More steel from Enterprise (CVN 65) is being repurposed for the next Enterprise (CVN 80). Shipbuilders in Newport News Shipbuilding’s Foundry recently poured CVN 80’s bow towing chock – part of the aircraft carrier’s mooring system – using steel from CVN 65.

Chad Ryan, a molder specialist in Newport News Shipbuilding’s Foundry, served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years, and completed his final deployment on CVN 65. He was among the shipbuilders who prepared the mold for the bow towing chock pour.

“It’s exciting for me to be a part of that and to lead this job,” he said. “When I think about it, it’s something that I take a lot of pride in. It’s an honor to have somebody put the faith in me to be able to take this job on.”

The molding process is pretty much the same as it was when NNS shipbuilders built CVN 65, according to Foundry General Foreman Kevin Forrest.

“The pattern that we use to make the bow chock is the same pattern that we used for 65,” he said. “It’s a lot of history involved in it, and Chad being a part of the history of CVN 65 – now he’s a part of CVN 80 – which I think is very cool.”

Watch a video on MyNNS to learn more about the process.