http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4264402&c=AME&s=SEA
U.S. Sub Delayed by Bad Bolt Problem
By christopher p. cavas
Published: 3 Sep 2009 16:49

Commissioning ceremonies for the new nuclear-powered attack submarine New Mexico have been delayed until next year while Northrop Grumman shipbuilders work to fix construction problems in the vessel's torpedo room, the U.S. Navy said September 3.

Capt. Michael Jabaley, the Navy's Virginia-class submarine program manager, said Northrop Grumman's Newport News, Va., shipyard and the Naval Sea Systems Command continue to investigate the problem, which so far has been found on four submarines. One of the submarines, the North Carolina, already is in service, but is undergoing a shipyard period at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Conn. Two other submarines with the problem, the Missouri and California, are in various stages of construction.

Another in-service submarine, the New Hampshire, apparently escaped the problem.

"The most immediate concern based on schedule was the New Mexico," Jabaley said. The ship is about 99 percent complete, he said, and had been scheduled to be delivered to the Navy on Sept. 30. The commissioning ceremony had been scheduled for Nov. 21 at Norfolk, Va.

But Northrop Grumman and the Navy estimate about five weeks of work will be required to fix the problems on the New Mexico, and the new target delivery date of Nov. 13 didn't provide enough margin to ensure the ship would be ready by the 21st.

"We thought it would be prudent to delay the ceremony," Jabaley said. "Typically, we like two to three months between delivery and commissioning to give the crew time to become proficient at operating at sea."

The holiday period beginning with Thanksgiving was also a factor in the delay, Jabaley said. A new date hasn't yet been set, but it will "probably be in January or February," he said.

Even so, Newport News still has a shot to beat the contract delivery date of April 30, 2010. Beating the delivery date has become an important factor in keeping down costs, and Electric Boat, which shares equally with Newport News in building the submarines and alternates with the Virginia yard in completing the ships, has delivered its last two submarines ahead of schedule.

The New Mexico is the third Virginia-class submarine to be completed at Newport News, and the company hopes it's the first one delivered ahead of schedule.

"Northrop Grumman understands and supports the U.S. Navy's decision to delay the commissioning ceremony for the New Mexico until early 2010, to allow for completion of construction and repair work," said company spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell-Jones. "We take the quality of our work and product quality very seriously and we have instituted improvements in our engineering, production and quality systems across Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. We are focused on completing the construction of New Mexico, and we look forward to delivering a great ship to the Navy."

The bolt problem came to light in early August when Electric Boat workers had trouble ensuring a proper fit in the tracks of the weapon handling system aboard the submarine Missouri. Newport News builds the weapons room section of all Virginia-class submarines, and GD, as prime contractor on the Virginia-class program, reported the problem to the Navy on Aug. 6.

'No Safety Issues'

Jabaley took pains to say there were no safety issues with the bolt problem.

"This would cause a problem in operation only in the most strenuous situations - high forces due to shock, such as when a mine or torpedo detonates near you. For normal operations it's not a concern at all," he said.

The bolts, or "fasteners" in engineering parlance, hold together sections of track in the large weapons room of the submarines. The Virginia-class submarines employ a unique system to handle their weapons, which are placed in trays or cradles to be moved around the room and guided by the tracks.

Some of the tracks didn't line up properly, and EB engineers traced the problem to the bolts. The Navy, in a written statement issued Aug. 19, said, "shipbuilders have found improperly drilled and machined bolt holes, bolts that had been improperly machined, and fasteners that were not installed and tightened properly."

Such a problem, the Navy statement said, "could result in a misalignment of the weapons handling equipment that could prevent the movement of weapon cradles within the torpedo room, and could compromise the integrity of the weapons handling system in a shock event."

Jabaley noted that about 340 bolts or fasteners were initially being inspected in each submarine's weapons room.

"We've now expanded the inspections to similar applications, to 'close-tolerance, bolted fit-up.' That's where you're bolting two things together that require a very finely-machined bolt goes through a very finely-machined bolt hole," Jabaley said. "We've ended up with a total of a little over 900 fasteners ship-wide."

While the New Mexico's delivery will be delayed, the work to fix the other submarines is not expected to delay their completion.

"On other ships that can be done in parallel with other work," Jabaley said.

The New Mexico's crew officially moved aboard July 28 and will not be required to leave the ship during the repairs, Jabaley said, noting that much of the crew still lives ashore. "The duty section spends the night aboard when they're on duty," he noted. "The repairs required are primarily in the torpedo room. It's not an impact to habitability, and the galley is still fully operational."

Northrop Grumman and the Navy continue to investigate the extent of the problem, Jabaley said, and are inspecting the other four Virginia-class submarines already in service.

