Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC) successfully completed USS Monterey’s (CG 61) Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) May 3, returning the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser to the fleet in just under eight months.

MARMC provided oversight for the Chief of Naval Operations availability, which was contracted to Marine Hydraulics International (MHI) in Norfolk, Va. in September 2018, with a work package that included tank work; extensive structural repairs; Consolidated Afloat Network and Enterprise Services (CANES) modifications; intake repairs, and other work package items.

“We had around 150 work items that included a lot of structural repairs and a lot of carbon and aluminum replacement around the ship,” said Project Engineer (PE) Sebastian Carrera.

Project Manager Sam Moore said it was a total team effort and everything fell in place nicely to make this a successful availability.

“We had the support from the entire MARMC team. Especially Code 500 (Logistics) who was outstanding in getting us the parts we needed in a timely fashion,” said Moore. We were fortunate not to have any inclement weather conditions that delayed production, and we were able to move some other jobs to upcoming availabilities. Things just played into our schedule.”

There are many moving parts during a major availability. The team said one of the biggest challenges was keeping those parts in sync. It was vital for them to stay on the deck plates and keep things moving. MARMC is building a strong case for establishing and maintaining a consistent team of people from all departments who form the core maintenance teams. These teams will succeed in planning and executing our ship avails.

“Getting all the moving parts to marry up is the most important thing a team can do during an availability,” said Shipbuilding Specialist Joe Caragiulo. “We were fortunate that all of the different entities worked well together – the contractors, sub-contractors, ship’s force and everyone else involved.”

Teamwork is essential to a successful SRA. The camaraderie between the team members drove their positive attitudes and their willingness to help each other.

“The situation changes by the day in maintenance,” said Carrera. “You’re going to get hit with all kinds of stuff and be pulled in all kinds of directions. We had to stick together and back each other up to make this happen.”

While the SRA is a major milestone in the ship’s maintenance cycle, it is just one part. The maintenance has already moved on to planning availabilities throughout the rest of the year.

“Maintenance is a never-ending cycle,” said Moore. “We’re already into our CMAV (continuous maintenance availability). We already have the jobs ready. As soon as we come out of sea trials we’re right back into it.”  

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