itself, will take several hours, and we expect most people to be proficient on the system within the first few days of using it.” After all supplies and items have been accounted for and logged into the database, teams of contractors will transport the materials from the hangar bays to General Electric’s warehouse, located in Suffolk. Once the materials have arrived in Suffolk, a group of GW Sailors will work at the warehouse to assist the contractors in moving the items. The departmental offload schedule is based on zones of the ship. Most departments’ offloads are scheduled
over a 51-working-day period. “The way the offload schedule is set up ensures departments have the manning to focus on a smaller number of spaces on any given day,” said Simonds. “The zones are aligned with the master RCOH schedule to provide accessibility to spaces to conduct smart-start work.” Smart Start is an RCOH preparation phase before the ship moves to the shipyard in Newport News. “This allows a more efficient start and enables a number of preparatory items to be executed at a much lower cost to the Navy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jeremy Smith, the ship’s maintenance manager. “Our Smart Start will accomplish some critical plant repairs and SCOOP.” The SCOOP process is currently scheduled to take place at Pier 11 aboard Naval Station Norfolk. “This is an extremely demanding
PO3 Darquis Thomas and PO3 Jaszmeen Skeete inventory a hydraulic foot pump in the jet shop. (Photo by PO3 Kashif Basharat)
By S N Ja m i n G o rd o n
By P O 3 C l e m e n t e Ly n c h
BASICALLOWANCE FORSUSTENANCE
TRANSPORTATION
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inancial advisor Dave Ramsey said, “You must gain control over your money, or the lack of it will forever control you.” As the crew of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) prepares to move to the Floating Accommodation Facility (FAF), Sailors will see many changes aboard the ship. One major change that will affect everyone is when the galley closes and George Washington begins commuted rations (COMRATS). A major change associated with COMRATS is Sailors will receive Basic Allowance for Sustenance (BAS) because they’ll have to pay for all meals and have less variety in food choices. Around Feb. 3, food service will open on the Floating Accommodation Facility (FAF) and COMRATS will begin. The current BAS allotment for all enlisted Sailors is $368.29 per month. Some Sailors may be excited about the extra money in their coming paychecks, however, it is important that everyone budgets their money wisely. “The big takeaway is this will require some budgeting on your end, as well as good self-awareness of how many meals per month you will be eating on board during work or duty days,” said Cmdr. Kerri Yarbrough, the supply officer aboard George Washington. “If you currently eat most meals on the ship while we’re in port and plan on using BAS to cover your food bill, you need to plan for the meals you eat on the ship, as well as the number of meals you will prepare for yourself in the barracks, or out in town.” Although in essence, Sailors will be paid more while receiving BAS, they must be mindful of spending habits because all personnel will be required to pay for their meals. “For those of you who are new to COMRATS, this will be a far different process than you are used to,” said
Sailors wait in line for lunch. (Photo by PO3 Clemente Lynch)
Yarbrough. “All personnel will be required to pay for all meals, to include coffee and snacks using their Navy cash card.” “In addition, there will no longer be grab-and-go fruit or cereal that Sailors can have at any time,” added Yarbrough. “This happens because in order to provide Sailors COMRATS, the Navy will no longer fund the ship for food.” Meal rates on the FAF are as follows: • Breakfast $3.45 • Lunch $5.55 • Dinner $4.85 “If you spend your entire BAS on meals on the ship, you could have in the range of 27 days of full breakfast, lunch and dinner on board,” said Yarbrough. “Please be careful, as other ships have seen Sailors spending far more than these rates out in town, and then finding themselves in a pinch, without enough money to buy food at the end of the pay cycle.” While it is important to budget and prepare for the upcoming changes, Sailors should also be aware of the changes that will take place before COMRATS. In preparation for RCOH, provisions for food service and vending machines will be heavily affected. “S-2 Food Service Division typically holds $1 million worth of inventory on board,” said Yarbrough. “We are
required to drop that by 90 percent by the time we transition to the barge. While we still strive to provide the highest quality meals, you may see a reduction in the variety served on any given day.” In addition to food services decreasing stock, the ship’s store will also decrease their stock. “Typically the store has six or seven beverage options,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Shandra McGuire, the leading petty officer of George Washington’s sales division. “As we prepare for RCOH, beverage options will decrease to one or two options.” Although variety is becoming a thing of the past, all is not lost. Some items will still be available for special order. “If a Sailor sees an item on the Naval Exchange website that we don’t have in stock at the store, we will still be able to special order it for them,” said McGuire. While adjusting to the changes aboard GW, Sailors should continuously keep saving at the forefront of their mind. Once the ship is no longer in RCOH, or if the Sailor transfers to a new command, they may not receive BAS anymore. If anyone needs tips on budgeting or saving, they should contact their departmental or command financial specialist for more information.
