March Program, USS Hartford Repair, Stan Gwudz - Principle Speaker

at the Groton Inn and Suites 

March’s EBMA meeting was held at the Groton Motor Inn and Suites on Wednesday March 23, 2011.  The EB Team overseeing the repair and testing of the USS Hartford, SSN 768, were the featured presenters.  Stan Gwudz, EB’s Director of Ship’s Management was the principle speaker.  The team presented a series of slides that conveyed the many challenges faced by the shipyard in getting the ship ready to return to sea.  They explained the complexity of the project at hand as well as the unique capabilities of Electric Boat which rendered it the only shipyard in existence with sufficient know-how and ship building skills capable of pulling off such an astonishing feat.  At the end of their prepared remarks, team members took questions from the audience. 

    But first, EBMA President, Joe Rossi, sounded the gavel to officially open the meeting.  He welcomed retirees, members and their guests, noting that Pete Halvordson, Engineering & Design VP was in attendance.  He also recognized Bruce Hart, wishing him much success in his new post as Quonset Point Site Manager. He then asked members to “silence their electronic devices and spouses before proceeding” and he previewed upcoming events including Scholarship Night and the Kids’ Easter Party both in April (volunteers still needed). He talked about EB Night in May and this year’s Golf Tournament (at the New London Country Club) on June 24th.  The summer picnic will also be held in June at Lake Compounce, he said.   

     He then encouraged members to apply for the one of the members’ only scholarships: the James Brown and the Bob Januska awards.  He urged other members, interested in the Certified Managers Program, to contact John Consiglio (D409). He then recognized the evening’s hosts Tom Bogue and Laura and Victor Sottile (D449); and thanked Program Director, Judy Bogue (D615) for her efforts.  She always does a fantastic job on our behalf, he said.  He also thanked Carrie Pfieffer for her continued support of the association.  Stephen Johnson (D626) then led the Pledge and Burt Gischner (D604) recited the prayer. 

     After dinner, Joe Rossi invited Stan Gwudz to the podium to introduce the rest of the team.  The USS Hartford collision repair, Gwudz said, was a remarkable achievement. Noting that EB employees tend to consider themselves to be among the best shipbuilders in the world, in this case, he noted, several admirals admitted that we were the only yard capable of making the extensive repairs. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation, he noted, Ron Medrzychowski has agreed to stay until all questions have been answered.   

     Why was this such a big deal, he asked. There was significant damage to the hull, tanks, antennas and control surfaces.  The sail, he said was approximately 75% severed. In spite of the extent of the repairs, the government was budgeting one million man hours and 12 months for the project. EB had concerns about the circularity of the hull and unseen damage to hydraulic systems.  They worried about the availability of electronic data and of finding 688 Class experienced shipbuilders.  The original boat was designed on paper, he said, with no 3-D models or no laser measuring.  The original tolerances for structures were originally measured to the eighth of an inch.  They were built from the bottom up using piano wire and plumb bobs, he said, but this repair would be proceeding from the top down. 

     In the end, he said, this achievement was a real tribute to EB’s technicians, Engineers and craftsmen.  It took 36 months to build, outfit and certify the original boat, he said, and much of that work had to be accomplished all over again, this time in 19 months.  In the end, the effort had been a success; the boat came through its sea trials with flying colors, he said, with only one minor unsat.  Typically one expects to see 50 or 60 items needing attention, he said.

     Stan then invited Matt Boone, Dan Vieira, and Adam Giuliano to the stage.  They took turns explaining in detail how the ship was taken apart and put back together.  The USS Hartford at 7000 tons was no match for the 24,000 ton Amphibious Transport it collided with.  The sub did an 85 degree roll; the surface ship had a 16 foot long gash in its hull. Engineers were concerned with marginalized structure, residual stresses and pressure hull deformation.  Matt Boone discussed the major challenges of the repair including analysis and assessment of the damage, removal and replacement of the damaged hull patch, the use of automated manufacturing processes and the development of design data and modeling capability.  It was a collaborative approach, he said, with input from all areas of the shipyard. 

    The speakers illustrated their talk with photographs of the methods used to apply modern manufacturing efficiencies to the old design.  From capturing critical measurements needed to cut thousands of pieces of steel, to utilizing laser and water cutting tools and automated welding processes.  Other photographs showed shipfitters aligning the new hull structure using jigs, fixtures and strong backs.   From concept to completion, Boone said, the hull patch took 5 months.      

   The sail presented a different set of challenges, he said. Highly complex and filled with masts, antenna and periscopes, the accurate alignment of each of these components would prove to be critical.  With more than 60 bolted access covers and 5000 component parts, EB started cutting steel even before the contract had been signed, he said. The bow plane damage presented another complete set of challenges.  Far more damaged than originally thought, Ship yard workers had to fix or replace pieces of the planes, the control mechanisms and the surrounding tank spaces damaged in the collision.       

     Finally the ship was returned to service at 1/20^th the cost of a new ship and in 1/3^rd the time.  Lots of EB people had hands on contributions to this remarkable success.  It was an outstanding effort, Gwudz said, and a real tribute to the men and women of Electric Boat.   The team then took several questions from the audience.

     Finally, Joe Rossi returned to thank the presenters and close out the meeting.  After a motion to adjourn was made and seconded.  EBMA members left the GMI, with a better appreciation of the skills and capabilities of their co-workers.

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