On Feb. 15 Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) broke ground to welcome a renewed period of naval shore construction and celebrate multiple projects which will renovate and modernize its historic Dry Dock 8 and adjacent berths.
The $300 million-plus in renovation projects will deliver critical infrastructure upgrades that will enable NNSY to repair and modernize our Navy’s warships, supporting NNSY’s ability to serve the Navy decades into the future by accommodating the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) carrier class.
For the next several months a team of professionals will be focused modernizing Dry Dock 8.
As part of its full modernization, Dry Dock 8 will undergo saltwater upgrades to meet capacity and flow demand for supporting a docked carrier, caisson and dewatering pump repairs, and more than $90 million in repairs to the two adjacent berths.
“Without these planned major upgrades, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, as well our three other Navy public shipyards, would face further degradation, negatively impacting maritime readiness,” said Capt. Edward B. Miller IV, Vice Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic . “Work performed on Dry Dock 8 ensures this yard can conduct maintenance availabilities efficiently, increasing both the capability and capacity our naval force.”
This multi-contract, multi-year renovation is NNSY’s biggest project yet as part of NAVFAC’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP). SIOP oversees infrastructure investments modernizing the nation’s public shipyards through upgraded dry docks and facilities, new equipment and improved workflow.
“Recapitalization of dry docks and shipyard infrastructure is required to maintain current and future platforms,” said Pete Lynch, Program Executive Officer for Industrial Infrastructure responsible for SIOP. "Dry docks like Dry Dock 8 are foundational to the SIOP investment portfolio and are required to accommodate the capacity of the current and future nuclear fleet."
He added, “Along with dry dock recapitalization, the modernization and recapitalization of shipyard infrastructure is essential to meeting and subsequently reducing the timelines associated with ship maintenance to maximize the operational availability of these platforms."
To ensure the successful execution of this significant construction program, NAVFAC Atlantic established Resident Officer in Charge of Construction (ROICC) NNSY. The ROICC’s primary responsibility is the oversight and successful execution of all SIOP projects at the shipyard.
The Dry Dock 8 groundbreaking continues the positive momentum for SIOP and its overarching mission to support the total shipyard workforce of over 36,000 and the Sailors who deploy on the warships.
NNSY, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility have a long and rich history of critical and high OPTEMPO maintenance supporting fleet readiness for the Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines. SIOP will allow them to continue to perform while optimizing and aligning to the current and future needs of the Navy.