On November 12, Electric Boat delivered the Moored Training Ship La Jolla (MTS 701) to the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU) in South Carolina, following a three-day tow from Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The new MTS provides a training platform for naval officers and enlisted personnel in operation, maintenance and supervision of naval nuclear propulsion plants.
The NPTU is a technical school operated by the U.S. Navy in Goose Creek, South Carolina to train enlisted sailors, officers, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory civilians and Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory civilians for shipboard nuclear power plant operation and maintenance of surface ships and submarines in the U.S. nuclear navy.
“The delivery of MTS La Jolla to the Navy is an important milestone for Electric Boat, and further demonstrates our strong support of our national defense,” said EB President Kevin Graney. “I commend the hundreds of EB shipbuilders who worked to safely deliver these high-quality training platforms to our Navy, on time and under budget.”
MTS La Jolla replaces an existing moored training ship, MTS Sam Rayburn (MTS 635) and is the first of two new moored training ships to be delivered to the Navy. This conversion was the largest and most complex project of its kind, requiring significant teamwork between Electric Boat, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, FMP/KAPL and NAVSEA. To construct MTS La Jolla, a 688-class submarine was cut in half. The propulsion plant was retained and upgraded, and a new forward end, consisting of four Electric Boat-designed-and-built modules, was welded to the legacy aft end by Electric Boat.
Electric Boat was the lead design yard and major hull module construction yard on the Moored Training Ship program, which is a $1.2 billion project for the company. EB provided engineering/design support for the duration of construction, a unique, joint effort between EB and Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The conversion concept design started in 2010, and during peak of design, employed 750 engineering/design personnel. Module construction began at Electric Boat’s Quonset Point, RI facility in 2012, and the first module was delivered to Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 2015.
EB constructed and delivered the modules on or before scheduled delivery dates and construction was performed under cost, with over 600 construction personnel contributing at its peak. EB continues to provide technical, construction and test support at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for the second Moored Training Ship, MTS San Francisco (MTS 711), which is scheduled to be delivered in 2021.
