Last week, the Navy selected an option to build a new dry dock at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Oahu, Hawaii that aims to help repair, maintain and modernize attack submarines.
On Dec. 16, the Navy published a Record of Decision on the Federal Register announcing the decision to select Alternative 4 from the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Pearl Harbor shipyard.
“This alternative will support the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s mission to repair, maintain, and modernize Navy fast-attack submarines and surface ships,” the notice said.
The Navy also noted this aims to allow the Navy to provide “appropriate dry dock capability” to meet submarine depot maintenance requirements by the start of 2028 as well as build and operate a waterfront production facility (WPF) for vessel maintenance.
The selected option, called the Preferred Alternative, specifically includes construction, operation and maintenance of a new graving dry dock, called Dry Dock 5 (DD5), adjacent WPF support east of DD5, and other auxiliary facilities and upgraded utilities.
The proposed DD5 is aimed to replace the existing aging Dry Dock 3.
The notice argued “the WPF will reduce lost operational days by increasing collaboration and efficiency among the workforce.”
The work is divided into two phases: phase one consists of construction and operations of Dry Dock 5 along with the auxiliary facilities while phase two covers assembly of a waterfront production facility to increase workforce collaboration and efficiency. Dry dock work under this plan is expected to start in 2023.
Also last week, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, visited PHNSY & IMF on Dec. 14 to assess progress on implementing the Navy’s two decade-long Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP).
SIOP is an effort to improve and upgrade the four government-owned shipyards to conduct maintenance and modernization work on nuclear-powered naval vessels. The four public shipyards include PHNSY & IMF; Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine; and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Wash.
During her visit, Franchetti received briefings on and toured dry dock areas. In a statement she said these facilities will provide the shipyard with needed capability for more efficient maintenance, upgrading and repairing to return submarines to the fleet on time.
“Our public shipyards are critical to our nation’s national defense. The future of our submarine force relies on the key infrastructure provided by Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. The dedicated civilians and Sailors putting in the work here every day have a direct impact on delivering of our Navy’s warfighting advantage,” she said.
Dry Dock 5 construction and associated work is expected to create about 2,500 more jobs during the construction period and $200 million in annual salary to the workers.
“SIOP is essential to supporting the future needs of the Navy’s nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier force. The average age of our Navy’s dry docks is approaching 100 years. Recapitalization such as that planned for Pearl Harbor must be completed to accommodate current and future platforms and new configurations of Virginia-class submarines,” Franchetti added.