By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Gethings, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs
BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) shifted berths from its homeport pier at Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton to a drydock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), Bremerton site.
The shift is part of the ship’s six-month scheduled docking-planned incremental availability (DPIA) period which began Sept. 28.
During the maintenance period, Stennis will receive major upgrades to its potable water system, combat and self defense systems, navigational systems, electrical load centers and numerous other components. The last time Stennis was dry-docked for a DPIA was after the ship’s homeport move from San Diego to Bremerton following the 2004 deployment.
“Our upcoming DPIA is off to a great start,” said Stennis’ Commanding Officer, Capt. Brad Johanson. “For more than a year now we have been preparing for this and just like our last DPIA, this one will go great. Now that everyone has had a chance to decompress a little bit from our intense and hugely successful deployment, I am confident Stennis’ crew will be hitting on all cylinders as we launch into our next mission-maintenance!”
Civilian employees from PSNS & IMF, contractors from various local and external organizations and an estimated 600 Stennis' Sailors, will work to renovate potable water tanks, main engineering spaces, aircraft support equipment, berthings and a multitude of other work centers during the maintenance period.
“This is probably the best plan, the most integrated plan I’ve ever seen because we started a year out,” said Cmdr. Bob Breon, Stennis’ chief engineer and DPIA coordinator. “It was time consuming, but it will pay dividends in the end.”
The planning stages of DPIA began a year ago when Stennis’ leadership began holding meetings in preparation for the event. Between Stennis and the shipyard staff, a list of necessary work was put together and extensive scheduling of the jobs was done to organize the dry-dock period.
“We already have everything sequenced-what will happen and when, now we’re executing the plan,” said Breon.
A ship’s large-scale maintenance availability is planned years in advance and is determined by various entities and the ship’s operational schedule.