MAY 27, 2021 – The Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) was delivered to the fleet on time after completing a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC).
This was the first-ever LCS SRA accomplished in Mayport. The availability included repairs and modernization required to sustain Milwaukee’s material condition between overhauls.
“Our ability to work cohesively with ship’s force, our Jacksonville-area contractors and port engineers is critical to our success at SERMC,” said Capt. John Lobuono, SERMC commanding officer. “The fact that we completed Milwaukee on-time is a testament to the teamwork and commitment of our workforce, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Months before the availability began, the maintenance team at SERMC started communicating with all stakeholders. Large work items such as stern door repairs, took the team until the end of the availability to complete. With nearly a work item per day, SERMC’s early preparations for the availability ensured work could be completed on schedule.
SERMC Project Manager Carlton Simms said, “Before we set foot onboard Milwaukee, we knew we had 144 work days and 134 work items. The team worked extensively planning with stakeholders before the availability began to ensure we were ready to execute to schedule and complete the work on time.”
A challenge that SERMC was able to overcome was replacing steering cylinders and feedback cables, which can be a lengthy process. To help mitigate a potential availability extension, SERMC divers performed around-the-clock diving operations with the Office of the Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving to complete the entire evolution within five days. SERMC divers not only performed the repairs ahead of time, but received valuable training on proper use of a hydraulic actuator and feedback cable replacement and those lessons learned will be used on future LCS availabilities.
LCS is a highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable ship designed to support focused surface warfare, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare. LCS integrates new technology and capability to affordably support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals.
SERMC provides surface ship maintenance, modernization and technical expertise in support of the ships of the U.S. Navy, the world’s finest. We provide the highest level of maintenance, repair, technical expertise, training, craftsmanship and professionalism to the ships and Sailors of the U.S. fleet and the SERMC military and civilian workforce.
For more information about Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, visit: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/CNRMC/SERMC/default.aspx