By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathen E. Davis, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs
BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) returned to the water for the first time Jan. 18, since entering dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) in September 2007.
PSNS workers began flooding Dry Dock No. 6, Jan. 16 in preparation for undocking the ship and moving it back into the water.
Stennis' Commanding Officer, Capt. Brad Johanson, was impressed with how his Sailors, working alongside civilian contractors, managed the work schedule, especially during the holiday season.
"Stennis has been packed with work, and our undocking this week as scheduled is testimony to the fact that the Stennis team can get the job done, no matter how tough the mission is," said Johanson.
The process started when PSNS began flooding the dry dock. PSNS and ship's force conducted integrity checks on connected systems and tanks, as well as watertight integrity of all compartments below the waterline.
"A lot was at stake for the ship's safety as we put water back under the hull," explained Lt. Cmdr. Kirk Knox, Stennis' damage control assistant. "During the flooding and undocking, we have to reevaluate the integrity of the system to make sure there are no voids that would cause leaking within the ship."
With such an important evolution as flooding the dry dock, operational risk management was on everyone's mind.
PSNS and Stennis created a checklist of events to establish consistency with their workers to make the flooding and undocking a success.
"We go through a prerequisite list that is signed off by different entities to make sure we are ready to commence flooding of the dry dock," said Knox.
Once final checks were completed, Stennis moved out of the dry dock and moored to Pier Bravo at Naval Station Kitsap-Bremerton.
"I'm happy Stennis will be back in the water and floating like she's supposed to – she'll be a ship again," expressed Knox.
Even after the undocking, the maintenance period is scheduled to last until March.
During docking-planned incremental availability (DPIA), civilian employees from PSNS and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, contractors from various local organizations and an estimated 600 Stennis Sailors renovated potable water tanks, main engineering spaces, aircraft support equipment, combat and self defense systems, berthing spaces and a multitude of other work centers during the dry-dock period.
According to Cmdr. Timothy Pfannenstein, Stennis' ship's force work package officer, Stennis entered the dry dock to have easy access entering the tanks from the bottom of the ship.
"Tanks get corroded. This is why we paint them, to stop the corrosion," said Pfannenstein.
Stennis has a projected budget of $240 million, with 400,000 man-hours of work for DPIA in order to improve the ship's functions, habitability, and combat capabilities.
"Habitability is important for all us on the ship," said Pfannenstein.
Pfannenstein explained berthing and living spaces are being modernized and work is being conducted to improve sanitization in heads. Restrooms are referred to as heads on Navy ships.
"Heads are being redone, they are being completely gutted to add new toilets, sinks and shower enclosures," said Pfannenstein.
Contractors are also helping with habitability for Sailors by upgrading and improving living conditions.
"From top to bottom, the contractors are working on lighting and electrical set ups, installation of bunks, decking, and painting," said Pfannenstein. "It has been completely redone."
Numerous combat systems have been upgraded with state-of-the-art systems to effectively operate in a more network centric environment, improving communications with aircraft and interoperability with other ships in the strike group.
The work accomplished by ship's forces includes painting 554 spaces and retiling 169 decks ranging from 300 square feet to 4,000 square feet. They have also cleaned out 295 vents, removed and refurbished about 200 watertight doors and completed more than 400 lagging jobs up to this point. The Stennis and PSNS team will be busy throughout the next three months.
Johanson explained the next phase of shipyard maintenance will be intense, so Stennis can get ready to operate at sea again.
"This includes proficiency training and lots of wrap up on our maintenance duties. It will be a busy time, but a time culminating in our readiness for sea," said Johanson.
Stennis commenced DPIA Sept. 28, 2007, when it entered the dry dock at PSNS, after returning from a successful deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet's area of operations in late August 2007.