Before leaving Newport News Shipbuilding for sea trials, aircraft carriers and submarines conduct a “fast cruise” to simulate underway operations. It requires the ships to be fully stocked with thousands of spare items, everything from light bulbs to toothbrushes to large generators.

Providing these parts is the focus of OBRP, which stands for Onboard Repair Parts. Working in a warehouse off Big Bethel Road in Hampton, the 20-person team accepts, logs and delivers these parts to specific locations throughout the aircraft carriers and submarines. It is a small, but integral part of the overall NNS supply chain operation.

Supervisor Patricia Levy (O53) says not many people know about the team’s operations, even though it is responsible for “every spare part you can think of” that a ship needs before it heads out on a fast cruise.

That includes cooking utensils, medicine, nuts and bolts, printers, copier paper, SCUBA gear, firefighting equipment and various ship components.

Because OBRP must work around ongoing construction schedules, the team works with ship’s force and construction to schedule loads throughout the construction process. It takes months to fully stock an aircraft carrier or submarine. The team fills shelves, equipment lockers, storage bins and other spaces after they are turned over to the Navy.

OBRP is currently engaged with six vessels. Team members have a variety of skill sets, from inventory tracking to loading. They physically carry items into the shipyard and load them into proper locations. For larger items, such as spare generators, they receive support for transporting and crane operations.

Levy said their work is satisfying because they handle the material from the moment it arrives at the warehouse to when it is loaded on the ship. On any given day, thousands of items can arrive at the warehouse for processing.

Levy said the work is something the OBRP team takes great pride in.

“We get to work hand in hand with the Navy,” she said. “We walk on the ships with ship’s force to each location and verify parts are placed in various spaces. We develop great working relationships with the customer and set a good example of our company values. We really enjoy that part of our job.”