By Robert McCabe
The Virginian-Pilot
© June 8, 2009
For the second time in less than two years, the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard is coping with an embarrassing problem related to its welding.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com</o:p>
In that case, the Navy found that "inadequate processes" at Northrop Grumman's shipyard had "allowed the improper use of the wrong weld filler metal in non-nuclear piping systems over an extended period of time."<o:p></o:p>
Both the Navy and Northrop Grumman insist the two issues are essentially unrelated.<o:p></o:p>
"Please note, this is a job performance issue by an individual," Northrop Grumman said in a May 28 statement.<o:p></o:p>
The issue "primarily involves the inspection of welds as opposed to the welds and weld processes themselves, though all of these matters are under review," the shipyard's statement continued.<o:p></o:p>
Patricia Dolan, a Navy spokeswoman, said: "This is not the same issue or a continuation of the same issue. They are two different issues. This is an individual issue of an inspector who admitted he signed off on three joint-weld inspections that he hadn't performed."<o:p></o:p>
Northrop Grumman fired the employee, describing the situation as a personnel matter.<o:p></o:p>
U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st District, said he and other members of Congress were following the matter.<o:p></o:p>
"It's certainly on our radar screens," Wittman said. "The key is to make sure we learn where the process broke down."<o:p></o:p>
What's important now is to go back and check all the welds in question, he said. The Navy and the shipyard also need to make sure that controls are in place to prevent recurrences and to ensure the integrity of the quality-control process, Wittman said.<o:p></o:p>
U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, R-4th District, said "it always concerns us" to learn about situations such as the one reported at the shipyard, which he attributed to a "bad apple."<o:p></o:p>
"I think the thing that gives me a fair amount of comfort is that the system worked," said Forbes, adding that another inspector reported his colleague to a supervisor, who took action.<o:p></o:p>
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The seriousness of the problem related to the falsified inspections is not clear.<o:p></o:p>
Neither the Navy not the shipyard would discuss the risks related to the welds.<o:p></o:p>
"I think it's very serious if someone has been lying about welds or misrepresenting," said Norman Polmar, a naval analyst and author. "Do we know all the welds that he was responsible for over the past five years? How often did he do this? There are a lot of unanswered questions."<o:p></o:p>
Polmar said major welding problems in submarine construction came to light after the loss of the Navy sub Thresher in 1963. He added, however, that he and other experts believe it was not a weld failure but a reactor shutdown that led to the loss of the sub.<o:p></o:p>
Retired Navy Capt. T.J. Smith, who served as a commanding officer on a submarine, said he has been following the reports of welding issues at the shipyard with great concern.<o:p></o:p>
"It's a very, very big deal, not so much for an aircraft carrier, but for a submarine, definitely," said Smith, 78, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<st1:City w:st="on">Williamsburg</st1:City></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p>
Disagreeing with Polmar, Smith said the loss of the Thresher was due to a failed weld. When the part of the sub that contained the electrical equipment became wet, the nuclear reactor shut down, resulting in the loss of propulsion, he said.<o:p></o:p>
"That's why it's so important for the shipyard, particularly on submarines, to totally inspect those welds," Smith said.<o:p></o:p>
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The Northrop Grumman employee who admitted to falsifying the inspection records was responsible for conducting inspections on "non-nuclear structural or piping welds" on Virginia-class submarines and aircraft carriers, according to a Navy news release.<o:p></o:p>
The inspector had signed off on as many as 10,000 welds over four years, the Navy said.<o:p></o:p>
Citing an internal report it obtained, the trade publication Defense News reported that the inspector had performed most of his work on four Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines: the New Mexico (2,133 welds), Missouri (3,169), California (2,002) and Mississippi (2,177).<o:p></o:p>
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The 2007 welding issue at the shipyard resulted from "inadequate processes" that allowed welders to carry two types of weld filler.<o:p></o:p>
A Navy investigation traced the problem to shipyard welders who had mistakenly used a copper alloy filler on corrosion-resistant steel pipe joints, which can cause the joints to leak and crack.<o:p></o:p>
Robert McCabe, (757) 446-2327, robert.mccabe@pilotonline.com
~ -Matt-
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