Electric Boat News
Below are links to recent issues of EB News, the employee newsletter, and other news items. The EB News is in PDF, which requires Acrobat Reader, a free plug-in available for download from www.adobe.com.
To view an issue of the EB News, simply click on its cover. To return to this list afterward, click on your browser's Back button.
 |
Fourth Quarter 2021 Top stories:
|
|
Ocean Transport Barge HOLLAND Arrives at EB’s Groton Shipyard GROTON, Conn. (November 29, 2021) - On Monday, the new Ocean Transport Barge Holland arrived at EB’s Groton Shipyard. The 400 foot long barge was purpose-built to support delivery of Columbia class ballistic missile submarines. Electric Boat is the prime contractor on construction of the Columbia class, the nation’s top strategic defense priority. The Holland was constructed by Bollinger Shipyards, LLC, of Lockport, Louisiana. The namesake of the new barge is John Holland, the Irish-born immigrant who designed the first submarine purchased by the US Navy. Holland’s design was brought to life by the shipbuilders of Electric Boat and delivered in 1900. “We are happy to welcome Holland to her new home in the Groton shipyard,” said Kevin Graney, President, General Dynamics Electric Boat. “Our fellow shipbuilders at Bollinger have delivered a terrific asset, on time and on budget. Holland will play an important role in the construction of the Columbia class of submarines, which will carry nearly 70% of the nation’s nuclear arsenal.” The Columbia class is now being built at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point, RI manufacturing facility. Skilled tradespeople will construct and outfit Columbia modules at Quonset Point which will then be transported by the Holland barge to the company’s final test and assembly facility in Groton. The first Columbia module is expected to arrive in Groton in 2023. Construction of the Columbia class, which will replace the aging Ohio class, is the nation’s top strategic defense priority. For nearly 15 years, Electric Boat has been working on plans to execute the design and construction of this crucial program. As a consequence, the Columbia class was the most complete design of any previous class of submarine at construction start in October of 2020. The company has hired and trained thousands of new skilled tradespeople, collaborated with its suppliers to prepare for the expanded demand for technical support and invested nearly $2 billion in new facilities to support construction of the Columbia class. 
|
|
|
Electric Boat Welcomes Members of Connecticut State Delegation GROTON, Conn. (October 28, 2021) - On Wednesday, EB welcomed members of the Southeastern CT state delegation for a business update and facility tour. Kevin Graney greeted the legislators and provided an overview of EB's business and major initiatives. HR VP Andrew Bond then led a discussion on workforce development and hiring. The increase to two Virginia class submarines coupled with the Columbia program provides EB with an opportunity for unprecedented growth. The HR team is working to attract and retain a capable and diverse workforce to meet our increased hiring demand. The Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, which started in 2016 with federal funding, has been extremely successful in providing entry- level trade training. Our local legislators have championed this program and provided state funding to maintain and expand this pipeline to meet future demand. To highlight this partnership with pipeline programs, Mark Hill from the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) joined Bond to provide an overview of EB's partnership with EWIB. The HR team has initiated several programs to introduce potential employees to jobs in the trades. One example is the Boat for Women Program. The goal of this program is to reduce perceived barriers and expose women with hands-on training to jobs in the trades. Because of its success, the program is now being expanded to other groups including veterans and Spanish speakers. The legislators were very engaged and thoughtful in the discussions, and will take some of the insights from this discussion into the upcoming 2022 legislative session. EB will continue to look for ways to work with our state partners to support our growth in areas such as training, housing, transportation, childcare and services for jobseekers while enrolled in training programs. 
