NNSY welcomes USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for Planned Incremental Availability

Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) welcomed USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Aug. 25 in advance of its 13-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA).

Planning for IKE’s arrival has been underway for 18 months at NNSY and the shipyard is ready for the challenge. “The project has worked extensively with the CVN-69 team to prepare for the ship’s arrival,” said Project Superintendent Scott Fowler. “The project team has worked with numerous stakeholders to make preparations for a successful availability including working with Fleet and the Type Commander to get a berthing barge, a number of reviews with NAVSEA, and taking advantage of the ship’s post-deployment standdown period to start work at Naval Station Norfolk prior to its arrival at NNSY.”

“Our partnership with America’s Shipyard is already off to a tremendous start," said Capt. Paul F. Campagna, Eisenhower’s commanding officer. “We expect this partnership to become greater each day, as we function as one team working with one mission - to return the IKE to the Fleet ready to protect our Nation.”

Planning the availability during the pandemic brought up new challenges for a carrier overhaul at NNSY, but an effective teaming effort between the project and ship’s force helped mitigate them. “COVID restrictions severely impacted the team’s ability to perform inspections and assessments that are vital to understanding the material condition of the ship and its equipment,” said Military Deputy Project Superintendent LCDR Cody White. “The ship has provided fantastic support by accomplishing the majority of these inspections underway without the normal in-person support from shipyard engineers. Communicating these results back to NNSY has been key to accurately planning the work for availability.”

In preparation for the ship’s arrival, NNSY’s Eisenhower production team is focused on developing an accurate and achievable plan to support an on-time delivery. “A lot of effort has gone into planning and workload assessments to ensure the project can be resourced correctly and the duration is sufficient based on NNSY’s workload. This is vital for NNSY’s Balanced Command Plan,” said White.

The shipyard will contribute 365,000 of the availability’s 536,000 work days, with Ship’s Force, Alteration Installation Teams (AIT), Huntington Ingalls Industries--Newport News Shipbuilding, and contractors comprising the rest.

Exemplifying Shipyard Commander Capt. Dianna Wolfson’s “One Mission, One Team” mantra, the entire IKE team is laser focused on returning this critical warship back to the Fleet on time. “From our Off-Yard Carriers Group helping to execute work over at Naval Station Norfolk to the Code 361 special emphasis work being done – all of NNSY is working to ensure that the project has the resources needed to fulfill the mission and return IKE to the Fleet on time,” said Fowler. “This coordination and teamwork is key to the success of not only the IKE project, but the shipyard as a whole.”

“The successful execution of USS Eisenhower’s availability at NNSY is key to both the shipyard’s success and national security,” said Campagna. “Dependable delivery is vital for the Fleet’s operational commitments over the next few years.”

Wolfson said, “We welcome USS Dwight D. Eisenhower back to America’s Shipyard! Our shipyard has an extensive history serving Eisenhower and our project team has been effectively planning for this moment and coordinating as One Team with our PIA partners. Now it’s time to put those plans into execution . . . ready, set, IKE!”