DATE: Sunday, September 28, 1997            TAG: 9709260409

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 06   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: COVER STORY 

SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT A 

                                            LENGTH:   95 lines

THE BUCK STOPS HERE SUPSHIP PORTSMOUTH BIG ON SAVING GOVERNMENT MONEY UNIT'S THRIFTINESS EARNS COMMAND ITS 4TH HAMMER AWARD SINCE JULY OF THIS YEAR

A naval command headquartered in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in Portsmouth, the Portsmouth Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, has received its fourth award since July for saving the government money.

SUPSHIP Portsmouth, as it is known, was presented with its fourth Hammer Award by Rear Adm. Paul M. Robinson, vice commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, in a ceremony held Sept. 8 at the Drydock Club in the shipyard's Scott Annex Center.

The award recognized the development of a coating (painting) inspectors' training course, offered locally at a cost of $200 per participant, that replaced a National Association of Corrosion Engineers Course costing $2,000 per participant, plus travel expenses.

Since the course's inception, in March 1995, eight classes have been conducted, enrolling 71 government and 117 private sector employees, at a savings to the government of more than $127,800.

The Hammer Award originated with Vice President Al Gore to recognize teams in the workplace that have made significant contributions in support of President Bill Clinton's national performance review principles. Drawing its name from the infamous $600 hammer that came to represent government spending excesses, the award consists of a $6 hammer and a ribbon, in an aluminum frame, with a note card signed by Gore.

The team responsible for the latest award consisted of SUPSHIP Portsmouth and SUPSHIP Newport News personnel, employees from five civilian contractors, and representatives from the Tidewater Maritime Training Institute and the South Tidewater Association of Ship Repairers. The team leaders were SUPSHIP Portsmouth's quality assurance officer, Suffolk resident Jack Cooper, and the supervisory quality assurance specialist, Steve Belangia of Powells Point, N.C.

Private sector team members came from Admiralty Coatings, Main Industries, Marine Hydraulics International Inc., Metro Machine Corp., and Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Corp.

Robinson, who commanded two SUPSHIP facilities before attaining flag rank, clearly relished the opportunity to present the award.

``It's probably the most fun of all my duties, ceremonies like this,'' he said, after the presentation. ``It recognizes the innovation and dedication of government teams on-scene. It is noteworthy that it recognizes cooperation between government and industry. Having an award to recognize both entities speaks volumes for the national performance review to make government work better.''

Although SUPSHIP Portsmouth is headquartered in Building 15 at the shipyard, it is not a part of the shipyard, but rather a separate tenant command with a separate mission. It is primarily responsible for work done for the Navy by private shipyards and ship repair contractors, as opposed to government yards such as the naval shipyard.

It traces its history back to the Navy's establishment of industrial manager operations in 1942. In 1947, an office of industrial manager was established in each naval district. The commander of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard was the designated industrial manager until 1951, when the function became separate from the shipyard. In 1967, the title changed from industrial manager to supervisor of shipbuilding, conversion and repair for the 5th Naval District.

In 1974, recognizing an increased volume of ship repair work being done by the private sector, the Navy made SUPSHIP a separate command with its own commanding officer.

In 1975, ``5th Naval District'' was dropped from the command's official title, and it became SUPSHIP Portsmouth. In 1992, the Navy designated it a major command.

In addition to its headquarters operations, SUPSHIP Portsmouth has three detachments at other locations that report to it. These are located in Colts Neck, N.J.; Charleston, S.C.; and Vallejo, Calif.

There are 1,027 civilian and 26 military personnel based in Portsmouth. In New Jersey, there are 36 civilian and three military personnel. At Charleston, there are 163 personnel and, at Vallejo, 262.

Capt. Michael J. Daley, SUPSHIP Portsmouth's commanding officer, also expressed satisfaction with the latest award.

``The award comes as a great personal pleasure for me,'' he said. ``This is a result of the whole SUPSHIP-private sector team that achieved this, successfully working together. However, it comes as no surprise to me based on the abilities that I see in our employees everyday.''

SUPSHIP Portsmouth received all three of its previous Hammer Awards, presented by Vice Adm. George C. Sterner, commander of the Naval Sea Systems Command, in a ceremony held July 7. At that ceremony, the command also was presented with a Meritorious Unit Commendation, presented by Assistant Secretary of the Navy John W. Douglass.

The earlier Hammer Awards, like the latest one, recognized cost savings resulting from team efforts. The commendation, signed by Navy Secretary John H. Dalton, cited SUPSHIP Portsmouth for superior performance from Oct. 1, 1993, to July 31, 1996, while handling a total business volume of more than $800 million. ILLUSTRATION: Photos including color cover by DAWSON MILLS

The Hammer Award is named for the infamous $600 hammer that came to

represent government excesses.

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