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ESOH Challenges in Commissioning an Aircraft Carrier

Brief 7832Doug Parrish

Booz Allen HamiltonE2S2 Conference May 2009, Denver

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Outline• Background• Complex operational environment.• Manning challenges.• Design/contract challenges.• Equipment challenges.• Specific ESOH challenges.• Hazardous materials.• Safety equipment.• Training.

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Background: Changes over time.

Photo: Anon.

Photo: US Navy Photo: US Navy

Photo: US Navy

Photo: US Navy

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Old style of building ships not normally used today- for multiple reasons. Photo: Battleship.Org

Construction Methods Change Over Time

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Complex Operational Environment

Photo: US Navy

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Why do we have carriers?Purpose of an aircraft carrier: Force projection (i.e., drop bombs on target in geographically remote locations.

USS CONSTELLATION (exCV-64).Photo: US Navy

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NGSB Aircraft Carriers

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CVN-78 Plan

Image: US Navy

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The Construction Process

• Busy place. NGNN has 1000+ cranes, many forklifts, 3 shifts of operation, 19k+ employees. –COMMERCIAL YARD!

• Carrier takes 5+ years to build. Some crew there ~2 years prior to commissioning, phased manning.

• Carrier build ~$5.5B & ~ 50M manhours.• + Later outfitting + modernization.

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NIMITZ Class (CVN-68)• Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co, NGNN/NGSB.• CVN-68 Deployed: May 3, 1975. • Unit Cost: ~ $4.5B each, + planes & supplies.• Propulsion: 2 nuclear reactors, 4 shafts.• Length: 1,092 ft • Beam: 134 ft• Flight Deck Width: 252 ft• Displacement: ~ 97k tons (88k metric tons) full load.• Speed: 30+ knots (34.5+ mph).• Crew: Ship's Company: 3,200 - Air Wing: 2,480. • Aircraft: 85

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Changes on CVN-77 vs CVN-68• CVN-77 is “evolved” or transitional CVN-68

design. CVN-78 = CVN-21 advanced design.• Major improvements from her predecessors,

including:– Bulbous bow.– Redesigned island and integral weapons elevator. – Composite mast. – Three-wire arresting gear configuration. – Fresh water, vacuum system sewage capture &

treatment plant.• Plan for EMALS not incorporated, technology

was not mature.

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E-2C in the wire. Photo: US Navy

USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN-76).Photo US Navy

F-18F SuperHornet. Photo: US Navy

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CNV-77: Significant Commitment of Resources

• Top of mast- 20 stories above waterline (244 ft).• 4.5 acre flight deck. • 1,092 feet long: nearly as long as the Empire

State Building is tall. • Four bronze propellers, each 21 feet across and

30+ tons. • Steering accomplished by two rudders, each 29

feet by 22 feet, 50 tons in weight. • Four high speed aircraft elevators, 4,000+

square feet in area, bring planes to the flight deck from the hangar below.

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CNV-77: Significant Commitment of Resources

• 47,000 tons of structural steel and about 1M lbs of aluminum used in the ship’s construction.

• Modular construction process forms large individual units of the ship much like interlocking building blocks.

• Units welded together to form a module or superlift weighing up to 900 tons.

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CVN-77 Capacity

• Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel. • Enough food and supplies to operate for 90

days: 18,150 meals served daily.• Distillation plants providing 400,000 gallons of

fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes.

• Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,600 miles of cable and wiring.

• 1,400 telephones, 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets.

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The Ship• Top speed 30+ knots (35+ MPH).

• 2 nuclear reactors, operate 20+ years without refueling.

• Conventional diesel ship burns ~ 270k gallons of fuel per day during flight operations.–CVN’s not tied to oil cargo ships like CV’s.

• ~50 years lifespan.

• Three two-inch diameter arresting wires on the flight deck bring an airplane going 150 MPH to a stop in < 400 ft (i.e., mobile airport).

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Manning Challenges• Few people initially. Everyone has

multiple jobs.• As Safety Dept and rest man up, most are

not trained for primary and collateral duties.

• First ship or carrier tour for many.• Safety Dept = TAD bodies.

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Design/Contract Challenges• 1970s Design.

