Sea trials are underway for the Newport News-built New Mexico submarine, a boat Northrop Grumman Corp. hopes to deliver to the Navy by the end of the month.
The fast-attack sub is the sixth Virginia-class submarine that Northrop and construction partner General Dynamics Electric Boat will deliver to the Navy.
On Nov. 26, the New Mexico completed its first set of sea trials, a days-long period at sea in which engineers put the sub through a series of performance exercises. The ship's crew, working with Northrop workers, test all systems, components and compartments on the sub, including submerging for the first time and conducting high-speed runs.
Northrop said the first round of tests "went extremely well."
"New Mexico's sea trial raised the bar to a new level of performance," said Jennifer Dellapenta, a spokeswoman.
Once the ship returns from its second round of trials, it will undergo a brief work period at the shipyard to address any potential issues. From there, the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey will take the New Mexico on a final trial.
The sub was supposed to be commissioned in November, but Northrop found that some of its Newport News workers incorrectly installed bolts and fasteners that hold together tracks on which weapons are moved inside its torpedo compartment.
Improper installation of these pieces could result in a misalignment of the equipment, preventing the movement of weapon cradles, an issue that could have essentially disabled the sub's ability to launch attacks or defend itself.
After the problems were found, Northrop and the Navy agreed to push back the delivery of the New Mexico until early 2010. But company officials in recent weeks have signalled a desire to get the sub out the door by the end of the year.
The bolt and fastener problems were found in August on four submarines: the North Carolina, New Mexico, Missouri and California. None of the four boats were underway.
Only the North Carolina is commissioned, but it was in a maintenance period. The Missouri and California remain in various stages of construction in Newport News and Groton, Conn.
Matt Mulherin, the Newport News shipyard's general manager, told the Daily Press in October that the problems were found throughout the forward portions of each of the subs, leading the company to expand its investigation to include all areas where similar equipment was installed on Newport News-built vessels.
The issue, Mulherin said, was not the equipment, rather "it had to do with the process of installing those types of fasteners."
Although the probe expanded, Mulherin said the most crucial areas where the errors have been found remain in the weapons-handling room.
"We're making progress and fixing the things we've found, and we keep pushing" to expedite its completion, he said in October.
The shipyard expects to have all fastener-related problems fixed by the second quarter of 2010.
Despite the problems, the Virginia-class submarine is often touted as one of the Navy's most successful shipbuilding programs. The shipbuilders have driven down costs and improved quality on each successive ship.
Northrop and Electric Boat are under contract with the Navy to build 12 more Virginia-class submarines.
Current Navy plans call for 30 of the nuclear-powered boats.(Original News)
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