Gregg and Sununu Committed to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Press Release

GREGG AND SUNUNU COMMITTED TO PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD
$21.2 million Dry Dock request for upcoming fiscal year, in addition to $730+ million secured in past ten years

U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu (R-NH) joined together in requesting the leadership of the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund their $21.2 million request for the construction of a Dry Dock Waterfront Support Facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the fiscal year 2009 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. This project will provide a state-of-the-art waterfront support facility to enhance the productivity and efficiency on submarine depot availabilities. The new facility will assist the Shipyard in its mission of supporting the Navy's newest Virginia Class submarines.

Senators Gregg and Sununu stated, "The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has long been the gold standard for quality performance and efficiency in repairing naval submarines. Over the past ten years we have worked hard to ensure that the Shipyard not only remained open and operational, but has the necessary workload. We remain committed to ensuring that this extraordinary facility receives the funding it needs to stay at the top of its class for years to come, and the full funding of the Dry Dock request will go a long way towards doing just that."

Senators Gregg and Sununu have helped bring over $730 million to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to improve the infrastructure, revitalize and grow the workforce and increase the workload. This includes initiating and maintaining the Shipyard apprentice program to keep the workforce vibrant by training a new generation of shipyard workers, improvements to the waterfront crane rail system, smart base initiatives, construction of a new bachelor enlisted quarters, a new acoustic testing and calibration facility, and a new consolidated emergency control center, as well as broadening the base with the addition of a Coast Guard unit and several cutters.

After the Senators successfully worked with the Shipyard and the community to convince the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to overturn the Navy's 2005 decision to close the Shipyard, Portsmouth is now in the strongest workload position it has been for the last two decades. The Senators are committed to continue to help Shipyard management, unions and employees maintain Portsmouth's fine reputation as the gold standard of Shipyards. Some examples of their commitment follow:

FY2009

* Waterfront Support Facility, $21.2 million - requested in the FY2009 Defense Authorization bill and the Military Construction Appropriations bill for a new DD#3 Waterfront Facility at the Shipyard to support upcoming USS Virginia class submarine availabilities.

FY2008

* USS New Hampshire - Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter approved Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as the commissioning site of the USS New Hampshire.
* Apprentice Program - Congressional language directing the Navy to induct classes of no fewer than 100 apprentices at each of the four naval shipyards in FY 2008, and further direction to the Navy to include the costs of the FY 2009 class of apprentices in its budget request.
* Consolidated Emergency Control Center, $9.7 million - received for construction of a new Consolidated Emergency Control Center at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
* Waterfront Support Facility Design, $1.2 million - received for design and planning studies for a Waterfront Support Facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

FY2007

* Facility Modernization, $7 million - approved in the Senate bill for sustainment, restoration and modernization of facilities at the Shipyard; but, unfortunately the funds were deleted from the legislation when the majority party in the Congress changed.
* SHAPEC - In response to a letter from the Delegation, the Naval Sea Systems Command designated Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as the Ship Availability Planning and Engineering Center for Virginia Class Submarines.

FY2006

* Acoustic Testing and Calibration Facility, $8.1 million - received to construct and relocate a new acoustic test and calibration facility.
* USS Hartford, $150 million - at urging of Congressional delegation, the Navy reassigned the USS Hartford depot modernization period from the private sector to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

FY2005

* Apprentice Program, $31 million - received to be apportioned between the four U.S. naval shipyards for the highly successful Shipyard Apprentice Program, with language directing the Navy to induct classes of no fewer than 150 apprentices at each of the four naval shipyards in FY 2005.
* BRAC - successfully worked with the Shipyard and the community to convince the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to overturn the Navy's decision to close the Shipyard.

FY2004

* USS Jacksonville, $248 million - received for an engineering refueling overhaul of the USS Jacksonville, SSN 699, with specific language that the work be accomplished at Portsmouth.
* USS Montpelier, $120 million - received assurances from the Navy that it would fund this effort which was scheduled to begin in June at Portsmouth. The scheduled $120 million overhaul was in jeopardy when the Navy announced it did not have enough money to complete funding for it. But after intense pressure from the delegation Navy officials moved to ensure the project would proceed at the shipyard.
* Structural Shop Consolidation, $1.5 million - received in design funding for the Structural Shop Consolidation project which will help to provide a modern, consolidated facility to store submarine components (including nuclear components) for the entire submarine fleet.
* Apprentice Program, $1.7 million additional received - bringing the Navy-wide 2004 total to $30.6 million, with language directing the Navy to induct a class of no fewer than 125 apprentices at each of the four public naval shipyard in FY 2004.
* USS New Hampshire - successful request to the Secretary of the Navy to name a new construction submarine the USS New Hampshire. This was the culmination of efforts going back to 1997 to name a submarine USS New Hampshire

FY2003

* USS Annapolis, $90 million - received to accelerate start and complete depot modernization period on USS Annapolis at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
* Apprentice Program, $10 million - received to continue the Shipyard Apprentice Program at the four major naval shipyards with 25% of that amount directed to Portsmouth.
* Security improvements, $15.2 million - received, which the President requested, for anti-terrorism/force protection improvements and Gate #1 security improvements at the Shipyard.
* Relocate Coast Guard Cutters - received assurance from the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard that two Coast Guard cutters, the Tahoma and Campbell, would be relocated from their former station in New Bedford, MA to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. A third cutter has since been added at Portsmouth.

FY2002

* USS Albuquerque, $16.3 million - received to complete ongoing refueling availability in timely manner precluding a major work disruption.
* Apprentice Program, $7.8 million - received to continue the Shipyard Apprentice Program at the four major naval shipyards with $2 million of that amount directed to Portsmouth. The highly successful Apprentice Program is directed at training a new generation of shipyard workers.
* Bachelor Enlisted Quarters, $14.6 million - received for construction of a new 178 room Bachelor Enlisted Quarters which will provide on base housing for sailors assigned to nuclear submarines undergoing repair and overhaul at the shipyard and transient enlisted personnel.

FY2001

* Waterfront Crane Rail System, $5 million - received to accelerate upgrades and standardization of the waterfront crane rail system which will result in saving money overall from improved efficiency of nuclear submarine repair work.
* Bachelor Enlisted Quarters, $1.5 million - received for design of the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters. Capacity of the existing 50 year-old buildings has been exceeded, combined with the tight rental market and high costs in Portsmouth, especially during the summer months, this project will expand the housing available to enlisted personnel and improve the quality of life.
* Apprentice Program, $12 million - received to continue the Shipyard Apprentice Program at the four major naval shipyards with $3 million of that amount for Portsmouth.
* Smart Base, $2.5 million - received in research and development funds to support the shipyard=s "Smart Base" program which was initiated to reduce operating costs and improve efficiency.

FY2000

* Apprentice Program, $12 million - received to continue the Shipyard Apprentice Program at the four major naval shipyards to address the aging workforce by training a new generation of shipyard workers. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard will receive approximately $3 million of the total.

FY1999

* Apprentice Program, $14 million - received to initiate the Shipyard Apprentice Initiative at the four major public naval shipyards to address the aging workforce by training a new generation of shipyard workers. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard will receive approximately $3.5 million of the total.
* USS Helena, $3 million - received to reimburse the Shipyard for additional work on the USS Helena.

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