"This is a process we expect to take a couple more weeks [before we] understand the impact on the ships we've delivered," he said.

http://www.dsti.net/News/55955.htm
螺栓問題導致美國“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇“新墨西哥”號推遲服役

    [據防務新聞網2009年9月3日報導] 美國海軍9月3日稱，“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊型核潛艇“新墨西哥”號的服役儀式已經推遲到明年。諾斯洛普•格魯曼公司將會對潛艇魚雷艙在建造中出現的問題進行修復，

    “佛吉尼亞”級攻擊型核潛艇的專案負責人Jabaley表示，由於發現四艘核潛艇存在建造問題，諾•格公司紐波特紐斯船廠和海軍海上系統司令部將繼續調查此事。其中 “北卡羅來納”號已經服役，但是目前還在位於康涅狄格州格羅頓的通用動力電船公司船廠。其他兩艘出現問題的潛艇“密蘇裏”號和“加利福尼亞”號目前正在建造當中。另外一艘已經服役的潛艇“新罕布夏”號沒有發現存在問題。

    目前，時間進度最緊張的是“新墨西哥”號潛艇，該艇已經完成99%，計畫在9月30日交付海軍，並於11月21日在弗吉尼亞州諾福克舉行服役儀式。 但是，據諾•格公司和海軍估計，完成“新墨西哥”號潛艇的維修工作大概需要5周的時間，最新計畫的交付日期是11月12日，沒有足夠的時間來確保該艘潛艇能夠在21號準備好。

    Jabaley表示：“我們認為推遲舉行服役儀式是非常謹慎的，我們都希望交付時間和服役時間之間能夠間隔2到3個月的時間，使得艇員能夠在這段時間內熟悉海上操作過程。” 感恩節也是導致儀式延期的一個因素，目前還沒有確定具體的交付時間，但是據Jabaley表示，大概是在1月或者2月。

    雖然如此，紐波特紐斯船廠仍然努力在合同規定的交付日期2010年4月30日之前完成，提前完成潛艇的交付是降低“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇成本的一個重要因素，電船公司與紐波特紐斯船廠一起建造“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇，並輪流完成組裝，並且，電船公司已經提前交付了2艘潛艇。

    “新墨西哥”號是在紐波特紐斯船廠建造完成的第三艘“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇，希望其能夠成該船廠第一艘提前交付的潛艇。公司發言人瑪格麗特•米切爾-鐘斯表示：“諾•格公司理解並支持美國海軍將‘新墨西哥’號潛艇的服役儀式推遲到2010年初的決定，以完成建造和維修工作。我們非常認真的對待我們的工作品質和產品品質，已經開始改進諾•格艦艇建造分部的工程、生產和品質系統，我們努力完成‘新墨西哥’號潛艇的建造，並希望能夠向海軍交付一艘非常好的潛艇。”

    通用動力電船公司船廠工人在8月初發現“密蘇裏”號潛艇的武器作業系統的螺栓存在問題，諾•格公司紐波特紐斯船廠負責建造所有“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇的武器艙室分段，作為“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇專案的主承包商，電船公司於8月6日向海軍通報了該問題。

    Jabaley表示，螺栓問題不存在安全問題。他表示：“僅僅會在由於強烈振動（一枚水雷或者魚雷近距離爆炸）引起強大作用力的情況下才會出現操作問題，正常操作情況下不會出現任何問題。”螺栓或者“紐扣”是一個工程術語，將潛艇大型武器艙內的導軌連接在一起，“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇使用了一種獨特的武器作業系統，將武器放置在支架上，通過導軌進行移動。
電船公司工程師發現有些導軌的路線不正確，通過對其進行跟蹤分析，發現問題源自螺栓，美國海軍在8月19日的一份書面聲明中表示：“造船工程師發現鑽孔和機械螺栓孔都不正確，螺栓的加工不正確，使得安裝出現問題。”

    對於這個問題，海軍在聲明中表示“可能是由於武器操作設備調整不當引起的，這樣可能會使武器支架不能在魚雷艙內進行移動，可能會在發生振動的情況下，威脅武器作業系統的完整性。”Jabaley指出，每艘潛艇的武器艙內有大約340個螺栓進行了初步檢查。Jabaley表示：“目前，我們已經將檢查擴展到潛艇的其他部分，在全艇範圍內，大約已經完成了900多個螺栓的檢查。”雖然“新墨西哥”號潛艇的交付時間已經被推遲，其他潛艇希望不會推遲它們的完成時間。Jabaley表示：“其他潛艇可以在其他工作進行的時候完成該項工作。”
“新墨西哥”號的艇員已於7月28日正式登艇，在維修期間將不會離艇，維修工作主要在魚雷艙進行，對居住不會產生影響，潛艇仍在正常運轉。

    Jabaley表示：諾•格公司和海軍繼續調查該問題，將會對目前現役的4艘“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇進行檢查。他表示：“我們希望能夠在二周多的時間內完成這個過程，對我們交付的潛艇進行檢查。”（中國船舶資訊中心  楊龍塾）

http://www.dsti.net/News/55952.htm
系統安裝錯誤推遲了“新墨西哥”號潛艇的服役

  [dailypress網站9月3日報導]美海軍表示，建造問題將使美海軍“新墨西哥”（ Mexico）號潛艇的服役時間推遲到2010年初。

    “新墨西哥”號潛艇是美海軍“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇中的一艘，由諾斯羅普•格魯曼公司下屬的紐波特紐斯船廠建造。原計劃該艇的建造工作將在本月全部完成，並將於11月21日服役。但是美海軍在8月表示，至少有4艘潛艇（其中包括“新墨西哥”號潛艇）的武器作業系統被紐波特紐斯船廠的工人錯誤安裝，這些錯誤將嚴重影響到艇員將魚雷移至魚雷發射管的能力，從本質上講，這種錯誤將使潛艇喪失攻擊和防禦的能力。美海軍於2日表示，在完成修理工作以後，潛艇最早也將在11月份交付。海軍部長在未來幾周內重新安排該潛艇的服役時間。