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tarting in January, Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) who live in Norfolk and don’t have their own means of getting to their new place of duty, transportation will be provided. The GW Transportation Team will shuttle Sailors to and from work, assisting the many Sailors live in Public Private Venture (PPV) housing or the barracks in Norfolk. For Sailors using their personal vehicles to commute to and from work upon reaching the shipyards, the walk from parking lots to GW ranges from approximately ½ to ¾ of a mile. “There will be various bus stops locations throughout the Hampton Roads area,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Nathan Boyer. “Buses will load and unload at the barracks in Newport News, the ship itself, warehouse, facilities, and various parking lots. Buses and vans will rotate at set times around-the-clock to pick people up and transport them to where they need to go regardless of what shift work a Sailor will be assigned to.” Boyer said the schedules for transportation are still being worked out, but will be posted prior to the crew moving off the ship. Twelve GW Sailors stayed behind during the December underway to shadow transportation Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The
GW Sailors learned bus routes used by the Lincoln team, and received training on administrative duties and responsibilities associated with accepting Transportation Department. The Petty Officer in Charge within the team is Petty Officer 1st Class Tiffany James. “We make sure Sailors get from the ship to their respective workplaces,” said James. “Since not everyone has their own transportation it’s our responsibility to get them to where they need to be.” Boyer said one benefit for Sailors receiving a ride to and from work every day is they will save money. Also, the vehicles will operate whenever GW Sailors need to get to and from work. Each driver on the team is trained and certified. Mark Muth, a civilian who works on base, trains Sailors how to drive 44-passenger buses. “The Sailors that are going to be on the Transportation Team could end up driving more than just a bus,” said Muth. “However, it’s easy to drive a van or SUV. Driving a bus is new for a majority of team members and therefore they need training.” Upon completing the training course each Sailor is given a commercial driver’s license, and begins their transition to the Transportation Team. James said before each shift, the vehicle will be inspected by the oncoming driver for any cosmetic damage and requires oil and fluid
topped-off. When it comes to fueling the vehicles, drivers will be issued a government credit card to purchase fuel for all vehicles at authorized service stations. “As far as maintaining the vehicles, we will perform minimal maintenance on them” said James. “If a light needs to be replaced or windshield wiper fluid needs refilling then the Transportation Team will take care of that. Anything more major than that, we will have to bring the vehicle to Public Works Department where a qualified and certified mechanic will make all the necessary repairs.” Everything that happens while the vehicle is in use is recorded. From the pre-work inspection up until the shift is over, the status and any discrepancies of the vehicle are documented, taken out of service if need be, or repaired prior to vehicle utilization. “We chose personnel for this billet based on maturity, driving experience, and how clean their driving record is,” said James. “Sailors will have plenty of time to still work on obtaining their professional qualifications and will get to go home every day.” The temporary assignment will last approximately one year for Sailors assigned to the team, but the transportation requirements will remain part of GW’s mission during the duration of RCOH.
By S N K r ys to f e r B e l k n a p
SPACEINSPECTORS: ASECONDSETOFEYES
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efueling Complex Overhaul the amount of battle lanterns, lights, and send them out. Our goal is to get (RCOH) beckons to the J-dial outlets, etc. They also take each team to fully inspect 30 to 40 aircraft carrier USS George note of the condition of equipment spaces a day.” Washington (CVN 73) from the found in the space. Hart said the entire ship will shipyard in Newport News across Images are taken and packaged be completely surveyed before the Chesapeake Bay to her current with completed inspection sheets February if the teams keep up their dwelling, pierside at Naval Station of the 2,402 spaces the teams are current pace. Norfolk. responsible for examining. These Prior to the beginning of the space To prepare for this evolution, GW packages are cataloged into binders inspections, Sailors were urged Sailors developed diverse teams to labeled with the 20 departments to chronicle known discrepancies inspect and input the in the Organizational status of every space Maintenance Management throughout the ship. System—Next Generation Each team is composed (OMMS-NG). of a supervisor and “Oct. 31 was the ship’s Sailors who are electrical deadline to have jobs technicians, mechanical submitted into OMMStechnicians and trained NG to ensure work safety inspectors. packages would be created “The RCOH space to reflect those jobs,” said inspection teams are Hart. “The purpose of the our second set of eyes,” space inspection team is said Petty Officer 1st to identify any remaining Class Gerald Johnson. jobs to assist work center “They’re looking at supervisors in submitting everything; valves, any future work packages corrosion, damages and to the ship’s Maintenance PO2 Abriel Hernandez organizes inspection papers. ( Photo by PO2 Bryan things like that. It’s an Mai) Manager (Lt. Cmdr. overall [inspection] of Jeremy Smith) as he material conditions and manages the maintenance discrepancies that can be taken care who own the spaces. budget.” of during RCOH.” “PO1 Johnson and I created the Hart said that the ship’s The teams will use RCOH space workflow for the teams,” said Chief Maintenance Manager liaises with inspection sheets to find and mark Petty Officer Charles Hart. “We’ll zone managers at the shipyards down the contents of spaces, such as hand a team a space inspection sheet to communicate OMMS-NG jobs.
