Leslie Sandridge

As a pipefitter at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, I am currently at N.O.B. On the base I have worked on the multiple Los Angeles, and Virginia Class submarines. The systems I have worked on at the base are as follows: Hydraulic, RO, steamplant / condensers, and Divers air (DSS-SOC-Subsafe).

I was a pipefitting supervisor of the fleet support/ sub overhaul project on the USS Columbus. My crew worked the Main Ballast Tanks, hydraulic systems, sonar sphere, torpedo room, ABT systems, as well as running tests on the EMBT system, LP air systems, HP systems and tanks. I have written Work Permits, IR's, and ER's as needed whenever a new job or problem occurred. I implemented regular learning sessions with my crew to minimize mistakes and improve quality in our work. In the mornings we would go over any quality issues that arose throughout the shipyard, and how they could have been prevented. We also would familiarize ourselves with the safety hazards and close calls to recognize them and prevent them from happening in the future.

After graduation I worked in the Nuclear Pipe Shop. I worked on Main steam piping systems, lube oil systems, De-salinization systems, and other miscellaneous projects.

As an apprentice I played baseball, kept up with school, and learned a trade in the years at Newport News Apprentice School. while in the Apprentice program, I learned how to weld, pipe-fit, and had the opportunity to teach new apprentices everything I had learned over the years of being rotated to different projects. During rotations as an apprentice I worked on overhaul Carrier (Nuclear and non-Nuclear), New construction VCS (Nuclear and non-Nuclear), and new construction carrier (Nuclear and non-Nuclear).