Crafting with Hell Fire: HTs' Various Welding Techniques

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Oscar Albert Moreno Jr., USS George Washington Public Affairs

USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, At Sea (NNS) -- Hull technicians (HT) aboard the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) operate tools that use temperatures as high as 8,500 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the habitability of the ship is in top condition.

HTs use different welding techniques to fuse metals together, fill in cracks and permanently fix defects to ensure the ship's hull structure is sound.

"We are in charge to ensure that whatever flows through the ship doesn't go off on a tangent," said Hull Technician 1st Class Cornelius Klein, from Chicago. "We fix, repair and replace pipes, piping systems, doors, hatches and bulkheads. We ensure that whatever can go wrong doesn't go wrong."

According to Kirksey, the ship's pipe shop and ship fitters are capable of three different welding techniques: stick welding, tig welding and brazing.

Stick welding involves using a stinger, which is a torch and an electrode, or a flux coated welding rod, that is lit to start a chemical reaction. Stick welding binds two metals together, like an angle iron to a bulkhead. After the weld is finished, the excess flux is chipped off and wire brushed to perfection.

Tig welding, also known as tungsten inert-gas welding, involving using argon gas to keep the metal from oxidizing, and a torch and a filler rod fuses two metals together.

While with tig welding, HTs ensure that the welding does not burn through the metal and the amount of heat administrated is enough for a proper fusion to form. Brazing involves using acetylene, a combustible gas, to start up the chemical reaction while utilizing oxygen as a constant heat source to melt filler metal over a seal. Steps to braze properly begin with ensuring the seal area is properly cleaned. HTs then use heat and filler metal to fill a hole in a joint. Additional filler metal is traced around the seal and then left to cool slowly to reduce the likelihood of cracking.

"We take great pride in our work, from large scale jobs down to the simplest tasks," said Hull Technician 2nd Class Kevan Kirksey, from San Bernardino, California. "On a daily basis, we work with heat that burns through metal. Therefore, every weld we do around the ship is done with extreme precision to ensure the weld is refined and our personnel complete jobs without injuries."

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.