Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Delivers USS Springfield Ahead of Schedule, Under Budget

From Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) delivered USS Springfield (SSN 761) back to the fleet on Sept. 12 ahead of schedule and under budget.

PNSY conducted Springfield's docking continuous maintenance availability off-yard at Sub Base New London in Groton, Connecticut. Although PNSY routinely performs work outside the Kittery, Maine shipyard, off-yard availabilities are unique and an all-inclusive team mentality from planning to execution is especially important.

The Springfield Project Team and Ship's Force, with support from PNSY and the Regional Support Group in Groton, led the submarine's availability. Project Superintendent Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Luteran attributed the successful maintenance availability to teamwork and adhering to project management fundamentals.

"Portsmouth prides itself on first-time quality, and it couldn't have been more evident than the work completed during this maintenance period," said Luteran. "The project team's performance during the docking period enabled us to undock one week early and ride that success into the end game of the availability, returning Springfield to the fleet sooner than expected."

Throughout the docking phase of the maintenance period the project team successfully executed nearly 24,000 man-days of maintenance. This contributed to the delivery of Springfield one day early and $3 million under budget.

"Springfield's project team kept its focus on safety and first-time quality," said Shipyard Commander Capt. William Greene. "It's the team's commitment to excellence that delivers results in submarine maintenance and returns mission-ready submarines back to the fleet on-time and on-budget."

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is the Navy's center of excellence for fast-attack submarine maintenance, modernization, and repair. The on-time or early completion of submarine availabilities are critical in the maintenance of the fleet and are essential to maintaining warfighter readiness. As a field activity of NAVSEA, PNSY is committed to maximizing the material readiness of the fleet by safely delivering first-time quality, on time, and on budget.