For the first time in its storied history, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) had to prepare to welcome the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) for its first Planned Incremental Availability. The arrival of the Navy’s newest class of aircraft carrier marks a significant milestone for the shipyard, requiring extensive preparations to ensure the pier and its supporting infrastructure were ready to support the modern warship. Two key teams from the Production Facilities Department (Code 900F) have been at the forefront of this effort: the Temporary Facilities Branch (Code 900F.14) and the waterfront utilities experts of Code 900F.31.
Leading up to Ford’s arrival, these teams have been laser-focused on a complete rehabilitation of Pier 5.
Troy Leinart, the supervisor for Code 900F.14, has been leading his nine-person team through a total pier-side remodel of the temporary office and workspaces. “Basically, what we do is we come in after every project and we completely rehab and remodel the units to get it back up to the standard for the next project,” Leinart explained. “New engineered drawings for the setups to meet what each individual code needs, floor polishing, floor repair, leak repair… any type of facility repair to get it back up to the shipyard standard.”…