    除“新墨西哥”號潛艇以外，“北卡羅萊納”號、“ 密蘇裏”號以及“加利福尼亞”號潛艇也同樣存在武器作業系統安裝錯誤的問題。在這4艘潛艇中沒有一艘被部署。目前只有“北卡羅萊納”號潛艇服役，但是該潛艇正在進行維護，另外3艘潛艇都正處於建造階段。

    儘管系統安裝錯誤使潛艇的服役延遲，但還是比合同時間提前，其合同交付時間為2010年4月。（中國船舶工業綜合技術經濟研究院 吳小蘭）

http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2009-07/24/content_11763953.htm
美軍最先進核攻擊潛艇永久部署珍珠港威懾中國 
2009年07月24日 09:39:09 　來源：東方網 

    據美國火奴魯魯廣告人報16日報道，美國新一代攻擊型核潛艇“弗吉尼亞”級夏威夷號，將于23日抵達西太平洋珍珠港進行永久性部署。這是美國海軍首次調遣最先進攻擊型核潛艇進駐太平洋。有軍事觀察家指出，考慮到該潛艇強大的偵察和近海機動能力，其進駐後將很可能用于對解放軍潛艇進行秘密偵察，針對中國意味明顯。
   
    “夏威夷”號是“弗吉尼亞”級核潛艇中的第三艘，于2007年5月5日開始服役。據美國火奴魯魯廣告人報報道，今年5月13日，該潛艇與130多名艇員一起，離開位于康涅狄格州東南部的格羅頓潛艇基地開赴珍珠港。7月23日抵達珍珠港後，“夏威夷”號將參加夏威夷州建州五十周年慶典活動。
   
    根據計劃，包括美國夏威夷州州長林·格爾等在內的眾多官員將為“夏威夷”號潛艇及其艇員的進駐，舉行隆重的歡迎儀式。儀式開始前，格爾州長還將親自乘坐一艘小船登上“夏威夷”號潛艇。
   
    珍珠港是美軍在亞太地區的重要軍事基地，美軍近年來積極向這裏調兵遣將，有意將其打造為美軍維持亞太霸權的橋頭堡。目前，珍珠港已部署有16艘老式“洛杉磯”級核潛艇。在長達377英尺的“夏威夷”號進駐後，同屬“弗吉尼亞”級的“德克薩斯”號先進核潛艇也將于今年秋天部署到這裏。
   
    另據夏威夷州日裔參議員井上健透露，同屬“弗吉尼亞級”的第四艘核潛艇“北卡羅來納”號也將會進駐珍珠港。雖然美國海軍對該說法未置可否，但其曾公開表示所有“弗吉尼亞”級核潛艇都將部署在珍珠港和康涅狄格州的格羅頓潛艇基地。美國海軍計劃總共建造30艘“弗吉尼亞級”核潛艇，以替換面臨退役的“洛杉磯”級核潛艇。
   
    弗吉尼亞級核潛艇(SSN774)是美國一種高性能、低價位的新一代潛艇，它能夠對付敵方的各種威脅，既能實施傳統的遠洋反潛、反艦作戰，又可以用于淺水作戰環境中的多種作戰行動，包括攻擊式/防禦式布雷、掃雷、特種部隊投送/回撤（美國先進蛙人輸送係統規劃）、支援航母作戰編隊、情報收集與監視、對陸攻擊等。該級核潛艇裝備的主要武器有MK48-5型魚雷、“魚叉”反艦導彈、“戰斧”巡航導彈、小型反潛魚雷和水下運載器，雷彈攜帶量為38枚。
   
    “夏威夷”號是第三艘新一代“弗吉尼亞”級潛艇，其總造價25億美元，排水量為7800噸，由通用動力公司電艇部門和諾思羅普·格魯曼紐波特紐斯船廠聯合建造。該艇長377英尺，寬34英尺，潛航速度超過25節。該艇所採用的反應堆裝置使該艇在計劃航行時間內不需要重新補給燃料。與該級前兩艘潛艇相比，“夏威夷”號在隱身性能、監視能力以及特殊作戰能力方面均得到了很大程度的提高，擁有能夠容納多達9名海豹突擊隊員的封閉艙，這有助于實現美海軍多任務作戰要求。
   
