TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 21 FOCUS NNS CREW ON SITE AND STRUCTURE COMPLETE FOR CVN 78 I M BRYAN MOORE AND THIS IS FOCUS NNS. WE RE HERE IN DOWNTOWN NEWPORT NEWS AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE NEW NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING APPRENTICE SCHOOL. COMING UP A LITTLE LATER IN OUR FEATURE FOCUS WE LL TAKE YOU ON A TOUR. AND NEWPORT NEWS SHOWS OFF ITS PATRIOTISM AT THE PATRIOTIC FESTIVAL BUT FIRST ON DECK CVN 78 GERALD R. FORD IS 100% STRUCTURALLY COMPLETE. AS JEREMY BUSTIN WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION TELLS US CVN 78 IS NOT READY FOR CREW MOVE ABOARD BUT THE CREW IS HERE AND READY TO WORK. OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, HUNDREDS OF SHIPBUILDERS HAVE CUT, MOLDED AND WELDED OVER 41,000 TONS OF STRUCTURAL STEEL TO SHAPE AND FORM THE WORLDS NEXT GREAT U.S. NAVY VESSEL NAMED FOR THE 38 TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, GERALD R. FORD. WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE FINAL MODULE, THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE OF CVN 78 IS NOW COMPLETE. SHIPBUILDERS WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO GET THIS SHIP READY WERE ON HAND TO WITNESS THE FINAL STRUCTURAL MILESTONE. (ROLF BARTSCHI) IT MEANS THE SHIP IS GETTING CLOSER TO COMING TO LIFE, THE CREW WILL TAKE SYSTEMS, START TO OPERATE AND THAT S A BIG, BIG, STEP FROM WHERE WE WERE BY STRUCTURALLY ERECTING THE SHIP, WELDING UNITS TOGETHER AND NOW WERE GETTING SYSTEMS READY AND ACTUALLY MOVING FLUID THROUGH PIPING SYSTEMS AND ENERGIZING ELECTRICAL GEAR, SO IT S A HUGE STEP.
A WEEK LATER, THE CREW BEGAN ARRIVING AND THE CVN 78 CARRIER CONSTRUCTION TEAM HELD A SPECIAL RIBBON CUTTING AND MOVING IN CEREMONY TO WELCOME THEM..ALTHOUGH THE CREW IS NOT MOVING ABOARD SHIP, THEY ARE NOW ON SITE IN SHIPYARD OFFICES AND THERE IS PLENTY OF WORK TO BE DONE. (CAP. JOHN F. MEIR) YOU CAN SEE THE CREW HERE THE BEGINNING OF THE CREW, THE START OF OUR FACILITY HERE WE RE GOING TO BE OPERATING ON UNTIL THE SHIP IS FULLY READY TO HAVE US ON BOARD, BUT WE ARE WELL ON THE WAY. NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDERS WILL BE WORKING ALONGSIDE CREW MEMBERS TO MAKE SURE THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND OTHER COMPONENTS ON THE NEW SHIP WILL ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF THE SAILORS AND THE REST OF THE CREW. (ENSIGN LEAH ROBERTS) IT FEELS LIKE THE SHIP IS COMING TOGETHER AND ITS PURPOSE IS BEING SERVED, PEOPLE ARE FINDING THEIR PLACES AND LEARNING THEIR JOBS AND I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT START AND A GREAT CREW HERE (LT. COMMANDER GREG LEVEQUE) ALL OF THE CREW IS VERY EXCITED TO BE ON BOARD THE FIRST OF ITS CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO FINISHING THE WORK HERE AND TAKING THE SHIP OUT TO SEA. THE CREW IS EAGER TO GET ON THE SHIP AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FIRST TIME THE FORD TOUCHES THE JAMES RIVER WHEN DRY DOCK 12 IS FLOODED IN OCTOBER. NOW THAT THE GERALD R. FORD IS STRUCTURALLY COMPLETE, THE NEXT BIG MILESTONE IS THE CHRISTENING FOLLOWED BY THE LAUNCH OF THIS FIRST IN CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER. FOR FOCUS NNS, I M JEREMY BUSTIN. BACK TO YOU, BRYAN.
