KITTERY, Maine (NNS) -- When USS Miami (SSN 755)
returned to the fleet following its depot modernization period (DMP) at
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the shipyard was rewarded with the distinction of
completing the vessel's shipyard availability in record time. Miami, an
"improved" Los Angeles-class submarine, is so designated because of the recently
installed advanced systems that includes the vertical launch Tomahawk cruise
missile capability.
Under the leadership of Cmdr. Randall G. Richards, the sub's commanding officer,
Miami entered the shipyard in January 2001 for its scheduled maintenance and
system upgrades. Originally scheduled for a 13-month overhaul, the team of
submarine maintenance experts from the nation's oldest naval shipyard, working
closely with the Miami crew, immediately went to work.
The "fast-start" concept, a term coined by the naval shipyard community and its
headquarters, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), describes the effect of
having a complete project management plan, as well as the necessary materials
and
work documents, ready to go from the outset.
Like clockwork, using modern management techniques for planning, scheduling and
executing work, including a state-of-the-art computer network based system
called AIM, or advanced industrial management, work and testing was
systematically completed on or ahead of schedule.
By the end of 2001, it became clear that not only would the team complete the
availability early, but that it would likely complete in record time. On Feb.
11, Capt. Kevin M. McCoy, the shipyard commander, declared the DMP complete --
18 days ahead of schedule and eight days ahead of the previous best effort.
"We did what we said we could do," McCoy said of the Miami DMP. "We may hold the
record for the quickest DMP, but there's still room for improvement. The Navy
needs its naval shipyards to achieve ever-better levels of performance in ship
depot maintenance. We've accepted this challenge and we will achieve even better
results; this is our priority, this is our contribution to the war effort."
Miami is assigned to Submarine Squadron 4 located at Naval Submarine Base New
London in Groton, Conn.