When USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) slipped out of dry dock into Sinclair Inlet early evening March 8, it passed a major milestone in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility's two-year Engineering Refueling Overhaul of the boat.

Begun in February 2014, the ERO is a complex, major shipyard availability for Nebraska. It includes extensive structural and mechanical repairs and inspections, and -- most importantly -- it extends the submarine's service life.

"The vital upgrades and maintenance being performed on USS Nebraska during her extensive Engineered Refueling Overhaul will give us the ability to provide our nation with 20 more years of strategic deterrence," said Cmdr. Jason Geddes, commanding officer of Nebraska's Green crew (a combination of the Blue and Gold crews assigned during non-shipyard periods). "This has been such a successful overhaul, and it's important to me that my Sailors and their shipyard counterparts know that they are at the center of that success."

Nebraska's overhaul is one of the largest scheduled Trident submarine work packages at the shipyard, so teamwork and communication are critical. The level of production work and testing accomplished to achieve undocking is intended to allow the crew of Nebraska to transition to the operational readiness needed to accomplish the mission, and requires cooperation and teamwork between the shipyard and crew of the Nebraska.

"I'm proud of the positive relationships my crew has built with the shipyard project team, and they are vital to this overhaul," said Geddes. "The consistent and ongoing collaboration between our organizations has already paid dividends, and I have seen the benefits from that dedicated work from everyone involved."

With the March 8 undocking, almost all of the shipyard's industrial work is complete. The focus now changes from heavy industrial work to energizing, operating and testing the various ship systems, plus training, qualifying and certifying the ship's crew.

"USS Nebraska undocked with 97 percent of the work complete," said Capt. Daniel Ettlich, shipyard operations officer. "This is an exceptional achievement as it sets up the team to focus on the testing program, which is critical to the successful completion of the availability."

"As we move toward the final stages of this ERO, it's critical that we capitalize on the momentum we have already created here with our work partnerships," said Geddes. "Finishing strong will mean that every detail is considered for Nebraska's long-term success. These will help ensure that 'Big Red' puts out to sea on time and can continue our country's strategic deterrence mission."

Rear Adm. David Kriete, Commander, Submarine Group 9, echoed that sentiment.

"USS Nebraska's undocking is an important milestone in the life of the ship and in the Navy's continued contribution to the nation's strategic deterrent mission," Kriete said. "This milestone was only achieved through the dedication, skill and hard work of the crew and the men and women assigned to PSNS & IMF. Other countries around the world, including potential adversaries, read about this refueling overhaul and understand that the United States' ability to maintain a highly capable force of credible, survivable SSBNs on patrol over the course of decades is unmatched. USS Nebraska's progression to the next phase of refueling overhaul gets the ship and crew one step closer to going back on patrol for the second half of the ship's extended 42-year service life. The technological marvel of this overhaul is surpassed only by the commitment and teamwork of the people that are making it happen."

For more news from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, visit www.navy.mil/.