THANK YOU JEREMY AND UP NEXT FOR CVN 78 IS THE CHRISTENING CEREMONY WHICH IS SET FOR NOVEMBER 9. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THE NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUIDLING WEBSITE FOR UPDATES ON THE CHRISTENING AND HOW YOU CAN ATTEND. NOW LET S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE YARD --- THE NEWEST VIRGINIA-CLASS SUBMARINE, MINNESOTA SSN 783 IS DELIVERED TO THE US NAVY! MINNESOTA SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED SEA TRIALS WITH ALL SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS AND COMPARTMENTS BEING TESTED. THE SUBMARINE SUBMERGED FOR THE FIRST TIME AND OPERATED AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE SURFACE AND UNDER WATER. MINNESOTA WAS DELIVERED IN EARLY JUNE ABOUT 11 MONTHS AHEAD OF ITS CONTRACTED DELIVERY DATE. --- NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING HELD A DEDICATION CEREMONY IN MAY FOR THE 11TH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOME. THE WYNDER FAMILY WAS ON HAND TO DEDICATE THEIR HOME AND RECEIVE THE KEYS. RON MURRAY, VICE PRESIDENT OF QUALITY AND PROCESS EXCELLENCE SPOKE AT THE EVENT AND HELPED CUT THE RIBBON ON THE 1,400-SQUARE-FOOT, THREE-BEDROOM HOME LOCATED IN HAMPTON. -- NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING SHOWS OFF ITS PATRIOTISM AT THE VIRGINIA BEACH PATRIOTIC FESTIVAL. MORE THAN 200,000 PEOPLE CROWDED THE VIRGINIA BEACH BOARDWALK AND OCEAN FRONT OVER THE THREE DAY EVENT WHICH NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING SPONSORED. THE PATRIOTIC FESTIVAL PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR MILITARY. SHIPBUILDERS TALKED TO EVENT GOERS ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS AND OUR PEOPLE AND HANDED OUT NNS MEMENTOS. PART OF THE CELEBRATION FEATURED AN INCREDIBLE AIR SHOW.
AS WE MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THE SHOW WE RE HERE AT THE CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING APPRENTICE SCHOOL ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN IN DOWNTOWN NEWPORT NEWS IN THE RECENT MONTHS HAS SEEN THE TRANSFORMATION. FROM THE OUTSIDE TO THE INSIDE FROM GROUND FLOOR LEVEL RIGHT UP TO THE ROOF THE NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL IS COMING TOGETHER AND BRINGING A NEW EXCITEMENT TO DOWNTOWN NEWPORT NEWS. WE TOOK A TOUR OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE WITH THE APPRENTICE SCHOOL S DAN BROOKMAN TO SEE THE PROGRESS FIRST HAND. (DAN BROOKMAN) IF YOU NOTICE, THE SCHOOL WAS DESIGNED WITH A LOT OF GLASS WHICH IS UNUSUAL FOR A SHIPYARD BUILDING BUT IT S MEANT TO BE OPEN AND INVITING AND THE GLASS STRUCTURE WITH THE CANOPY OUT HERE IS ALL GOING TO BE GLASS AS WELL BUT THERE ARE GOING TO BE BANNERS THAT WILL FOCUS ON OUR THREE SHIPS, CRAFTSMANSHIP, SCHOLARSHIP AND LEADERSHIP SO THOSE WILL BE THE BANNERS FLYING OUT IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL. FROM 175 NEW APARTMENTS TO A NEW GYMNASIUM WITH MORE ROOM FOR SEATING AND FACILITIES FOR BOTH MEN S AND WOMEN S SPORTS PLUS INCREASED CLASSROOM SPACE THROUGHOUT.THE APPRENTICE SCHOOL WILL BRING STUDENTS AND FACULTY TOGETHER TO LEARN THE ART OF SHIPBUILDING IN A STATE OF THE ART FACILITY. (DAN BROOKMAN) IF YOU LOOK AT THE EXISTING BUILDING WE ARE IN RIGHT NOW, IT S A LITTLE LESS THAN 20,000 SQUARE FEET WITH EIGHT CLASSROOMS AND ONE CONFERENCE ROOM. RIGHT NOW WE ARE GOING TO HAVE 24 CLASSROOMS AND FOUR CONFERENCE ROOMS SO WE HAVE INCREASED THE SIZE BY THREE TIMES SO THAT WILL ALLOW US TO BRING THE APPRENTICES THAT ARE CURRENTLY TAKING CLASSES AT THOMAS NELSON AND TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE THAT ARE OFF-SITE AND BRING THEM BACK ON-SITE..SO WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT BRINGING EVERYONE BACK TOGETHER THE NEW DEVELOPMENT WILL ALSO BE A SHOT IN THE ARM FOR DOWNTOWN NEWPORT NEWS REVITALIZING THE AREA NOT ONLY WITH THE SCHOOL AND APARTMENTS.BUT RETAIL AND RESTAURANT SPACE.
THE NEW APPRENTICE SCHOOL WILL BE OFFICIALLY DEDICATED AT THE END OF THE YEAR. WELL THAT S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF FOCUS NNS. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THE LATEST NEWS ON OUR SHIPBUILDING WEBSITE. THE LATEST EDITION OF CURRENTS IS THERE AS WELL AS THE LATEST EDITION OF YARDLINES AND IF YOU HAVE A STORY IDEA FOR FOCUS NNS EMAIL US AT FOCUSNNS@HII-NNS.COM. THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING, I M BRYAN MOORE.