The undocking marked completion of major hull and foundational work. It shifts the project toward final testing and certification as the submarine moves closer to returning to its national security mission.
The U.S. Navy described undocking as a 10- to 12-hour engineering and seamanship evolution. The process involves flooding the dry dock, removing large structural gates and using tugboats to guide the submarine into open water.
The evolution requires close coordination between the submarine crew, shipyard engineering department, docking team and tugboats. Their work ensures the vessel is safely transitioned back into the water.
“Safely undocking Illinois – or any submarine – comes down to the hard work of the shipyard workforce,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Ryan McCrillis, commander of PHNSY & IMF. “Executing this undocking so soon after finishing maintenance on another submarine is a massive achievement, especially as we transition straight into the next major shipyard milestones on our horizon. It’s a total team effort, and everyone is pulling their weight to keep our momentum going and get these subs back to the fleet.”
While Illinois was in dry dock, the project team used innovative work-sequencing and pre-testing strategies. The shipyard said these steps front-loaded key milestones and are intended to speed up the final pier-side certification process.
The final certification phase is described as the “end game” of a submarine maintenance availability. PHNSY & IMF said the approach could help the Illinois project complete the shortest end game the shipyard has performed to date.
“By maximizing productivity and testing in dry dock, the project is on track to complete the shortest end game that the shipyard has performed to date,” PHNSY & IMF Illinois Project Supervisor Gilbert Gould said. “The ‘do things differently’ attitude of the integrated project team enabled the accomplishment of multiple first-time initiatives in order to complete this portion of Illinois’ maintenance availability.”
With the submarine back in the water, the crew is preparing for the next phases of training and return to operational tasking. The Navy said undocking is a key step in moving Illinois back toward the operational fleet.
“Undocking is a key step to getting Illinois back to the operational fleet, where she can achieve her ultimate purpose: defend the nation and preserve the American way of life,” said Illinois Commanding Officer Cmdr. Jeffrey Vandenengel. “By completing the required work in the drydock and getting the ship back into the water, Illinois’ officers and crew and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard have done a great service for the Navy and the nation.”
Illinois was commissioned on Oct. 29, 2016. It is the second U.S. Navy ship named for the state of Illinois and the 13th Virginia-class submarine.
The submarine is homeported in Pearl Harbor and assigned to Submarine Squadron 1. It can support missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations forces support, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
PHNSY & IMF’s mission is to keep the Navy’s fleet “Fit to Fight” by repairing, maintaining and modernizing fast-attack submarines and surface ships. Strategically located in the heart of the Pacific, it is the most comprehensive fleet repair and maintenance facility between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East.
