NAVSEA: Shipyard Saves $100,000 Through Innovative Dockings

NOV06-04: Shipyard Saves $100,000 Through Innovative Dockings
By Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – The concurrent docking of USS Port Royal (CG 73) and USS Crommelin (FFG 37) Oct. 15 in Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s (PHNSY & IMF) Dry Dock 4 saved the Navy approximately $100,000.

According to PHNSY & IMF Business Operations Officer Larry Wilson, it costs about $300,000 to dry dock a surface ship and $500,000 to dry dock two of them concurrently, translating to a $100,000 savings.

“You can’t do two for the price of one because it takes longer when you do two, but you realize some savings,” said Wilson. “You’re killing two birds with one stone. You save man-days on both the dockings and undockings.”

Two-ship dockings are not routine. In 2000, the salvage ship USS Salvor (ARS 52) and destroyer USS Russell (DDG 59) shared Dry Dock 4. Prior to that, the submarines USS Pintado (SSN 672) and USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) were double-docked side by side in Dry Dock 2 Aft in 1995.

Bringing two ships onto the blocks at the same time presented some challenges. Port Royal came in first, and was held in position while Crommelin entered the dry dock. A single crew of riggers and shipwrights handled one ship first and then the other.

Although the dry dock is 1,074 feet long, the ships were aligned off-center to each other and the dry dock. “Port Royal’s bow overlaps Crommelin’s stern by about 80 feet,” said Naval Architect Les Shak.

That made the second docking more difficult. “The riggers handling the lines had to be very aware of all the interference,” said Shak. “It’s a complex procedure requiring skilled workers that know what they’re doing.”

Since both ships’ maintenance periods coincided, the decision was made to dry dock Crommelin with Port Royal. “It’s the story behind the story (of the double docking),” said Surface Maintenance Coordinator Michael Carnes.

A Naval Sea Systems Command field activity, PHNSY & IMF is the largest industrial employer in the state of Hawaii with a combined civilian and military workforce of about 4,700. It has an operating budget of $620 million, of which more than $390 million is payroll for civilian employees. PHNSY & IMF, strategically located in the Pacific Ocean, is a full-service naval shipyard and regional maintenance center for the U.S. Navy’s surface ships and submarines.

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