Local 777 Marine Pipetrades Division
The Local 777 Marine Pipetrades Division, formerly Local
620, is located in Groton,
Connecticut, and has been under the capable direction of Mr.
Larry Gavitt since 1978. Larry is the most senior business
agent in all the New England Pipe Trades.
General Dynamics Electric Boat division in Groton was
founded in 1899 by Issac Rice, a financier, to bring to
completion a 54 foot submersible vessel developed by John
Philip Holland. In 1900 the world’s first submarine, name for
its inventor, the Holland was accepted by the U.S. Navy
marking the beginning the United States Submarine Force.
During World War I, Electric Boat received orders to build
85 submarine chasers and during World War II they produced
74 submarines and 398 PT boats. It was in 1951 that the
company announced its plans to build the world’s first
nuclear powered submarine. That submarine was the Nautilus,
christened in 1954.
The heart of the Groton shipyard is its Land-Level
construction facility built in 1975, where submarine hull
sections are assembled. Weighing as much as 2500 tons, they
are positioned using small electric transfer cars and joined
together using an automated cost efficient welding process.
The piping and wiring systems are connected and all
submarine systems are tested. The nuclear reactor core is
loaded into the hull and readied to testing. The completed
hull is placed in the graving dock and floated off in
preparation for sea trials.
Throughout this complex building process, efficiency and
success are dependent upon the teamwork between the Electric
Boat engineers, our trades people and the U.S. Navy’s team
and submarine crew. Construction involved thousands of
highly skilled people and million of labor hours over a
five year period.
Specialized facilities and equipment including machine,
pipe, electrical, electronic and HVAC shops, heavy lift
cranes, transports and graving docks as well as state of the
art equipment, sophisticated accuracy control system and
advanced welding techniques are integral parts of the
submarine contraction process.
Local 777’s Marine Pipetrades Division has over 450 skilled
workers that contribute to the success of the submarine
division of Electric Boat and the US Navy.
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