|
|
|
EB to Lead Maintenance of USS Nautilus GROTON, Conn. (October 18, 2021) - On Friday, Electric Boat officials joined representatives from the Navy, the state of Connecticut and other community leaders for a unique "float off." For the first time in 20 years, the USS Nautilus moved from its location near the Submarine Force Library and Museum up the Thames River, where it will undergo maintenance. In 1950, Electric Boat was approached by then-Captain Hyman Rickover, who asked if the company's shipbuilders could build a hull for an atomic submarine. Just four years later, Nautilus was christened and on her way to the history books. After a long career of many missions, she was decommissioned in 1980 after a career spanning 25 years and over half a million miles steamed. Nautilus was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982 and her preservation is required under the National Historic Preservation Act. The overhaul of the Nautilus will ensure that she continues her current mission of education and inspiration for decades to come. During the overhaul, the boat's hull will be blasted and painted, new topside decks and planks will be installed, interior lighting will be replaced and forward and aft free-flood areas will be replaced. Electric Boat is the lead on this job and will manage the efforts of two contractors. Industrial Marine and Industrial Applicators will be responsible for the painting, while Mystic Seaport is responsible for the decking. At the event, EB Senior Vice President Kurt Hesch said, "Our own tradespeople are very excited to work on Nautilus. It's a once-in-a-career opportunity to be part of the team who will ensure the longevity of this historic ship. It connects our current-day shipbuilders with those of seventy years ago who chartered new territory." 
|
|
|
EB Makes Progress on Groton, CT Expansion Supporting Columbia Class GROTON, Conn. (October 4, 2021) - Progress continues on the construction of the South Yard Assembly Building, a 200,000 square-foot building that will eventually be home to 1,400 skilled shipbuilders who will deliver the Columbia class. The building is now almost 50% structurally complete and on track to receive the first Columbia module from Quonset Point in December 2023. Today, each of 6 super modules of the lead ship of the Columbia class – the largest and most highly outfitted modules we've ever constructed – are under construction at Quonset Point. This point in construction consists of steel and concrete work, including columns, bracing, and roof trusses of the East and West Mezzanine sections and assembly bay. Moorings for the new Ocean Transport Barge HOLLAND are also complete, which supports the barge being delivered in early November. The receiving station, which is an electrical sub-station, is also in place and work is currently being done to run power to it. This week, EB received a $475 million contract modification to an existing contract supporting the Columbia program. The Columbia program is the company's number one priority and the backbone of our nation's strategic deterrent. EB President Kevin Graney recently said, "Columbia is arguably the greatest engineering achievement of the most advanced military in the world. The Columbia class will carry 70% of the US nuclear arsenal. Over the last 14 years – since the inception of the program – we have leveraged more than a century of submarine design and construction know-how into this priority program." 
|
|
 |
Third Quarter 2021 Top stories:
|
|
QP Apprenticeship Program Participants Celebrates Graduation QUONSET POINT, RI. (September 16, 2021) - Electric Boat hosted a graduation ceremony at Quonset Point for the latest cohort of Apprenticeship Program graduates in the technical and leadership pipelines for the steel and pipe trades. Kathleen Heller, Manager of Learning, welcomed the graduating class and their guests, and congratulated them on the culmination of their motivation, dedication and perseverance to their jobs and their personal development. 20 employees completed the program in 2021. Andrew Bond, Vice President of Human Resources, delivered the graduation address and explained how the program has deep roots in Quonset Point dating back to the 1970s, noting that the graduates are part of a proud heritage of shipbuilders that became dedicated to mastering their crafts. Bond also expressed how proud Electric Boat is of all the graduates who gave up many nights and weekends for the past three years to attend school on top of their normal work hours, all while pushing through a pandemic. Two awards were presented to graduates of the program. The Academic Excellence Award was presented to Steven Spellman of D914 by Jaime Nash of Community College of Rhode Island. Steven finished the Pipe Technical Program with a 3.82 GPA while logging all required on-the-job training hours during that time. The Outstanding Achievement Award was presented to Juan Contreras of D912 by Ray Cormier, Director of Operations. Juan displayed both academic and job excellence during his three years in the Steel Leadership Program. Michael Raspberry of D917 was the class speaker who had the pleasure of addressing his fellow graduates and those in attendance. He described how he and his classmates were humbled in the beginning of this journey and are extremely grateful for this experience, as well as the opportunity to develop more versatility, become more qualified in their jobs, network, and make new relationships and true friends over the last three years. He closed by wishing them all the best in their careers here at Electric Boat. 