    在從美國本土駛往珍珠港的途中，該艇就充分展現了其穿越狹窄水道的能力。據“夏威夷”號指揮官ED·赫林頓在博客中透露，在前往太平洋的途中，“夏威夷”號潛艇于7月10日用約9個小時的時間，穿越了巴拿馬運河三個水閘與一個大型湖泊。眾所周知，對任何船舶，尤其是潛艇而言，穿越運河水閘是極具挑戰性的工作。“我們的潛艇沒有船首推進裝置，所以使重達7600噸的潛艇通過僅僅110英尺寬的運河毫不誇張地說難度是非常大的。”
   
    “當潛艇在運河墻壁腳下漂流而過時，潛艇的纜繩操縱人員必須用力拖拉沉重的纜繩，以免潛艇撞到墻壁。”赫林頓還稱，盡管“夏威夷”號是新服役不久，但這已是其第三次穿過巴拿馬運河。而且，三名艇員還因在潛艇穿過該運河過程中表現突出而獲得了“海豚胸章”，即潛艇作戰資格勳章。巴拿馬運河是一條水閘式運河。由于運河近一半的航程是利用巴拿馬地峽上的加通湖，而加通湖水面高出海平面近26米，所以從海上進入運河的艦只，必須升起近26米才能進入運河，在另一端則必須下降近26米才能駛離運河，通過運河如同通過一座高架的水橋。
   
    在進駐太平洋之前，夏威夷號核潛艇已經取得不俗的戰績。據報道，夏威夷號在進行首次部署的過程中，曾支援“南部跨機構聯合特遣部隊”（負責在南美洲執行緝毒任務的美國特遣部隊）打擊毒品行動，並有傑出表現，成為美軍歷史上第二艘獲得海岸警衛隊集體功績嘉獎的海軍潛艇。
   
    “夏威夷”號核潛艇是美國將其“海軍重點力量轉移至太平洋計劃”的一部分：美軍打算將其60%的攻擊型潛艇部署到太平洋，剩余40%部署在大西洋。到今年年底時，美國海軍的53艘快速攻擊潛艇中將有31艘以太平洋為母港，22艘以大西洋為母港。
   
    盡管美國海軍稱加強太平洋地區的軍力，是為了對付可能已經獲得安靜柴電潛艇的朝鮮和伊朗等國家，防范在太平洋關鍵交通要塞及海上航線附近遊弋的多達180艘外國潛艇。但有軍事觀察家認為，其真正用意還是針對中國。中國潛艇實力的飛速發展，一直讓美軍憂心忡忡，並迫切希望獲得解放軍潛艇的作戰性能參數。具有強大偵察能力和近岸行動能力的”夏威夷號”調往太平洋後，很可能將會擔負起偵察解放軍軍事行動，特別是潛艇行動的任務。（春風）

http://www.dsti.net/News/53968.htm
美國焊接檢查員造假可能對海軍9艘艦艇造成影響

    [據美國海軍時報2009年6月1日報導]  諾•格公司紐斯紐波特船廠發現其一名檢查員偽造檢測報告後，至少8艘潛艇和1艘航母上1萬多處的焊接點需要重新檢測。

    根據《海軍時報》獲得的一份內部報告指出， 5月14日，紐斯紐波特船廠的一位焊接檢查員告訴監督人員：有位檢查人員沒進行檢測就在檢測報告上標注“合格”的字樣。

    公司官員迅速開展了內部調查。5月20日，海軍犯罪調查機構也開始了調查。諾•格公司拒絕透露該員工的名字。5月28日，公司的一位官員稱該員工已經被解雇了。

    報導稱，該檢查人員工作過的艦船包括“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊核潛艇的“北卡羅萊納”號、“新漢普郡”號、“新墨西哥”號、“密蘇裏”號、“加利福尼亞”號、、“密西西比”號、“明尼蘇達”號和“約翰•華納”號，以及“布希”號核動力航母。“布希”號、“北卡羅萊納”號和“新漢普郡”號已經服役。其他潛艇在建造的不同階段上。

    該檢查員的大部分工作在“新墨西哥”號（檢測了2133處焊接）、“密蘇裏”號（檢測了3169處焊接）、“加利福尼亞”號（檢測了2002處焊接）和“密西西比”號（檢測了2177處焊接）。他只在“新漢普郡”號上檢測了23處焊接，在“北卡羅萊納”號上檢測了2處焊接。

    10%以上的潛艇焊接是耐壓殼體焊接，焊接接點涉及到關鍵部分。該檢查員還在潛艇上檢測了229個管道焊接接點。在潛艇上還有很多其他焊接——超過30萬個。

    紐波特紐斯船廠還沒從2007年秋季的焊接材料問題緩過勁來。當時因船廠工人在很多管道焊接中使用了錯誤的焊接材料，公司和海軍被迫對建造或維修的一些潛艇、航母以及水面艦艇進行了重新檢查。海軍和諾•格公司強調這次的問題跟上次的焊接材料問題沒有任何聯繫。

    諾•格公司已經制定了一項檢測計畫，對該檢查員的工作進行重新檢測，將把耐壓殼體或者關鍵部分的焊接作為重點。（中國船舶資訊中心 陳建峰）

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/06/navy_welds_060109w/
Weld inspector’s lies may affect 9 ships

By Christopher P. Cavas - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 1, 2009 16:48:42 EDT
  
More than 10,000 welded joints on at least eight submarines and a new aircraft carrier might need to be reinspected after the discovery by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding that one of its inspectors had falsified inspection reports.

