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Text Box: Ships Maintenance
WASHINGTON -- Ship maintenance (SHIPMAIN) is one of the newest initiatives fleet Sailors are putting into practice. It is a 'best business' practice that is changing the culture of getting ship work completed in a one-step process.
"Innovative programs like SHIPMAIN and the Naval Aviation Readiness Integrated Improvement Program (NAVRIIP) helped develop and share best practices, streamline maintenance planning and improved performance goals in shipyards, depots and Intermediate Maintenance Activities (IMA)," said Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Adm. Vern Clark in his CNO Guidance for 2004,
"As we move more and more towards the 'smart ship' design and operations, the crew size is significantly reduced. This means that more of the maintenance, above and beyond preventive maintenance schedule (PMS), is performed by outside activities such as Ship Intermediate Maintenance Activities (SIMA), shipyards, and private contactors. The implementation of the SHIPMAIN program ensures that the right group is attached to the right job from the very beginning, thereby expediting its completion," explained Master Chief Machinist's Mate (SW) Jeffery A. Gray, SIMA command master chief, Norfolk, Va.
SHIPMAIN provides the maximum benefit per maintenance dollar by a one step process, eliminating time lags, prioritizing ship jobs and empowering surface ship Sailors in their ship's maintenance decisions.
Each ship has in place a maintenance team consisting of a ship's port engineer, members of SIMA, ship repair supervisor (SUPSHIP), Fleet Training Support Center (FTSC) personnel and the ship's representative. These teams meet twice a week, in the same location, at the same time to discuss the same job. The ship's representative takes he lead on deciding priority jobs for the ship. This team approach is producing a mindset change and encouraging best business practices.
"SIMA now has more time to plan and execute the availabilities within the prescribed dates, saving thousands of premium dollars," explained Senior Chief Hull Maintenance Technician (SW) Paul Corey, senior project manger SIMA Norfolk, Va. "SHIPMAIN frees up Fleet Sailors to concentrate on other upkeep jobs and training, because the repair activity is doing more of the repair jobs."
"The process for getting a 2Kilo, Navy paperwork to assign repair work, from the ship to the maintenance activity is now more streamlined and more efficient. There seems to be fewer duplicate job orders and less items sent that are Ship's Force (S/F) capable," said Chief Hull Maintenance Technician Chris Perry, SIMA Norfolk project manager.
Under the Navy's strategic plan, Sea Power 21 requires the capabilities of a 375 ship Navy to accomplish its missions. SHIPMAIN is contributing to the future of a 375 ship Navy by saving time, labor and dollars --dollars that can be recapitalized into future assets. SHIPMAIN is also training Sailors and providing them opportunities to be good stewards of the scarce government resources entrusted to them. Maintenance jobs that used to take weeks before a Sailor actually turned a screw, now have a screening turn-around time of 48-72 hours.

Text Box: USS Bonhomme Richard Chases Pirates Away from Fishermen
(Navy goes after the Jolly Roger Again!)

ABOARD USS BONHOMME RICHARD, At Sea (NNS) -- After answering a bridge-to-bridge distress call from a Kuwaiti fisherman Feb. 17, multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (BHR) (LHD 6) chased two pirate boats away from a group of fishing dhows in the Persian Gulf.
BHR received the call when a fishing boat was seized by a group of pirates in Boston whalers. Bonhomme Richard made best speed in pursuit of the pirates, chasing them away from the group of dhows.
According to BHR Commanding Officer Capt. J. Scott Jones, just the presence of the big deck amphibious ship was enough to scare the bandits away.
With 44,000 tons of combat power chasing after them, they got out of there in a hurry, Jones said. This proves again the deterrent capability of this ship and her Sailors and Marines. Just by being here, we were able to protect these fishermen.
The San Diego-based ship is currently supporting maritime security operations around oil terminals that are vital to Iraq’s economy, and serving as one of the many maritime interception operations platforms to detect, deter and disrupt terrorist threats at sea.
On our deployment so far, we have delivered more than 1 million pounds of humanitarian supplies to Indonesian tsunami survivors, sent Marines ashore to conduct exercises and chased pirate ships away, Jones said. We have always been there when called, and BHR’s Sailors and Marines continue to answer every bell.
Bonhomme Richard, the flagship of Expeditionary Strike Group 5, is currently operating in the Persian Gulf in support of the sovereign government of Iraq and the maritime effort against terrorism.

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