Back Row L to R: Zachary Whitford, Andrew Wesley, Ethan Gilchrest, Nathan March, Russell Ducharme, Stephen Layfield, Steven Spellman, Rob Jackson (Apprenticeship School Rep), Devin Butler, Daniel Igoe. Not Pictured : Michael Boucher, Edgar Medina, Joseph Carroccio, Matthew Lawrence. Hi‑Res Photo
|
|
|
Electric Boat hosts the sponsor of the IDAHO (SSN 799) at the Quonset Point site. QUONSET POINT, RI. (September 10, 2021) - Electric Boat hosted the sponsor of the IDAHO (SSN 799) at the Quonset Point site. Ship’s Sponsor Teresa Stackley, former SECNAV Sean Stackley, and former governor of Idaho and head of the Idaho Commissioning Committee Dirk Kempthorne were given a tour of the 2B-5 Super Module, along with the Commanding Officer and Executive officer of the Idaho’s pre-commissioning crew. The guests were extremely grateful for the opportunity to see the future Idaho and amazed at the progress EB has made since its keel laying ceremony just last August, and expressed how proud they are of the remarkable workmanship our shipbuilders have shown with the construction of the Idaho. Following the tour, there was a picnic held at the Admiral Fife Navy Recreation Area for the Idaho pre-commissioning crew and their guests. Governor Kempthorne described Idaho as a special submarine due to its direct ties to the state of Idaho, which is usually not a well-known fact. Kempthorne explained that Idaho had several links to submarine research and development. Lake Pend Oreille has been a site for acoustic development sound studies. The Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho Falls developed the first generation submarine reactor prototype which was improved upon before being used in the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine. Mrs. Stackley, whose father worked as an engineer at Electric Boat, spoke to the future crew and assured them that they are appreciated, respected, and supported by all of us when it comes time to board the Idaho for the first time and depart, leaving their friends and families far from our shores for months at a time, and that it is her honor and privilege to be on this journey with them. After their remarks, the officers and crew presented Governor Kempthorne with an American flag that was the first flown from one of Idaho’s modules in the Groton Shipyard. Mrs. Stackley was presented with a framed print of the first rendering of the submarine Idaho against a map of the Thames River and Long Island Sound. 
|
|
|
Planning Pipeline Program Graduates GROTON, Conn. (August 19, 2021) - Congratulations to the Newest Planning Pipeline Program Graduates The Workforce Development organization and Planning organization partnered to implement a new program to prepare Planners to join the Electric Boat Planning Organization. This program was developed to assist the Planning Organization’s efforts in improving the onboarding process and time to proficiency. This new program expands the offerings of EB’s Pipeline Programs. The new Planning program targets the following skills: Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Operations Management, Public Speaking, Intro to Software Applications, Intro to Programming, Principles of Macroeconomics, Composition, Technical Writing, Blueprint Reading and Safety in the Workplace. The third cohort of the Planning Pipeline program graduated on August 6 in an in-person ceremony. Photographed above are the seven students who graduated from the program--three (3) Engineering Planners and four (4) Advance Planners. These seven employees will begin their EB careers working for Gary Kaiser and Wayne Hamler on August 17, 2021. “Since its inception, the pipeline has produced planners who have the foundational knowledge to be contributing team members from the day they report. The attitude of the graduates have been great and they are eager to become shipbuilders who deliver the advantage that protects our Sailors, our Families, and our freedom,” said Greg Wong, Director of Planning. The participants in the pipeline were appointed a final capstone project to work on before the