Zone managers are responsible for finding out what work needs to be done and who needs to do it, whether it’s GW Sailors or contractors. Hart was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) when it was in the yards and recalled his experience.
valves. Valves that were set up in the past four or five years were not actuated, so when we went to load off different plants, the valves were bursting because they weren’t being properly maintained.” The space inspection teams were initially focused on valves. It
“The RCOH space inspection teams are our second set of eyes. They’re looking at everything; valves, corrosion, damages and things like that. It’s an overall [inspection] of material conditions and discrepancies that can be taken care of during RCOH.” PO1 Gerald Johnson “For those of us who were on the TR, who brought the ship out of the yards, it was a nightmare,” said Hart. “Trying to figure out what was done and what wasn’t done, especially when it came to
evolved into an overall focus of the space’s condition. Hart says that GW is taking lessons from TR as well as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), which is currently in Newport
PO3 Dylan Drazek inspect lagging in a passageway. (Photo byPO2 Bryan Mai)
News wrapping up the later stages of RCOH. RCOH can be broken down to three phases. The first phase involves unloading the ship’s equipment, furniture and tools not welded, wired or piped into place. Then the second phase is mostly governed by contractor work inside the skin of the ship, refurbishing and repairing items on board. “The third phase is the one that catches all the headaches of trying to put everything back together,” said Hart. “We’re trying to minimize the headache between the first phase and the third phase.” The RCOH space inspection teams are not grading departments on their spaces. They are a second set of eyes, and they are looking out for the ship’s condition before it is dry-docked at the shipyards. Hart said he is proud of what the inspection team’s capabilities are and the amount of support received from GW’s crew.
RCO H AC RO N YM S
COMMUNITY SERVICE
AC RO N YM S YO U M I G H T S E E O R H E A R D U R I N G RCO H
AITs- Alteration Installation Teams CART- Command Assessment of Readiness and Training CAST- Carrier Availability Support Team CCT- Customer Contract Teams CEMAT- Carrier Engineering Maintenance Assistance Team FAF- Floating Accommodations Facility FAPS- Functional Area Planners IEM- Inactive Equipment Maintenance Status IMP- Incremental Maintenance Plan LIFAC- Light Industrial Facility MARMC- Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center MSC- Maintenance Support Center NAVSEA- Naval Sea Systems Command NNS- Newport News Shipbuilding PIA- Planned Incremental Availability PMS- Planned Maintenance System PPE- Personal Protective Equipment RCOH- Refueling Complex Overhaul RF/DF- Re-fueling/ De-fueling RPPO- Repair Parts Petty Officer RSE- Reactor Safeguards Examination SCOOP- Ship Consolidated Offload and Outfitting Plan SFWP- Ship’s Force Work Package VIS- Vehicle Inspection Station WCC- Work Control Center
Be on the lookout for monthly volunteering opportunities via email and the Plan of the Week. Here some additional organizations to get involved with throughout the year: • Big Brother Big Sister Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs of Southeast Virginia
• Norfolk Public Library
• Eastern Shore Norfolk Senior Center
• The Salvation Army
• Foodbank of Southeaster Virginia • Gatewood PEEP, Newport News • Habitat for Humanity • Norfolk Botanical Garden
• The Ronald McDonald House • USO Hampton Roads • Virginia Beach Public Works • YMCA of Southeastern Virginia *For more opportunities and ideas, contact the Chaplain at Chaplain@cvn73.navy.mil.
TBD
Photo courtesy of www.navy.mil (Feb. 21, 2007) - A portion of a newly manufactured mast is lifted via crane onto the superstructure of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (Photo by PO2 Chris Henry)