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Shipyard Tour 1/18

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So last Friday Nick gave Isa, Juliette, and I a tour of the yard. I got the photos that he took approved for publication on this blog: The NASSCO shipyard is totally different from any yard I've seen before. That's a large part of what I'm really enjoying about this winter work: despite the fact that this is my sixth internship, the work that I am doing and the things I've gotten to see have been completely different from anything I've done before. Even compared to last year, where I was in a large repair yard. The yard is way bigger than anything I've worked in before, and there's a large variety of ships. Not only that, but of the variety of ships, all of them are huge projects. Last year BAE had a few things going on at once, but it was mostly one or two destroyers at a time (and only one in drydock) and several small projects, such as yacht repairs that lasted for a couple of weeks or a few months. NASSCO has repairs and new-builds that

Weekends are Fun

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The past couple weeks have gone by pretty quickly; we are already at the beginning of our third week here! A lot has been going on, both at work and outside of it. While the first week at work was a little slow (as expected), Isa and I both got stuff to work on by Thursday (the 10th). On Friday, the 11th, we also got to go on a tour of the yard's new thin plate line, and the old BAL (Block Assembly Line). The new thin plate line encompasses the process of creating panels for the shipyard, and is almost fully automated. The equipment and work progression was very interesting to see. Of course, I couldn't take any pictures of it, but you can read about it on the NASSCO website . The BAL wasn't quite as interesting, it being a lot older than the new panel line, and no where near as efficient or automated, but it was interesting to see the difference between the old technology and the new. The first full weekend that we were here wasn't the best weather, and actually th

Week 1 at GD NASSCO, San Diego

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          This is our first week at winter work! I arrived in San Diego on Saturday, and met Isa at the airport. Megan was kind enough to pick us up there and drop us off at our new apartment. This place is amazing! The complex is a 15-20 minute walk from the office building where we'll be working for most of the winter, and right across the street from a grocery store. It also has a full 24-hour gym, and a pool! (I'm very excited about the pool). The apartment itself is plenty big for the two of us; we each have our own room and bathroom, and the living space and kitchen are both pretty spacey. It's without a doubt the nicest housing I've had of all my internships.  The pool at our apartment complex.      We started work on Monday, obviously. The morning that day was spent getting our medical appointments finished and getting our ID badges made in the shipyard; we were with the freshmen for that. After lunch, Isa and I went back up to Mission Valley and met ou