According to an internal report obtained by Navy Times, the issue came to light May 14, when a welding inspector at the company’s Newport News, Va., shipyard told a supervisor that a fellow inspector was initialing welds as “OK” without performing the inspections. Confronted by the supervisor, the offending inspector admitted to falsifying three weld inspections, all that same day.

Company officials rapidly began an internal investigation and notified the Navy’s supervisor of shipbuilding of the situation, according to the report. On May 20, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service began its own investigation.

Northrop Grumman declined to reveal the employee’s name, citing the ongoing personnel investigation. A company official did say May 28 that the employee initially had been suspended, then fired.

According to the report, a quick company review of the inspector’s work showed that 12 other joints inspected by the employee that evening were satisfactory. But the ramifications of the falsified inspections rapidly grew beyond a single night’s work.

“We have to go back and check everything this guy has ever touched,” said one industrial source.

The employee had been certified to perform inspections in June 2005 and, according to the report, a review of the shipyard’s welding database showed that in the ensuing four years he inspected and signed off on more than 10,000 structural welding joints on at least nine ships.

Company officials said May 27 that the investigation of the employee’s work could mean that all the joints would need reinspection or re-evaluation.

3 ships in service
According to the report, the ships worked on by the inspector included the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Missouri, California, Mississippi, Minnesota and John Warner, and the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush. Bush, North Carolina and New Hampshire are in service; the other subs are in various states of construction at Newport News and at the General Dynamics shipyards in Groton, Conn., and Quonset, R.I.

The two shipbuilders share equally in building the submarines. Each shipyard builds specific sections of the submarines and transports the sections to the other yard. The shipbuilders alternate in assembling the hulls.

The inspector performed most of his work on the New Mexico (2,133 welds inspected), Missouri (3,169), California (2,002) and Mississippi (2,177). The employee inspected only 23 welds on New Hampshire and two on North Carolina.

A little more than 10 percent of the submarine welds were hull integrity, or SUBSAFE, joints involving critical parts.

The inspector also performed 229 piping joint inspections on submarines.

There are many thousands of welds on each 7,800-ton submarine — more then 300,000, according to an Electric Boat Best Manufacturing Practices Web site.

But making sure that welding work is done correctly can be a matter of life and death.

“People take this really, really seriously,” said one industry source. “Why? Because people don’t want another Thresher. Nobody takes a chance.”

The submarine Thresher sank in April 1963 when it was forced to dive below its crush depth and the hull imploded. All 129 men aboard the sub perished.

“The quality of our work is something we take very seriously,” Northrop spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell-Jones said in a May 28 statement to Navy Times.

Previous problems
Newport News is still smarting from a welding filler issue that arose in fall 2007. Shipyard workers had used the wrong type of welding filler material on many pipe welds, and the company and the Navy were forced to re-examine a number of submarines, aircraft carriers and surface ships built or repaired at the shipyard. Northrop changed a number of workshop practices as a result.

Both the Navy and Northrop Grumman emphasize that there is no relation between the weld filler issue and the latest problem with the inspector.

Northrop Grumman has developed an inspection plan of the offending inspector’s work that will focus on hull integrity and SUBSAFE joints as a priority, followed by non-SUBSAFE joints, according to the internal report.

The nature of the NCIS investigation is unclear.

“I can confirm that NCIS is investigating allegations made against a weld inspector, but I cannot get into case specifics,” NCIS spokesman Ed Buice wrote in a May 28 e-mail to Navy Times. “NCIS does not comment on the details of ongoing investigations.”

http://www.dsti.net/News/53334.htm
美海軍第八艘“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇鋪設龍骨

    [據諾•格公司網站2009年5月1日報導] 諾•格公司在紐波特紐斯船廠為“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊核潛艇“加利福尼亞”號（SSN781）舉行了鋪設龍骨的儀式。

    “加利福尼亞”號是“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊核潛艇的第八艘，將在明年進行命名，預計於2011年交付美國海軍。它將是世界上最先進的攻擊核潛艇，能夠在21世紀提供強大的水下作戰能力。諾•格公司與通用動力電船分公司組成了一個團隊來建造“佛吉尼亞”攻擊核潛艇。（中國船舶資訊中心 陳建峰）

http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=164472
Northrop Grumman Lays Keel for California (SSN 781) Submarine

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 1, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) hosted a keel laying ceremony for the Virginia-class submarine California (SSN 781) at the company's Shipbuilding sector in Newport News, Va.

Photos accompanying this release are available at:
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/

Mrs. Donna Willard is the ship's sponsor and served as keel authenticator for the ceremony. She is the wife of Adm. Robert F. Willard, the United States Navy 32nd and current Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

"From my heart, I want you all to know how honored I am to be the sponsor of the USS California. I want to thank then-Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter for selecting me for this tremendous privilege," said Willard. "It's not just about the steel on the outside of the California that makes this so exciting for me, but rather it's the men on the inside. They are the sons, the brothers, the husbands and the fathers who will give life to this boat. They are the ones who go in harm's way in defense of our freedom."

