Half of the way into a scheduled 14-month docking planned incremental availability (DPIA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) remains on schedule with repairs and restorations based on progress through the end of April.
Following a successful 50 percent progress review, Cmdr. Stephen F. Sarar, Ike’s DPIA deputy project superintendent, said his team has reason to be pleased with the ship’s achievement rate.
“We’ve made significant progress in production work both down at the plant and topside,” Sarar said.
Ike has been dry-docked at NNSY in Portsmouth, Va. since Sept. 10, 2013.
“Ike is a majestic ship and requires perhaps more extensive repairs, but we’ve been doing our best job of finding those, documenting them, and repairing them as need be,” said Sarar.
Sarar said the cooperation he’s seen between the ship and shipyard teams has been impressive.
“The deckplate management of both sites has teamed up better than I’ve seen on most availabilities,” he said.
Also impressive to Sarar has been the work ethic he has seen demonstrated by Ike Sailors. He added that he fully expects to see them maintain their momentum moving forward to get the ship ready to return to sea.
“The challenges ahead of us both, aboard the ship and in the shipyard, are about keeping that focus and urgency for eight more months,” he said. “The ship is starting to come back together.”
Sarar said the ship is scheduled to be undocked later this summer, approximately eight weeks after major propulsion plant work is completed.
[mappress] Press Release, May 19, 2014; Image: U.S. Navy