completion of the program. The group was tasked to develop Design/Engineering and Construction schedules to support a fictitious contracting company called Elegant Buildings. Students were asked to incorporate Design and Engineering hold-ups into their timelines. In their presentations they explained the baseline, live, and actual engineering schedules by discipline. They created Gantt charts and identified the critical and controlling paths in their construction schedules. The program is currently offered by Three Rivers Community College at Ella Grasso Technical High School in Groton, CT. This intensive, work-based classroom training program is eight weeks long. The classes are 6-1/2 hours per day, five days per week. The program is currently run second shift from 3:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. The Pipeline Program team consists of the following employees: Greg Wong – Director of Planning, Jim Algiere – Team Lead, Anne Schmidt – Planning, Heather Pryzgoda – Planning, Megan Donovan – Planning, Jesse Monsam – Planning, Don Mellon – Planning, Leighann Labrie – Planning, Damon Brecheen – Planning, Giana DiCarlo – Workforce Development, Nancy Martin – Workforce Development 
|
|
|
EB Community Services Association Celebrates Day of Caring, Receives Awards from United Way GROTON, Conn. (August 17, 2021) - The Electric Boat Employees' Community Services Association (EBECSA) held a 'Day of Caring' event at Mohegan Sun. In just a 2-hour period, 41 volunteers were able to collect 40,201 pounds of food and other household items left over from the C&S Food Show that took place earlier in the day at the casino. Thanks to all who participated; the food and items collected that would have been thrown away were instead packed up, loaded on pallets, and taken to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center to be distributed to those in need. A sincere thank you to the EB volunteers and their family members, United Way staff, and all guests who showed up and helped make this food collection an incredible success: Adam Burrill, Alexander Burrill, Andy Checchia, Danielle Cortina, Peter Crizer, Robert DeMello, Sandy DeMello, Kim Deschamps, Jaelyn Deschamps, Ken Fontaine, N.L. Gray, Holly Gubanc, Pam Harvey, James Henderson, Katherine Henderson, Amy Houser, Carter Houser, Emma Houser, Michael Houser, John Jones, Lynn Kanyock, Katie Kietzman, Brad Lamphere, William Louis, Lou Manfredi, Johnice McCoy, Don Miller, Stephanie Miller, Melissa Neill, Robert Neill, Jim Newman, Erin Pedone, Mary Pine, Kathryn Pruett, Phil Pruett, Jim Sammons, Avo Siismets, Devon Slavic, Karina Whitaker, Chizuko Williamson, Jen Wessell, and Zeke Wessell. This same week, on Thursday, August 12, Electric Boat, along with Bill Louis and the MDA-UAW Local 571, were honored at the United Way Community Celebration, also held at Mohegan Sun. This celebration is aimed at honoring outstanding achievements in community engagement, fundraising, and program impact over the past year. The 'Gemma Moran Live United Award for Inspiration' was presented to Bill Louis and the MDA-UAW Local 571 for their collective community engagement, which includes sponsoring multiple United Way programs, events, and volunteering opportunities. The 'Live United Award of Excellence' was given to General Dynamics Electric Boat and the Electric Boat Employees' Community Services Association, both supportive partners of United Way and the entire southeastern Connecticut community. Despite not being able to run a traditional campaign last year due to COVID, Electric Boat had an increase in giving and provided a very generous corporate gift. EB and EBESCA's engagement extends way beyond traditional fundraising, also including food, turkey, and toy drives, volunteering at food centers, helping with mobile pantry distributions, as well as organizing multiple 'Day of Caring' events throughout the year. These engagement activities affect the lives of so many people in need and the nonprofit world, and this award goes to show that these efforts were appreciated and recognized by so many.
