US Navy’s Norfolk yard opens new submarine maintenance facility

US Navy’s Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) dedicated its new submarine maintenance facility on June 14.

This marked the next step in the NNSY’s realization of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan that will enhance the ability of the four public shipyards to meet the mission of delivering ships back to the fleet on time and within budget.

The new facility consolidates submarine maintenance, production and support shops into a single facility adjacent to NNSY’s submarine drydocks. This two-story structure features shops, storage and support spaces on the ground level, with office spaces and conference rooms on the second floor.

“NAVSEA Commander Vice Admiral Tom Moore has challenged us to build an environment that promotes increased levels of innovation, collaboration and knowledge sharing,” said Shipyard Commander Captain Kai Torkelson at the dedication, referencing NAVSEA’s Campaign Plan 2.0 to Expand the Advantage.

In the past decade, NNSY submarine work has included Engineered Overhauls, Engineered Refueling Overhauls, and submarine conversions into land-based training platforms. This new facility promises to help in all of those areas, both for the NNSY workforce as well as Ship’s Forces when they need to meet and train.

NNSY’s current submarine projects include conversions of USS La Jolla and USS San Francisco into Moored Training Ships, and USS Wyoming, which is being refueled and upgraded before returning to support the country’s nuclear deterrence strategy.