Mrs. Willard authenticated California's stern unit by chalking her initials onto a metal plate. Her initials were then welded onto the plate by Newport News welder Scott Hallinger. The plate will be permanently affixed to the submarine prior to its delivery to the Navy.

Adm. Kirkland Donald, director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion, spoke about the success of the Virginia-class program. "Through the successful commissioning of five ships of the Virginia class, we've proven that we know how to do this. The on-time, on-cost, on-quality reputation of this program is well documented, and I'm convinced that if we 'stick to our knitting,' California will be the best of the class."

Matt Mulherin, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News, presided over the event. Other ceremony participants included U.S. Rep. Robert "Bobby" Scott, (D-Va.); California's Prospective Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Kevin Kinslow; and General Dynamics Electric Boat President John Casey. Guests included Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat employees who are building California; officers and crew of the Pre-Commissioning Unit California; U.S. Navy personnel; and government officials.

"As impressive as this submarine will be when complete, we will marvel not only at the ship itself, but at the people who built it, the people who will sail it, and the people it will defend," said Mulherin. "Thank you to the shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman and Electric Boat, the crew of the Pre-Commissioning Unit California, our Navy partners and the legislators who make this work possible. We are a formidable team indeed."

California, the eighth ship of the Virginia class, is named after the "Golden State." It will be christened next year, and upon delivery to the Navy in 2011, will be the most modern and sophisticated attack submarine in the world, providing undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding is teamed with General Dynamics Electric Boat to build Virginia class submarines.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2009-01-15/0854538841.html
美軍將2/3數量的佛吉尼亞核潛艇部署在珍珠港
http://www.sina.com.cn  2009年01月15日 08:54  中國國防科技資訊網

　　據美國《海軍時報》2008年1月9日報導 美國海軍官員稱：“珍珠港將成為海軍“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇的主要基地，大約有2/3的潛艇準備駐紮在這裏。”

　　海軍計畫至少建造19艘“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇，每艘造價25億美元。

　　美國太平洋艦隊的一位發言人、海軍上校W.Scott Gureck稱：“珍珠港總的攻擊核潛艇數量——大約15艘不會改變。”

　　“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇的分佈資訊是美國海軍在每年一度的夏威夷商會主持的工商業界軍事最新消息會議上透露的。而且“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇將最終取代現有的”洛杉磯”級潛艇。

　　根據美國2006年的《四年防務評審》，美國海軍的長期計畫是將60%的攻擊核潛艇駐紮在太平洋，40%駐紮在大西洋。

　　“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇在部署到 “洛杉磯”級核潛艇現在的基地之前，將以珍珠港和格魯頓基地為母港。

　　“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇“夏威夷”號將在6月末到達珍珠港，緊接著是“德克薩斯”於10月底或者11月初。美國高級官員Daniel Inouyei之前曾說過，“北卡羅萊納”號也將以珍珠港為母港。

　　2009年和2010年將每年建造一艘“佛吉尼亞”級核潛艇，2011-2013年將每年建造2艘。(中國船舶資訊中心 陳建峰)

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2009-01-12/0838538423.html
美國海軍為第12艘佛吉尼亞級攻擊核潛艇命名
http://www.sina.com.cn  2009年01月12日 08:38  中國國防科技資訊網

　　據美國《海軍時報》2009年1月8日報導 美國海軍週四宣佈：下一艘“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊核潛艇(SSN785)被命名為約翰•沃納(John Warner),這是該級核潛艇第一次打破傳統，沒有採用州的名字命名。。

　　“沃納”號之前以船體編號SSN 785著稱，是第三批“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊核潛艇的第二艘(總的第12艘)。它的艇艏將採用兩個大直徑的多用途有效載荷發射管來代替現有的12個垂直發射管。它也將配備升級的聲呐和其他改進裝置。

　　“沃納”號的建造很可能於2010年開始。這不是第一次打破潛艇的傳統命名規則。例如，“海狼”級攻擊核潛艇的第二艘命名為“康涅狄格”、第三艘命名為“吉米•卡特”。 第23艘“洛杉磯”級攻擊核潛艇被命名為“Hyman G.Rickover”。(中國船舶資訊中心 陳建峰)

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/01/navy_subname_010809w/
Navy names new sub for ex-Va. Sen. Warner

By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jan 9, 2009 17:02:12 EST
 
The Navy’s next Virginia-class attack submarine is to be named for former Virginia Sen. John Warner, the Navy announced Thursday, the first break in the class convention of naming the subs after states.

formerly known by its hull number, SSN 785, the Warner is to be the second Block III Virginia-class attack boat. It will include two large multi-purpose payload tubes forward, instead of 12 traditional vertical launch tubes for Tomahawk cruise missiles. It also will include upgraded sonar and other refinements.

Warner’s biography and long public career made him one of the best-known members of Congress. He served as a sailor in World War II and a Marine in Korea, was President Nixon’s Navy secretary, was married for six years to actress Elizabeth Taylor, and spent 30 years in the Senate. During his time in Congress, Warner was a consistent advocate for the Navy, which has its largest base and shipbuilding operations in his home state.

