Corpus Christi Maintenance Project Completed Early

The USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705) project team at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (PHNSY) completed the Guam-homeported submarine’s Docking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA) maintenance project on Dec. 15, six days ahead of schedule. In a congratulatory note to the PHNSY team, the Commander of Submarine Force Pacific, Rear Adm. Joseph A. Walsh, said, “Your steadfast commitment to excellence and first-time quality enabled more than 30,000 man-days of vital repairs and critical maintenance to be completed in less than three months, returning this important forward-deployed asset to the front lines.” The project team and other shipyard managers acknowledged this project took a slightly different management “tone” from other prioritized projects in the past, and that the positive approach set the team up for early success. “There was ownership and everyone got to hit the ‘I believe button’ in planning,” said Cmdr. Jamie Kalowsky, project superintendent of the approximately 50-member Corpus Christi project management team. “Any time the ‘It can’t be done’ or the ‘We tried that in the past’ talk kicked in, we asked ‘Why can’t it be done?’ We would immediately tackle those issues, and once the concern was removed, what could stand in the way of being successful? Nothing, and that’s where the team’s extra commitment came from.”

“The team’s attitude was never accept ‘no’ for an answer. So whatever it took, the project team never went home at the end of the day with an unresolved question or commitment. They demanded answers and never accepted no or failure as an alternative,” said Cmdr. Faryle Fitchue, the Shipyard’s operations execution manager. Brad Mayural, non-nuclear assistant project superintendent, said, “This was the most detailed job summary review and resource-leveled planning that I have seen in my career at the Shipyard. As the technical and workability schedule ties were aligned with the available resources, it became clear that the project had a clear shot at an on-time completion. The zone managers and supervisors simply saw the opportunity to succeed, and they came through.” When asked about the significance of the project’s early completion, Kalowsky said, “We want Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard to be the maintenance provider of choice to the fleet both now and in the future. The mechanics, shops and codes should be proud of their accomplishment. I think that there is a special quality at Pearl that makes it better than the rest.” The Corpus Christi project team is part of the 4,800-member workforce at PHNSY, the largest industrial employer in the state of Hawaii. In fiscal year 2006, the command had an operating budget of $505 million, of which $397 million was payroll for civilian employees. Strategically located in the Pacific Ocean, PHNSY is a full-service naval shipyard and regional maintenance center for the Navy’s surface ships and submarines. Source: Navsea Newswire By Sean Hughes, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Public Affairs