Four subs examined for troubles with bolts

NEWPORT NEWS

A lot can go wrong, constructing a vessel as sophisticated as a nuclear-powered submarine.

Something as simple as nuts and bolts wouldn't seem to be a problem.

But the Navy said Friday it is investigating mechanical problems involving bolts in the torpedo rooms of four Virginia-class submarines built at Northrop Grumman's shipyard.

It's the latest in a series of problems for the shipyard, which partners with General Dynamic Electric Boat in Connecticut to build fast-attack submarines. Each sub costs about $2 billion.

Alan Baribeau, a spokesman for the Navy's Sea Systems Command, said the Navy received word on Aug. 6 of "a mechanical quality issue" with the weapons-handling system tracks on the Missouri, which is being assembled in Connecticut.

Northrop Grumman builds all of the weapons-handling systems for the Virginia-class subs. Various sections built in Virginia and Connecticut are then assembled, alternately, at each shipyard.

The problem stems from the tracks that allow crews to move various weapons into place in the torpedo tubes. Weapons systems include missiles, torpedoes, mines and underwater vehicles.

Using the wrong bolts, bolt holes and fasteners, Baribeau said, could misalign the weapons cradles, preventing sailors from being able to move weapons within the torpedo room. Also, if the problem weren't corrected and the submarine experienced a "shock event" - such as an underwater explosion - its weapons-handling system could be compromised, Baribeau said, meaning the sub might not be able to de ploy any weapons.

He emphasized that the problem was caught because of an "overall attention to quality."

"The Navy and the shipbuilders are working to ensure safe ships are delivered. Delay in a ship's delivery is worth it to get a safe and quality ship for its expected 33-year life," Bar-ibeau said.

It's unclear whether the North Carolina, which was delivered to the fleet more than a year ago, had experienced any problems related to the bolts.

Both Navy and shipyard officials said the bolt problem doesn't indicate any systemic flaws at Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman has long built quality submarines, including the Cheyenne in 1997 and the Texas in 2006, Baribeau said.

Over the past decade, the Newport News shipyard lost personnel through retirements and attrition, and it didn't always have a continuous work flow.

"Without continuous flow of work, you lose people and efficiency," Baribeau said. "Both Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Shipb uilding are continually working to improve their performance."

But others see a troubling record at the only shipyard in the nation that builds aircraft carriers, and one of just two that constructs submarines. Almost two years ago, the Navy blamed piping weld problems in the Virginia-class submarine program on "inadequate processes" at the Newport News facility. Then came reports that an employee had falsified inspection records of up to 10,000 welds on submarines and carriers.

Last month, the submarine Toledo - a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine - was preparing to deploy from Connecticut when a 21-inch crack was discovered in its topside hull. The Toledo was built in Newport News in the mid-1990s, and it returned to the yard in 2006 for a 27-month overhaul.

The Navy announced this week that the crack would be fixed by Electric Boat. It will take about two months and cost $717,000.

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com