“[H]e has shown unwavering support for the men and women of the armed forces, and has been a champion of modernizing the structure and operations of the military to ensure its effectiveness in the 21st century,” according to the official announcement from the Defense Department.

Specifically, Warner’s advocacy for the unusual way in which Virginia-class submarines are built — half by the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Newport News, Va., and half by General Dynamics’ Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Conn. — “was instrumental in developing this construction teaming arrangement concept, which was later codified into law,” the Defense Department announcement said.

Construction on the Warner is likely to begin in 2010.

This is not the first time the Navy has broken from its sub-naming convention. The second and third boats in the Seawolf class were named Connecticut and Jimmy Carter. The 23rd Los Angeles-class submarine was named Hyman G. Rickover, making it the only boat of its class not named for an American city. And the fifth Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine was originally to have been the Rhode Island, but it was renamed Henry M. Jackson after the Washington senator died in 1983.

Even before that, the Navy broke with its convention of naming attack submarines for sea creatures. The final two Sturgeon-class submarines were the L. Mendel Rivers and the Richard B. Russell, followed later by the one-of-a-kind experimental boat Glenard P. Lipscomb.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-12-25/0836536330.html
美國海軍出資140億美元訂購8艘新型攻擊核潛艇
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年12月25日 08:36  中國國防科技資訊網

 
　　據美國防務新聞網2008年12月23日報導 美國海軍於12月22日宣佈了價值140億美元的合同，用來採購8艘新的“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇。該份多年採購合同授予給了通用動力電船公司，電船公司與諾•格艦艇建造分部的紐波特紐斯船廠一起建造“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇。

　　在宣佈合同時，潛艇項目執行官Hilarides在國防部向記者透露：48個州的12000多家公司將參與到“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇的建造過程中。

　　新簽署建造的8艘潛艇中的首艇“北達科他”號(SSN 784)已經包括在2009年的國防法案中，海軍計畫在2010年採購SSN 785，並在2011、2012和2013年中每年採購2艘。8艘潛艇中的第8艘SSN 791計畫在2019年交付。

　　新一批“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇被認為是第III批，前面每5艘是一批，共兩批。根據新的合同，共有18艘潛艇正在服役、建造、定購或已經授權，海軍計畫建造30艘“佛吉尼亞”級潛艇。

　　據通用動力公司介紹，合同將會馬上提供24億美元，用來建造“北達科他”號，以及為SSN 785進行先期採購。據該公司介紹，通過一次性為多艘潛艇採購原材料、零部件，將會產生明顯的經濟效益，節約成本。

　　第III批潛艇將會是第一批安裝“佛吉尼亞”有效載荷發射管(VPT)的潛艇，該有效載荷發射管是在“俄亥俄”級巡航導彈核潛艇的先前的彈道導彈發射管改裝之後的基礎上改進的，新潛艇上的兩個發射管將會替代原先12個用來發射“戰斧”導彈的發射管，233.68cm(92in)寬的發射管可以攜帶6枚巡航導彈。新潛艇還將裝備寬孔徑艇艏陣(LAB)代替原來的傳統聲呐陣，Hilarides表示：與之前的傳統聲呐陣相比，新的LAB聲呐陣將會通過使用換能器改善被動監聽能力。美國海軍宣佈，LAB聲呐陣和VPT，以及其他20多個設計改變，將會從2012年開始為每艘潛艇節省4000萬美元。

　　Hilarides宣佈：到2012年，每艘潛艇的成本可以達到2005年時的20億美元，根據通貨膨脹，2012年的實際成本將會是26億美元。為了實現每艘潛艇20億美元的成本目標，海軍和艦艇建造商做出了長期的努力，穩定的、長期的建造速度是控制艦艇建造成本的關鍵。海軍也一直在研究，需要潛艇起到什麼作用。Hilarides指出：“從一開始，對‘佛吉尼亞’級潛艇的需求就是非常穩定的。”

　　在未來幾年內將不會簽署新的潛艇合同，Hilarides表示：下一批新的潛艇，也就是第IV批潛艇將會從2012年開始協商。

　　對於新潛艇可能會採取哪些設計改變，潛艇戰分部主管拒絕回答，他在國防部表示：“目前回答這些問題還不成熟，我希望看到更多的報告。”

　　潛艇建造商對新協議給予了高度的讚揚。電船公司主管在一份聲明中表示：“這份合同，將不僅為康涅狄格州、羅德島和弗吉尼亞州帶來工作，將會為全國參與到‘佛吉尼亞’級潛艇項目中的數千個企業增加生產機會。”紐波特紐斯船廠經理在一份聲明中表示：這份合同，“將會為潛艇專案、勞動力和艦艇建造工商基礎在未來幾年的穩定發展提供保障。”(中國船舶資訊中心 楊龍塾)

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3875058&c=SEA&s=TOP
U.S. Navy Orders 8 New Subs
By christopher p. cavas
Published: 23 Dec 06:16 EST (11:16 GMT)  Print  |    Email

As expected, the U.S. Navy announced on Dec. 22 a $14 billion contract to buy eight new SSN 774 Virginia-class submarines.