|
|
|
EB Medical Team Shares COVID Vaccination Insights with Employees GROTON, Conn. (August 06, 2021) - EB President Kevin Graney regularly communicates to the nearly 18,000 employees of the company via weekly podcast. Topics range from marking key construction milestones to discussions with other EB Leaders about organization goals and initaitves. A recent podcast featured EB physicians Doctor Susan Andrews and Dr. Robert Hurley, who explained how COVID vaccines work and why they are an effective tool in controlling the virus in the workplace. On today's podcast I'm speaking with our EB physicians Doc Andrews and Doc Hurley. Thank you both for joining the podcast. As physicians, you have been on the front lines managing this pandemic. You are resources we've grown to trust for the simple truths on getting through this. There's been a lot of confusion in the last couple of weeks with the spread of the delta variant of COVID. In my podcast on Monday I emphasized the importance of vaccines in controlling this pandemic. Some people are hesitating to get vaccinated because they think the vaccines were developed quickly and are, therefore, experimental. The technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines is new, but not unknown. Let's talk about that as well as the technology behind the J&J viral vector vaccine. Dr. Andrews: There is a lot of material on the CDC and the public health websites explaining how the vaccines work, sometimes I'd say there's even too much material. So I will try to simplify the information. Let's start with the mRNA vaccines that teach our cells how to make proteins that trigger an immune response inside our bodies. This immune response produces antibodies which are the items that actually protect us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies. The mRNA vaccines trigger our cells to produce a harmless protein, called the spike protein. The spike protein is also located on the surface of the COVID virus. Our cells display the spike protein, then our immune response recognizes that the protein does not belong there and begins building an immune response with antibodies. In this way we have taught our cells to identify and fight the COVID virus. Alternatively, vector vaccines like the J&J vaccine contain a modified version of a different virus than COVID-19. Inside the shell of the modified version is a piece of material from COVID-19. This unit is called the viral vector. Once the viral vector is inside our cells (and I mean that to be not the COVID-19 virus), then our cells make copies of the unique protein. Our T and B lymphocytes will remember this unique protein and fight it if we are infected in the future. The biggest difference in the two vaccines is the first stage of the immune response. One relies on mRNA while the other relies on a vector to start the process of building spike proteins that will trigger our immune system to produce antibodies that ultimately recognize if COVID-19 enters our body. It is also important to remember that just because the vaccines were developed fast, no steps were skipped in the process of making them. Thanks Doc Andrews, appreciate that explanation. The media has been focusing on breakthrough infections among the vaccinated with this delta variant of COVID. How rare are breakthrough infections, and when they do occur, how sick do people get, generally? Dr. Hurley: A breakthrough case means that someone who has been fully vaccinated and has waited two weeks to develop full immunity still contracts COVID-19. Breakthrough infections are actually expected. While the vaccines have proven highly effective against the virus, even for new variants like the delta, they do not offer perfect protection. That's one of the reasons why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week revised its guidance and recommended that in places with high rates of transmission such as Oklahoma, even vaccinated people should wear masks in public indoor settings. The good news is that vaccines have been found to be extremely good at preventing serious illness and death. Of those hospitalized with the virus, more than 97% are the unvaccinated. The CDC estimates that for every 102,000 vaccinated individuals, only 100 end up hospitalized, and only one will die. While those numbers are not perfect, they are very, very good. If vaccinated people come down with infections, the vast majority will be asymptomatic or mild. Nonetheless, they may still be able to spread the virus to others before their immune system, which has been primed by the vaccine, stamps it out. Preliminary data suggest that when people do get breakthrough infections, they carry a high amount of the virus for at least one week. As with the original strain of the coronavirus, dose seems to matter with the delta variant. The higher the load of viral exposure—think of a brief masked encounter versus spending hours and hours unmasked in a room with an infected person—with the high viral exposures, the more likely immune defenses will become overwhelmed and result in a symptomatic or serious infection. Currently the data shows that with 163 million people in the US fully vaccinated, you can expect up to about 125,000-and-change breakthrough cases. The data is still coming in, and this number can be found as low as 7,000 and beyond 125,000, and this is as of July 30. What it translates to is about .08% or one