Story by Public Affairs Office – Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport
Naval Undersea Warfare Center, (NUWC), Division Newport received Assistant Secretary of Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment Meredith Berger, on May 5, for tours and a series awards presentations.
Berger opened her trip by presenting Division Newport the Chief Of Naval Operations Award for Safety Ashore, in the large, industrial category. This was the second consecutive win of the warfare center.
Berger stated that it was an honor to have the opportunity present the CNO Award for safety. This award shows that you not only fulfill the mission but also do so in a safe manner. We appreciate your setting the example and setting a high standard.
The award, for fiscal year 2021, which runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, recognizes the overall quality of the many innovative programs managed by Division Newport’s Safety and Occupational Health Branch, including compliance to safety and health standards and proactive mishap prevention efforts.
Dennis Tierney, Infrastructure Division head, accepted the award on behalf the team. The team includes Camie Graley and Kenneth Hupf as well as Joseph Johnson, Nurse Deborah Jones, John Mackun and Augustine Razo. Warren VanVelzer, Warren VanVelzer, Warren VanVelzer, Warren VanVelzer, and retired employees Carol Bernier and Sue Clarke.
More information on this award is available here. [link — https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Media/News/Article-View/Article/3002515/nuwc-division-newport-wins-chief-of-naval-operations-award-for-safety-ashore/]
Division Newport Commanding officer Capt. Chad Hennings said. This is a reflection upon the amazing work you do.
Two personnel awards were also given out. The first was a Meritorious Civilian Service Award to John DiMaio, a project and design engineer/architect. This is the U.S. Navy’s third highest honorary civilian award.
DiMaio, who retired in December 2021, served as a project and design engineer and as Division Newport’s resident architect for 18 years. His knowledge and pride in ownership were key to the success of many facility renovations.
The second personal award was Sailor of the Quarter honors, which was presented to Petty Officer 2nd class Brody Costantini as a submarines information systems technician. Costantini was awarded for his exceptional performance in the execution his duties as a member on a test team in the Undersea Warfare Electromagnetic Systems Department.
Berger said, “Congratulations to all those who were awarded.” I enjoyed getting to know you all and spending time with you.
Berger was able to visit a number Division Newports facilities, which are connected to her role as ASN/EIE. She is responsible to provide oversight and policy for the Navy and Marine Corps energy, climate resilience, infrastructure sustainment, restoration, modernization, military construction, acquisition, utilization, and disposal of real estate and facilities; environmental protection and restoration and conservation of natural resources; safety and occupational health.
The tour included stops at the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Laboratory (UUV Laboratory) and the Submarine Ocean Interface Test Facilities.
Dr. Stephanie Watwood (marine species technical project manager in Ranges Engineering and Analysis Department), opened by describing some Division Newports efforts to environmental monitoring and modeling.
This includes monitoring the Navy’s instrumented ranges passively, and developing and implementing methods to understand the impact of Navy activities upon marine species.
Watwood stated that a lot of our work involves basic research to understand the behavior and biology of animals in ranges.
This includes monitoring the Navy’s instrumented ranges passively, and developing and implementing methods to understand the impact of Navy activities upon marine species.
Berger stated that it is crucial for the Navy to understand the dynamic between mission readiness and environmental considerations in order for it to succeed in its mission.
Berger visited the Advanced Submarine Launcher Facility as well as the Three-inch Launcher Test Facility. These submarine-based, land-based testing facilities enable scientists and engineers from Division Newport to test the performance of existing and developing weapons systems on-site.
Torpedoes have been used here since the 1850s. So it has been a complete evolution of the system in Newport, Chris DelMastro of the Undersea Warfare Platforms and Payload Integration Department explained.
DelMastro led a tour of the UUV Lab and described some of the ongoing projects. These projects included both medium-sized as well as long-duration UUV technology efforts.
DelMastro stated that we partnered with the government’s brightest minds and the best of academia to improve the state of the art in UUVs. Over the years, the Navy made a lot of investments. We are now the stewards of these investments to provide transition capabilities for the fleet.
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