The fixed-price incentive, multiyear procurement contract was awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat, lead shipyard for the Virginia-class submarines. Electric Boat's facilities at Quonset Point, R.I., and Groton, Conn., share equally in building the submarines with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Newport News shipyard in Virginia.

In making the announcement, Rear Adm. William Hilarides, program executive officer for submarines, told a group of reporters at the Pentagon that more than 12,000 companies of all sizes located in 48 states take part in building the Virginia-class subs.

The first of the eight submarines, the North Dakota (SSN 784) - so far the only vessel in the group to be named - was authorized in the 2009 defense act. The Navy plans to ask for SSN 785 in 2010 and thereafter ask for two submarines each in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The eighth ship in the group, SSN 791, is scheduled to be delivered in 2019.

The new group of subs is referred to collectively as Block III. Previous Virginia-class submarines were authorized in two groups of five subs each. With the new contract, 18 submarines of the class are in service, under construction, on order or authorized. The Navy plans to buy 30 Virginia-class submarines.

According to General Dynamics, the contract immediately provides $2.4 billion to fund construction of the North Dakota and carry out advanced procurement for SSN 785. Significant economies of scale will be realized, the company said, by the ability to purchase materials, parts and components for multiple ships at one time.

The Block III submarines will be the first of the class to be fitted with the Virginia Payload Tubes (VPT), a development of the modified former ballistic missile launch tubes in the Ohio-class converted cruise missile subs. Two VPTs in the bow of each of the new submarines will replace 12 vertical launch tubes used for Tomahawk cruise missiles in previous submarines. The 92-inch-wide VPTs each can hold six cruise missiles.

The new subs also will feature the Large Aperture Bow (LAB) Array of sound-detection gear, replacing the traditional sonar sphere of earlier ships. Hilarides said the LAB Array provides improved passive listening capability over traditional spheres using transducers.

The Navy claims the LAB Array and VPTs, along with more than two dozen other modifications, shaved $40 million per submarine beginning with the 2012 ships.

Hilarides noted the price for the each of the two submarines in 2012 will be $2 billion, calculated in 2005 dollars. Adjusted for inflation, he said, the actual price in 2012 will be $2.6 billion.

Reaching the goal of a $2 billion submarine represented a lengthy effort by the Navy and its shipbuilders, Hilarides said. He commented that to lower ship prices, "Steady, stable and long construction runs are the key to controlling costs in shipbuilding."

The Navy also worked to the line on what it wants the submarines to do.

"Requirements on the Virginia class have been extremely stable from the beginning," Hilarides noted.

No new submarine contracts are now scheduled to be awarded for several years. Hilarides said that negotiations for the next group, Block IV, would begin in about 2012.

As for what possible design changes might be incorporated into those new submarines, Rear Adm. Cecil Haney, director of the Submarine Warfare Division, declined to answer. "That would be premature," he said at the Pentagon. "I want to see more reports from commanders after deployment."

The submarine-building community praised the new agreement.

"This contract will provide good jobs not just in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia, but in thousands of communities across the country as our vendors gear up for increased production on the Virginia class," Electric Boat president John Casey said in a statement.

Matt Mulherin, general manager of the Newport News shipyard, said in a statement that the agreement "brings stability to the submarine program, to our work force and to the shipbuilding supplier industrial base for the next decade."

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2008-10-21/0943526305.html
美國海軍SSN-778號核攻擊潛艇本周進入現役
http://www.sina.com.cn  2008年10月21日 09:43  中國國防科技資訊網

　　據美國海軍時報網2008年10月19日報導 美國海軍最新的“佛吉尼亞”級攻擊型核潛艇“新罕布夏”號(New Hampshire, SSN 778)已經抵達樸資茅斯海軍船廠，準備在本周服役。

　　“新罕布夏”號潛艇上的139名軍官和艇員通過24艘漁船與該艇一起抵達潛艇的維修船廠。該艘潛艇是由通用動力公司位於康涅狄格州格羅頓的電船分部建造的。

　　“新罕布夏”號潛艇是第四艘以該州的名字命名的海軍艦艇，該艇將於星期六舉行試運行儀式。(中國船舶資訊中心 楊龍塾)

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/10/ap_new_hampshire_101908/
New Hampshire arrives in port for commissioning

The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Oct 20, 2008 8:08:20 EDT
 
KITTERY, Maine — Escorted by a fireboat that sprayed plumes of water, the Navy’s newest submarine has arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in preparation for this week’s commissioning.

The New Hampshire, with a crew of 139 officers and enlisted personnel, was followed by a couple dozen fishing boats Sunday as it made its way to the submarine repair yard along the Piscataqua River.

Hundreds of spectators gathered in brisk, sunny weather at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, N.H., to watch the vessel’s arrival from the Navy’s New London submarine base. The submarine was built at General Dynamics’ Electric Boat division in Groton, Conn.

The commissioning of the New Hampshire, the fourth naval vessel to be named for that state, will be held Saturday.