Shipmates,
I last updated you on our HEC sustainment efforts in December and thought it was time for another update.
This week both the GALLATIN and DALLAS were drydocked. Last week, RADM Justice (CG-7) and RDML Ostebo (CG-4) went down to inspect the progress of their repairs. Below are their observations:
RADM Justice: I visited GALLATIN and DALLAS at Detyens Shipyard in North Charleston yesterday, along with RDML Ostebo, CG-4. We got a first hand look at the extensive renewal work going on both ships, both by the yard workers and the ship's crews. Both ships have comprehensive work lists informed by the new SFLC's modernized business rules that are being aggressively executed. I was particularly impressed by the crew’s efforts and results of their projects, and by the scope of difficulty of some of the work items the Yard was tackling. Both ships came out of the water this week for hull work below the water line. I completed my engineering and hull inspections with renewed confidence and high expectations of both cutters returning to Coast Guard operations on schedule.
RDML Ostebo: Having walked through both DALLAS and GALLATIN last fall, I was quite impressed and excited last Tuesday to observe the progress that is already apparent in the material condition of these cutters. The hard work of the crews and the SFLC's shoreside support personnel has already yielded significant improvements. There is still much work to be done, and having witnessed the progress to date I am confident that the hard work of our personnel will be optimized within the modernized business practices of the SFLC.
DALLAS and GALLATIN were drydocked this week and we will now focus on the structural and watertight integrity of each cutter. These efforts will return these critical assets to an operational status, however it is abundantly clear to me that continued sustainment of these ships will require all those involved to embrace and work together to fully implement the modernized business rules of the surface forces support community.
We continue to focus the new organizational strength of our SFLC on HEC Sustainment. I am mindful of the challenges we face across the fleet. It was my privilege to visit with the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter BOUTWELL last week during my trip to Djibouti and the 5th Fleet AOR. BOUTWELL, like DALLAS before her, is doing a fantastic job on her out-of-hemisphere deployment in support of DOD. However, she is having her share of maintenance challenges, including a major casualty to a turbine requiring a 3-week maintenance period to replace the turbine. I spent some time talking to them specifically about this, and how we are going to sustain the HEC as we phase in the NSC, while improving our support to all of our cutter assets through modernization and logistics transformation. We were able capture portions of the discussion as I walked through the engineroom with LCDR Ben Fleming, the Engineering Officer, and his "main prop" gang. You can watch this discussion on CGVI, or below:
I recently testified to the homeland security subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and much of the discussion revolved around the condition of the 378's. You can see the posters we displayed at the hearing here /HECposter.pdf, and a resulting story in the Navy Times.
I last updated you on our HEC sustainment efforts in December and thought it was time for another update.
This week both the GALLATIN and DALLAS were drydocked. Last week, RADM Justice (CG-7) and RDML Ostebo (CG-4) went down to inspect the progress of their repairs. Below are their observations:
RADM Justice: I visited GALLATIN and DALLAS at Detyens Shipyard in North Charleston yesterday, along with RDML Ostebo, CG-4. We got a first hand look at the extensive renewal work going on both ships, both by the yard workers and the ship's crews. Both ships have comprehensive work lists informed by the new SFLC's modernized business rules that are being aggressively executed. I was particularly impressed by the crew’s efforts and results of their projects, and by the scope of difficulty of some of the work items the Yard was tackling. Both ships came out of the water this week for hull work below the water line. I completed my engineering and hull inspections with renewed confidence and high expectations of both cutters returning to Coast Guard operations on schedule.
RDML Ostebo: Having walked through both DALLAS and GALLATIN last fall, I was quite impressed and excited last Tuesday to observe the progress that is already apparent in the material condition of these cutters. The hard work of the crews and the SFLC's shoreside support personnel has already yielded significant improvements. There is still much work to be done, and having witnessed the progress to date I am confident that the hard work of our personnel will be optimized within the modernized business practices of the SFLC.
DALLAS and GALLATIN were drydocked this week and we will now focus on the structural and watertight integrity of each cutter. These efforts will return these critical assets to an operational status, however it is abundantly clear to me that continued sustainment of these ships will require all those involved to embrace and work together to fully implement the modernized business rules of the surface forces support community.
We continue to focus the new organizational strength of our SFLC on HEC Sustainment. I am mindful of the challenges we face across the fleet. It was my privilege to visit with the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter BOUTWELL last week during my trip to Djibouti and the 5th Fleet AOR. BOUTWELL, like DALLAS before her, is doing a fantastic job on her out-of-hemisphere deployment in support of DOD. However, she is having her share of maintenance challenges, including a major casualty to a turbine requiring a 3-week maintenance period to replace the turbine. I spent some time talking to them specifically about this, and how we are going to sustain the HEC as we phase in the NSC, while improving our support to all of our cutter assets through modernization and logistics transformation. We were able capture portions of the discussion as I walked through the engineroom with LCDR Ben Fleming, the Engineering Officer, and his "main prop" gang. You can watch this discussion on CGVI, or below:
I recently testified to the homeland security subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and much of the discussion revolved around the condition of the 378's. You can see the posters we displayed at the hearing here /HECposter.pdf, and a resulting story in the Navy Times.
ADM A