in every 1,300 cases will become a breakthrough case. The CDC has developed a national vaccine breakthrough reporting database so that more information can help us determine what the true rate is. Remember—the bottom line is that vaccination prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Thanks Doc Hurley. Some people might also hesitate to get vaccinated because the current vaccines have emergency use authorizations rather than the full FDA approval. Let's talk about the amount of safety and efficacy data that's been generated so far through the administration of these vaccines. Dr. Hurley: Full FDA approval is an important milestone. A number of universities and hospitals, the Defense Department and at least one major city, San Francisco, are expected to mandate inoculation once a vaccine is fully FDA approved. Final approval could also help mute misinformation circulating on the internet about the safety of vaccines and also clarify the legal issues some have raised in order to thwart public health mandates. Pfizer filed its application on May 7, 2021. With a new surge of COVID-19 infections, the Food and Drug Administration has accelerated its timetable to fully approve Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the start of next month. The White House has set a time line of prior to Labor Day. Moderna, the second most widely used vaccine in the United States, filed for final approval of its vaccine on June 1, 2021. But the company is still submitting data and has not said when it will finish. Johnson & Johnson, the third vaccine authorized for emergency use, has not yet applied but plans to do so later this year. Dr. Andrews: In regards to safety, over 342 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been given in the US. Prior to emergency use authorization or EUA approval, tens of thousands of people were studied in clinical trials. Since the original trials, millions of more people have been vaccinated, just demonstrating how safe and effective they really are. The three well publicized and serious, but rare safety problems are anaphylaxis, which is a severe allergic reaction. This usually occurs within 30 minutes of administration of any of the vaccine at a rate of two per million. The second is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome; this was mostly with the J&J vaccine at a rate of seven per one million, and it was in women between 18 to 49 years old and was even less often for men and women over 50 years old. Third is myocarditis and pericarditis with 1,194 cases reported of which only 699 have been confirmed so far. So again, the benefits from the vaccine of decreasing your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death far outweigh the risks of the vaccines themselves. So bottom line, the vaccines are safe and effective. Now, they are also readily available. How can our folks access the vaccine through our EB channels? Dr. Andrews: First, all states have vaccine readily available through dept. of public health and private sector pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS and even Walmart. In Connecticut, the Yard Hospital and EB Family Pharmacy have vaccines. The Yard Hospital has a supply of Moderna and several J+J vaccines. Our Groton EB Pharmacy has the Pfizer vaccine. In Rhode Island, the EB Family Pharmacy has vaccines as well. Both pharmacies, the Yard Hospital, Dispensary, and Wellness Center also would be happy to answer questions or direct you and your family to community vaccination sites if you prefer that route. The recent spread of the delta variant, and the communication around it, has been confusing, frustrating, and fluid, but that's actually irrelevant. What's true about managing this virus has not changed—people need to get vaccinated. If you're sick, stay home. Wash your hands frequently and try to be outside as much as possible. Those not yet vaccinated should wear a mask outdoors when they are in a crowd, at a large event, or in a public place where keeping their distance from others is difficult, and must wear a mask indoors at all times. Docs, thank you for taking the time to talk about COVID vaccines and COVID again. Our highest priority at Electric Boat is safety, and the best way to ensure you're safe from COVID, meaning you don't die or get sick from it, is to please get vaccinated. Thanks everybody; we'll talk again soon.
|
|
 |
Second Quarter 2021 Top stories:
|
|
USS Hartford Arrives at EB Groton Shipyard for Overhaul GROTON, Conn. (June 05, 2021) - In June, the Los Angeles class submarine USS HARTFORD (SSN 768) arrived at the General Dynamics Electric Boat Groton shipyard for an Engineering Overhaul. EB was awarded a U.S. Navy contract modification that would allow for a ‘Smart Start’ to this maintenance availability. EB’s President Kevin Graney said: “Overhaul and repair work is vitally important to EB because it allows us to manage ebbs and flows in the workload associated with the Virginia and Columbia programs, and enables our workforce to maintain proficiency in crucial skills. . A Smart Start on the Hartford is the right approach to maintain and modernize the ship and get it back to the fleet. We thank our supporters in Congress for funding this important availability in the 2022 budget and we thank our Navy partners for the effort it took to get this work started on schedule.” 
|
|
 |
First Quarter 2021 Top stories:
|