– Little changed from first NIMITZ design.– Shipalts/mods not normally done at yard,

wait on PSA/SRA.– “As designed/built” to pass INSURV/Navy

Acceptance Trials, then some items ripped out/replaced/modernized at SRA.

»Wet Chemistry Photolab.– FORD CVN-78 design ~complete, little Fleet

input. »Too late to input ESOH problems now/ not

in contract.

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BUSH, 2nd with new bulbous bow

Photo: Northrop Grumman

750 ton lift. New design more efficient.

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BUSH in drydock, May06

Photo: Northrop Grumman

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Superlifts: Upper Bow, Island

Photos: Northrop Grumman

780 ton bow

700 ton island

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BUSH in drydock, Sep06

Photo: Northrop Grumman

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PCU BUSH Christening, Oct 7, 2006

Photo: Northrop Grumman

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Schedule• Keel laid: Sep 03• First crew onboard: Jun 06

– 25% ~Dec 06– 50% ~ Jun 07– 75% ~ Jan 08

• Light off reactor Jul 08• Crew moveaboard Aug 08• Commissioning Jan 09• Builder’s Trials Feb 09• Navy Acceptance Trials Mar 09• SRA/PSA Mar 09• Workups/FCT late 09• First Cruise late 2010

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Photo: US Navy

An aircraft carrier’s flight deck is a busy place.

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Photo: US Navy

Many environmental concerns during operation.

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Photo: US Navy

Start training early to meet operational uses.

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Photo: US Navy

Multi-national, multi-state, oceans & rivers.

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Equipment Challenges

• Buy initial outfitting items, no gear comes with the job.

• AELs are wrong.• Supply Dept undermanned, no HAZMAT

program.• RPPO untrained.• Byzantine supply system (not standard

methodology).• No hazmat spill kit nor ability to respond.

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Specific ESOH Challenges

• Getting people to wear PPE.• Constant training challenges- new people,

new equipment, new systems, complex operations.

• Commercial yards have their own rules- some are arbitrary.

• Navy DOES NOT OWN THE SHIP, DOES NOT OWN THE YARD.– Barge, rented offices, Huntington Hall,

remote parking lots.

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Facilities

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Specific ESOH Challenges

• Shipyard owns emergency (medical, spill, fire, environmental) response until after crew move-aboard.

• While working aboard, Navy crew follows yard rules- if we know/understand them.

• SUPSHIP is intermediary.

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HAZMAT Challenges• One BM2/9595 for first year (Jul06-Dec07).• No AUL, limited visibility on ordering.• SERVMART provides HAZMAT- which

may be fine for shore offices but not usable onboard.

• Safety Dept BM1/SK1 9595- late arrivals (Mar08).

• Have/use HAZMAT before program in place. – No training, Hazcomm standard, PPE,

disposal, spill kits, or storage.

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Safety Equipment

• Receive just prior to builder’s trials.• 195 List/Exclusion Items:

– EEBDs & SCBAs.– Bull’s Eyes, CCOLs, SIB.– Fire fighting equipment.– Ladder chains.– Nonskid decks.– Deck coverings & deck markings.– Warning Labels/SOPS/Operator Placards.

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Training Challenges

• Many new, unique, untried systems.• Navy crew doesn’t own systems, yard

does initially.• Vendor prepares maintenance + training

pubs- often late in the game.• Crew must be trained/prepared for ATG

Crew Certification, Builders and Navy Acceptance Trials.

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Recommendations• Standardize and implement consistent,

timely SSWGs and allow changes to contract and design early in design cycle.

• More fleet/user community involvement, earlier- and USE their suggestions.

• Make and use passdown/lessons learned.• More SUPSHIP oversight during all

phases of build process.• Get engineers out on site, get them

familiar with environment and operational needs.

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Summary• Background• Complex operational environment.• Manning challenges.• Design/contract challenges.• Equipment challenges.• Specific ESOH challenges.• Hazardous materials.• Safety equipment.• Training.

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Questions?One Mission, One Vision, One Team, One Fight!

ESOH Challenges In Commissioning an Aircraft Carrier

Questions?Questions?

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Contact info

Douglas K. ParrishPhD, CIH, CSP, REHSBooz Allen Hamilton Stafford Commerce Center, Suite 10325 Center StreetStafford, VA 22556Phone (540) 288-5126Fax (540) 288-5050Parrish_Douglas@bah.com