More than half a billion dollars in construction is in the works at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth as the Navy modernizes the historic yard to repair current and future high-tech warships.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, with roots dating back to 1767, is about five years into a modernization process to better support the maintenance of Ford-class aircraft carriers and Ohio-, Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines.
The modernization will allow the shipyard to get warships battle-ready at a quicker pace, Mark Edelson, program executive officer for industrial infrastructure, told the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance during a meeting last week. The Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program is overseeing the once-a-century rehabilitation of dry docks, reconfiguration of infrastructure and replacement of industrial plant equipment at the Navy's four shipyards, which conduct maintenance on nuclear-powered warships.
“The sailors out at sea, the weapons platforms they need to have — that always gets priority,” Edelson said. “Unfortunately, we have got to take care of the house, and the garage, and the maintenance back home as well.”
Around 40 projects, totaling $520 million under contract, are in progress at the Portsmouth shipyard, Edelson said. By the time the Navy program outlines the shipyard's master plan in 2026, he said he expects the number of projects to double.
The master plan includes…
