HII hosted Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division Wednesday.
The visit, including a meeting with company leadership and a tour of the shipyard, focused on investments by HII and the Navy to improve the working experience for shipbuilders and sailors assigned to vessels under construction or undergoing maintenance at NNS. Among them:
Franchetti was briefed on the design and planning underway for a new parking garage that will create more than 2,000 new spaces at NNS once it is complete in 2026.
She also saw one of several new MicroMarkets that have opened in the shipyard, providing 24/7 access to fresh food and meal options, convenient to where shipbuilders and sailors work.
Additionally, Franchetti saw the planned location of the Carrier Refueling Overhaul Workcenter (CROW) building – an approximately 80,000-square-foot facility that will provide modern workspaces for sailors and shipbuilders supporting aircraft carriers undergoing Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) availabilities.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to enhancing the working experience for our shipbuilders who build the world’s greatest ships and the sailors who serve on them to protect our freedoms,” said Bryan Caccavale, NNS vice president of Navy programs. “We’re proud of the progress Admiral Franchetti saw during her visit, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership for initiatives still to come.”
“It’s great to hear from our Sailors here at Newport News Shipbuilding that our Quality of Service initiatives are making a difference,” Franchetti said. “I appreciate the candid conversations and the hard work to remove barriers that has occurred this past year as a result of the Cross Functional Team’s efforts to work with our industry partners and other stakeholders to transform Fleet feedback into results.”
NNS is the nation’s sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines.