RM SAD ispituje varove... ponovo

[Rade]

31.05.2009.

Ratna mornarica SAD formirala je komisiju koja će ispitati kvalitet varova na 13 podmornica i nosača aviona nakon prijava o falsifikovanjima dokumenta tehničke kontrole...

_{cela vest}

The Navy has launched an investigation encompassing 13 submarines and aircraft carriers worked on at Northrop Grumman Newport News after the shipyard reported that an employee lied about completing three weld joint inspections, officials confirmed Saturday.

The Navy is looking into all of the vessels the inspector worked on, although the person admitted to falsifying only three inspection documents, said Patricia Dolan, a Navy spokeswoman. The three skipped inspections all may have been on one submarine, Dolan said. Northrop Grumman would not specify.

The inspector was responsible for checking non-nuclear structural or piping welds, according to a Navy news release.

Of the vessels possibly affected, the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, Virginia-class submarine New Hampshire and Los Angeles-class submarine Toledo are at sea. Their welds have been reviewed and deemed safe, according to a Navy news release.

The Hampton Roads-based carriers Enterprise and Carl Vinson are among the affected vessels, Dolan said. But "based on the assessment of the number of weld inspections performed by this inspector on aircraft carriers, the Navy is confident that there is a minimal impact to aircraft carriers," the Navy release said.

Northrop Grumman learned of the falsified inspection records from an employee in mid-May, said Margaret Mitchell-Jones, a company spokeswoman. The inspector has been fired, she said, declining to provide additional details because of the ongoing investigation.

"The quality of our work is something we take very seriously," Mitchell-Jones said in a statement. "We are addressing the issue swiftly, openly, and with technical rigor, to address any issues about the quality and integrity of our products."

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched its investigation in concert with Northrop Grumman May 20, Dolan said. Criminal charges are possible, said Ed Buice, an NCIS spokesman.

Northrop Grumman will help create a re-inspection plan for affected welds and recommend further action for the Navy, Mitchell-Jones said in a statement. General Dynamics Electric Boat is also participating because it builds the Virginia-class submarines in partnership with Northrop Grumman, according to the Navy release.

Northrop Grumman's Newport News shipyard is the sole builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers for the Navy. Each vessel requires hundreds of thousands of welds, and the shipyard employs about 100 weld inspectors, Mitchell-Jones said.

The fired inspector was properly trained and certified, she said. According to the Navy, that person signed off on up to 10,000 welds over four years.

In 2007, the Navy launched a separate investigation into faulty welds found on vessels built or maintained by Northrop Grumman Newport News.

That incident had to do with weld-filler materials and is unrelated to the current issue, Mitchell-Jones said.

"The matter in 2007 was related to a process issue which has since been addressed," she said. "This particular incident is a personnel incident related to a specific individual."

Izvor: PilotOnline

[Dreadnought]

Istu vest, iz svog ugla prenosi i Defense Industry Daily ....

NGC Inspection Failure Calls Ships Into Question


On May 14/09, a welding inspector at Northrop Grumman’s Newport News, VA shipyard did the right thing, and complained that a fellow inspector was signing off on ship welds without actually inspecting them. The inspector’s admission of wrongdoing created an extremely serious situation. He had supervised over 10,000 welds, on 8 Virginia class nuclear fast attack submarines (SSN 777-783, and SSN 785) and on the new nuclear aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush [CVN 77]. About 10% of the submarine welds were SUBSAFE joints involving critical parts or hull integrity.

[ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]
SSN 777 construction

Northrop Grumman Newport News and General Dynamics Electric Boat use a Shipyard Weld Status System (SWSS) to keep track of every shipbuilding weld – a total that can run to 300,000 for a Virginia Class submarine. Newport News has used that system to identify welds supervised by that inspector, which may force re-inspection. Northrop Grumman immediately informed the Navy of the situation, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) reportedly began its own investigation on May 20/09.

Defense News offers more background in its informative article “Northrop Grumman Inspector’s Lies Raise Alarms.” While that is an accurate title, it could just as easily, and accurately, be titled “Northrop Grumman Inspector Tells Truth, Raises Alarms.”

Izvor: DID

[Dreadnought]

21.07.2009
Mornari napadačke podmornice USS Toledo su otkrili pukotine na trupu podmornice. Ovo otkriće će dovesti do ponovnog ispitivanja trupova ostalih podmornica ...

Cracks found in hull of submarine Cracks found in hull of submarine Toledo

Sailors discovered cracks in the attack submarine Toledo prior to the boat getting underway in Connecticut, which will likely lead to inspections of other submarines, according to a Navy spokesman.

Crew members last Friday discovered a 21-inch crack in the topside hull, as well as a corresponding one-inch crack in the pressure hull that would have leaked water if the ship was submerged, the spokesman said.

“The submarine was pierside in New London,” said Lt. Patrick Evans, spokesman for Submarine Group 2. “The Navy is conducting additional tests to determine the extent of the crack and the proper procedures to repair it.”

The width and location of the cracks were not yet available.

“After a cause is determined, other submarines will conduct similar inspections,” he said.

Because of the one-inch crack in the pressure hull, “water would have entered Toledo if submerged,” Evans said.

He said the cracks were found prior to getting underway for local operations.

Toledo is assigned to Submarine Development Squadron 12 and was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and commissioned in 1995.

In 2007, Toledo was one of several Navy ships needing close re-inspections after faulty welds were discovered on non-nuclear internal piping in new Virginia-class submarines.

It is not clear if the recently discovered cracks on Toledo are connected to the problems discovered in 2007.

Other Los Angeles-class subs that needed weld re-inspection were the Oklahoma City and Newport News.

As of late May, an investigation by Naval Sea Systems Command into the faulty welds was not concluded.

Izvor: navytimes.com/