June 2011 - Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

SEA rigging gear installed and the stave
bearing shell retaining ring removed, the
upper stave shell was pulled out using a
unique rigging configuration developed
by Justin Pollack. Two 50-ton hydraulic
chain falls were then rigged into the ships
propeller lifting tunnels and calculations
developed to safely lift the 35 ton propeller
and shaft off the main strut barrel
housing to loosen the lower stave shell
allowing installed rigging to pull and rotate
the lower stave shell to the 12 o’clock
position for removal to the surface.
Once both stave bearing shells were
brought up to the surface, they were delivered
to PSNSY for refurbishment.
Upon completion of the stave shell inspection
and installation of new bearings,
SWRMC and PSNSY Divers commenced
reinstallation of the lower and
upper stave shells back into the main
strut barrel housing. This was accomplished
by the night crew, who reinstalled
the retaining ring, fasteners, lock wired
and de-rigged the work area in preparation
for Phoenix Divers to wet weld the
rope guard and fairwater back onto the
strut barrel housing. Northrop Grumman
mechanics machined the fairwater with a
metal ring for divers to wet weld to the
main strut barrel housing and manufactured
a new rope guard which Phoenix
welders made ready for a waterborne wet
weld installation.
SWRMC, PSNSY, and Phoenix Divers
began demobilizing NAVSEA equipment.
In all, this first ever waterborne
repair of the USS RONALD REAGAN
stave bearings took eight days from start
to finish and is a testament to the teamwork
of multiple Navy diving commands
and contractors to come together in rapid
fashion to fix a nuclear powered air craft
carrier bound for wartime deployment
in support of this country and the global
war on terrorism.
Article Cover Photo - Divers ND1(DSW)Spenser
Puett and Justin Pollack (NAVSEA, SEA
OOC) stand-by to receive the new bearing shell
for installation.
NDCS(DSW/SW) Richard Holtkamp is Dive
Team Alpha’s LCPO. Alpha Team conducts diving
operations in support of maintenance and repairs
on U. S. Navy Aircraft Carriers’ home ported
at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego.
Dive school Graduates
11-30-2C
HM2 Sawyer, ND1 Cox, ND3 Harding, ND3 Hulbert, ND3 Martel,
NDC Laube, ND1 Gaston, NDC Reno, ND3 Burby, ND3 McGuinness,
ND3 Wagner, ND3 Leonard, ND3 Smith, NDC Cook, ND3 Milliken,
ND2 Johansen, ND3 Ziemba, ND3 Hawkins,
ND3 Riess, ND3 Costin, ND3 Dargie
To submit a graduating class for publication in Faceplate, please contact us at webdiver@supsalv.org
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