Portsmouth Naval Shipyard hosted Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Franchetti met with shipyard leadership, including its commander, Capt. Michael Oberdorf, to discuss critical capability upgrades on the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines. They joined nuclear engineering and planning manager Stephen Fahey to tour sailor quality of services, submarine platform readiness, and infrastructure improvements.
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Franchetti received updates about ongoing modernization efforts and ship maintenance timelines at PNSY from Production Resources Officer Capt. William Sumsion and Inside Machine Shop Superintendent Justin Orr. A press release states Franchetti emphasized the need to build readiness and capability now as the Navy partners to scale industrial capacity and expand budgets for future growth. The extensive tour of the machine shop showcased major machining upgrades, optimization initiatives, the implementation of innovations, and highlighted the use of next generation technologies, according to a shipyard press release.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, visits Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti is briefed on the Child Development Center and sailor campus projects by Public Works Officer Cmdr. Dan Brown during a visit to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard continues to accomplish impactful quality of service improvements and infrastructure optimization while remaining focused on the execution of their primary mission – to deliver fully modernized attack submarines enabling America’s Warfighting Navy to get more ready players on the field,” Franchetti said in a prepared statement.
“It’s an honor to have Adm. Franchetti witness firsthand how Portsmouth is continuing to push boundaries to drive innovation and pull delivery schedules to the left while maintaining a focus on our workforce and the sailors as our customer,” Oberdorf said in a prepared statement.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, center, poses for a group photo with leadership during a visit to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
While at PNSY, CNO presented the FY24 Battle E award to the crew of the Virginia-class attack submarine USS North Dakota (SSN 784), to recognize their superior performance. North Dakota Commanding Officer Towney Kennard and Chief of the Boat Master Chief Eric Whitaker accepted the award on behalf of the crew. The annual Battle Efficiency Award, better known to sailors as the Battle E, recognizes sustained fast and winning performance.
Concluding the tour, Franchetti met with Officer in Charge of Construction Capt. Ben Wainwright and PNSY Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program Director Russ Gagner to see the ongoing construction of the multi-mission dry dock.
“We’ve hit the halfway mark on two new dry docks that will double our Virginia-class docking capacity; completed a four-story 125,000 square foot state of the art waterfront production facility expected to improve submarine maintenance schedules; and will complete a transformational Paint, Blast, and Rubber facility in the coming months that maximizes worker safety and industrial efficiency,” Gagner said in a prepared statement.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Franchetti, naval operations chief, tours Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
