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WASHINGTON — The US Navy has restricted the operations of its three newest submarines — including one placed in commission just last Saturday — pending inspections and repairs to a key steam plant component.
At issue are problems found with elbows in 10-inch pipes that funnel steam from the reactor plant to the propulsion turbines. Elbows are installed in piping to get around corners and other obstructions.
The problems, said a senior Navy official, were detected earlier this year, prompting a civil investigative demand leading to an investigation begun in April. A fleet message restricting operations of the three submarines was sent Aug. 5, and congressional authorities were notified the same day.
Rory O'Connor, a spokesman for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, said the problems affect the submarines Minnesota, North Dakota and John Warner. He described the situation late Wednesday in a statement:
"As part of an ongoing investigation into a quality control issue with a supplier, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) determined that three steam pipe elbows supplied by the vendor in question required additional testing and repair due to unauthorized and undocumented weld repairs having been performed on these elbows.
"GDEB along with Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) are performing additional inspections to bound the issue. Currently, USS Minnesota (SSN 783), USS North Dakota (SSN 784), and USS John Warner (SSN 785) are impacted.
"The Navy is committed to ensuring the safety of its crews and ships. High quality standards for submarine components are an important part of the overall effort to ensure safety."
The problem, said the senior Navy official, "is not a safety concern in terms of what's involved right now. Basically it's being prudent in looking into it." The concern, the official added, is "long-term wear-and-tear."
The Navy, said the senior Navy official, is developing a more detailed inspection plan before certifying affected submarines for further operations.
It is not clear what prompted the investigation, but it was apparently begun at the behest of Electric Boat.
Construction of Virginia-class submarines is split evenly between Electric Boat in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The yards, however, do not supply pipe elbows.
According to an official source, the defective elbows are manufactured by Nuflo, a Jacksonville, Florida-based company that, according to its website, "manufactures piping solutions for every aspect of industry." The company, "has been qualified for the most critical standards of quality and inspection certifications," the site continued.
According to the senior Navy official, the Nuflo pipe elbows initially failed magnetic test inspections that showed "minor surface indications," then successfully passed ultrasonic test inspections after minor repairs.
Further testing by Electric Boat using acid etch inspections, however, showed that "unauthorized and undocumented weld repairs had been performed by the vendor on these elbows."
Nuflo had not responded to phone messages or emails from a reporter before this story was published.
According to the senior Navy official, the suspect elbows are not believed to have been installed on submarines built before the Minnesota, which was commissioned in September 2013. Ten elbows were installed on subs now in service — one on the Minnesota, six on the North Dakota, three on the John Warner. Another 40 elbows were installed on still-incomplete submarines or are in stock.
In late July, the Minnesota was to have completed its post-shakedown availability (PSA), a major, post-delivery overhaul that fixes problems found during a sub's initial service period, provides system updates and puts on finishing touches wherever needed. But the submarine is still at Electric Boat's shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, and its "maintenance availability has been extended to support the evaluation," O'Connor said.
The North Dakota, commissioned in October, is at Submarine Base New London, just upriver from Groton, and is expected to move to the shipyard in a few weeks to begin its PSA, during which the elbow problems will be addressed. The submarine returned to New London on July 20 from a seven-week mission.
The John Warner, which was officially placed in service Saturday in a ceremony at Norfolk attended by her namesake and top Navy officials, has had its operations "restricted until the investigation is complete and the issue has been adjudicated," O'Connor said.
Another submarine, the Illinois, is expected to be floated off for the first time in a few days at Groton. Any problems with the ship, O'Connor said, "will be taken care of in construction."
E-mail ccavas@defensenews.com
US Navy Sidelines 3 Newest Subs
At issue are problems found with elbows in 10-inch pipes that funnel steam from the reactor plant to the propulsion turbines. Elbows are installed in piping to get around corners and other obstructions.
The problems, said a senior Navy official, were detected earlier this year, prompting a civil investigative demand leading to an investigation begun in April. A fleet message restricting operations of the three submarines was sent Aug. 5, and congressional authorities were notified the same day.
Rory O'Connor, a spokesman for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Washington, said the problems affect the submarines Minnesota, North Dakota and John Warner. He described the situation late Wednesday in a statement:
"As part of an ongoing investigation into a quality control issue with a supplier, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) determined that three steam pipe elbows supplied by the vendor in question required additional testing and repair due to unauthorized and undocumented weld repairs having been performed on these elbows.
"GDEB along with Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) are performing additional inspections to bound the issue. Currently, USS Minnesota (SSN 783), USS North Dakota (SSN 784), and USS John Warner (SSN 785) are impacted.
"The Navy is committed to ensuring the safety of its crews and ships. High quality standards for submarine components are an important part of the overall effort to ensure safety."
The problem, said the senior Navy official, "is not a safety concern in terms of what's involved right now. Basically it's being prudent in looking into it." The concern, the official added, is "long-term wear-and-tear."
The Navy, said the senior Navy official, is developing a more detailed inspection plan before certifying affected submarines for further operations.
It is not clear what prompted the investigation, but it was apparently begun at the behest of Electric Boat.
Construction of Virginia-class submarines is split evenly between Electric Boat in Connecticut and Rhode Island, and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. The yards, however, do not supply pipe elbows.
According to an official source, the defective elbows are manufactured by Nuflo, a Jacksonville, Florida-based company that, according to its website, "manufactures piping solutions for every aspect of industry." The company, "has been qualified for the most critical standards of quality and inspection certifications," the site continued.
According to the senior Navy official, the Nuflo pipe elbows initially failed magnetic test inspections that showed "minor surface indications," then successfully passed ultrasonic test inspections after minor repairs.
Further testing by Electric Boat using acid etch inspections, however, showed that "unauthorized and undocumented weld repairs had been performed by the vendor on these elbows."
Nuflo had not responded to phone messages or emails from a reporter before this story was published.
According to the senior Navy official, the suspect elbows are not believed to have been installed on submarines built before the Minnesota, which was commissioned in September 2013. Ten elbows were installed on subs now in service — one on the Minnesota, six on the North Dakota, three on the John Warner. Another 40 elbows were installed on still-incomplete submarines or are in stock.
In late July, the Minnesota was to have completed its post-shakedown availability (PSA), a major, post-delivery overhaul that fixes problems found during a sub's initial service period, provides system updates and puts on finishing touches wherever needed. But the submarine is still at Electric Boat's shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, and its "maintenance availability has been extended to support the evaluation," O'Connor said.
The North Dakota, commissioned in October, is at Submarine Base New London, just upriver from Groton, and is expected to move to the shipyard in a few weeks to begin its PSA, during which the elbow problems will be addressed. The submarine returned to New London on July 20 from a seven-week mission.
The John Warner, which was officially placed in service Saturday in a ceremony at Norfolk attended by her namesake and top Navy officials, has had its operations "restricted until the investigation is complete and the issue has been adjudicated," O'Connor said.
Another submarine, the Illinois, is expected to be floated off for the first time in a few days at Groton. Any problems with the ship, O'Connor said, "will be taken care of in construction."
E-mail ccavas@defensenews.com
US Navy Sidelines 3 Newest Subs
