As the landscape of modern warfare continues to evolve, the role of submarine support has become increasingly crucial to maintaining the United States’ strategic advantage. NAVSUP FLC Norfolk serves as a vital component in meeting this challenge, providing comprehensive support services to a broad range of customers throughout the northeastern United States.
NAVSUP FLC Norfolk has a team of civilian and military employees, providing all-encompassing fleet support across thirty-seven U.S. Navy sites including five throughout the northeastern United States including New London, CT.; Kittery, ME; Newport, R.I.; Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and Earle, N.J. This includes a diverse team of 62 civilians and 18 military assigned to these northeastern sites.
Supply Officer Lt. Cmdr. William Shields assigned to the Material Management department in New London, highlights the key areas in which NAVSUP FLC Norfolk demonstrates its commitment to excellence. “Our support to the submarine fleet spans from material and logistics support through our Logistics Support Center (LSC), Postal, Hazardous Material, Fuels, Material Processing Center and others,” said Shields. “Each of these capabilities is tailored to the specific needs of our fast-attack submarines, ensuring they remain in a constant state of readiness around the clock.”
Fast-attack submarines homeported at Naval Submarine Base New London, as well as those located at the Electric Boat and Kittery Naval Shipyards, directly benefit from NAVSUP FLC Norfolk’s formidable expertise in submarine support. With 15 homeported submarines and four at the shipyards under its purview, NAVSUP FLC Norfolk maintains a constant state of vigilance, delivering around-the-clock support to these cutting-edge vessels. “Our mission is to ensure that our submarine fleet remains fully prepared to execute their strategic and tactical objectives,” says Shields. “To that end, we are continuously refining our processes and capabilities to provide the most effective and efficient support possible.”
“We process their boat drop requisitions for restocking their onboard spares and divisional direct turnover (DTO) requirements, process their Subsistence Prime Vendor requests for food, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread and other products thru the assorted vendors in the area of responsibility,” said Warehousing & Material Director Chris Bosselman.
Moreover, NAVSUP FLC Norfolk’s scope extends beyond submarine support, encompassing a wide array of customers, including visiting warships, Military Sealift Command ships, U.S. Coast Guard, host installations, tenant commands and many others. “We also help ensure any ship BSP (Brief Stop-Port) requirements are delivered to the appropriate tug for delivery to the units,” said Bosselman. “Laundry services for the ships including the culinary specialist uniforms, Wardroom linens and assorted crew linens are tracked. A duty section ensures the customer base is taken care of any time of day for stock check/status checks and material walk thru processing or delivery of material.”
“Our commitment to providing world-class support is not limited to the submarine fleet,” said Shields. “We recognize the importance of delivering tailored solutions to each of our customers, ensuring that all stakeholders within our sphere of operation benefit from our expert knowledge and unwavering commitment to excellence.”
They ensure customers are properly ordering food stores using current SPV catalog information. “Additionally, New London has a stevedore contract lead to assist with load outs when they exceed crew capacity requirements,” said Bosselman.
The New London Fuel Division carries three bulk fuel/lubricant products that can be delivered directly to the afloat customer base and Consolidated Hazardous Reutilization and Inventory Management Program Division has saved the afloat customers in excess of $1.4 million dollars annually by providing excess hazardous material with good shelf life. The warehousing team makes daily deliveries of incoming DTO requisition material to the waterfront, taking that burden off the ship.
On an annual or semi-annual basis, or when the afloat customer base majority is in port, they conduct customer service briefs to discuss provided services. “We listen to suggestions from the customers for any additional services they may need,” said Bosselman. “For example, our Hazardous Material Services Division has assisted in the proper offload of material ensuring that anything with shelf life left is properly received and stored for future customer use, and the rest is properly disposed of thru the Environmental Waste Division. We have also developed a customer trifold pamphlet that discusses our services and who to contact.”
By adopting a comprehensive and customer-centric approach, NAVSUP FLC Norfolk has cemented its reputation as a leader in supply, logistics, and fleet support.