P-209 Dry Dock 5: Building toward dewatering

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii — Before the walls of the Navy’s newest dry dock can rise at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, crews must build beneath the water. Steel piles driven deep into the harbor floor form the perimeter, while underwater concrete connects floor units to form the base. Together, these elements are creating the foundation for a facility designed to support submarine maintenance in the Pacific for generations.

This work marks the latest phase of a multiyear effort identified by the Department of the Navy as military construction project P-209 and will deliver the modern waterfront facility that will become Dry Dock 5. Dry docks are specialized structures where water is drained, allowing ships and submarines to undergo inspection, maintenance and repair while in the dry.

P-209 is being delivered through the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP).

“SIOP is a comprehensive, long-term recapitalization effort that is delivering integrated investments in infrastructure and industrial plant equipment at the Navy’s four public shipyards, expanding shipyard capacity and optimizing shipyard configuration to meet the Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet maintenance requirements,” said Mark Edelson, program executive officer for Infrastructure and Expeditionary.

“As part of SIOP’s long-term, programmatic approach, our effort in building the new Dry Dock 5 includes lessons learned from previous megaprojects, and it is informing our approach to future megaprojects. All of this is part of our dedication to increase shipyard capacity and capability at our naval shipyards,” Edelson said.

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) will operate the new facility once complete and certified. Meanwhile, Officer in Charge of Construction Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (OICC PHNSY) manages its construction.

OICC PHNSY is an echelon IV command under Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific who oversees construction after contracts are awarded, monitors contractor compliance, quality and safety, and coordinates project activities among contractors, the shipyard and other government organizations.

When complete, Dry Dock 5 will transform years of complex construction into lasting maintenance capability for the Pacific Fleet.

“Dry Dock 5 will significantly upgrade our shipyard’s capabilities,” said Capt. Ryan McCrillis, PHNSY & IMF commander. “It replaces Dry Dock 3, which was built during World War II to accommodate vessels of that era. Because Dry Dock 3 is too shallow for newer, larger Virginia-class attack submarines, Dry Dock 5 will be the first dry dock built specifically for the latest nuclear submarines. It is designed to add another century of maintenance capability to PHNSY & IMF’s inventory, keeping the fleet combat-ready in the Pacific.”

Building from the harbor floor

Preparing the waterfront for construction required reshaping the site above and below the water. Crews dredged sediment from the harbor floor, created laydown and fabrication areas at Waipio Peninsula, near the shipyard for storing and organizing materials, and built a temporary trestle, a bridge-like work platform over the water. These early efforts established the network needed to move workers, equipment and massive dry dock components to the site.

The contractor developed an approach for creating a dry construction area within the harbor. Crews drive large steel pipe piles alongside interlocking steel panels called sheet piles to form a cofferdam. Once completed and reinforced, this temporary enclosure can be drained, allowing crews to build the permanent dry dock walls below the harbor’s waterline.

The dry dock floors began by taking shape on land, where crews built nine prefabricated concrete floor units at Waipio Peninsula. Each unit was transported by water and precisely lowered onto the harbor floor. Divers and concrete plant operators then worked together to place concrete underwater, connecting the floor units to the surrounding foundation.

Construction extends beyond the dock itself as P-209 includes utility systems, crane-rail foundations, pump stations, a water treatment system, an electrical substation and 10 supporting buildings. Together, these systems will provide power, drainage, crane access and operating space needed for Dry Dock 5.

Preparing for work in a dry environment

The project’s next major transition will be dewatering, the process of pumping water from the cofferdam, a temporary enclosure built in the harbor to keep the surrounding water out. Removing the water will create a dry workspace for the next stage of construction.

Once the water is removed, the foundation constructed beneath the harbor will come into view. Crews can then begin building the permanent walls, moving P-209 into its next major stage.

“The ongoing preparations for dewatering are the most important and dangerous part of the project,” said Capt. Chris Coggins, OICC PHNSY commanding officer. “Without completing this phase, workers will not be able to safely enter or build at a depth of 60 feet below the adjacent waterline.”

Reinforcing the enclosure

Once the water inside the cofferdam is removed, the temporary enclosure must withstand pressure from the surrounding harbor.

“First, the perimeter cofferdam pile driving needs to be completed and inspected,” said Coggins. “This provides the bathtub and door to safely keep the water out.”

Crews build the perimeter downward in stages. They drive one steel pile section into the harbor floor, weld another section on top and continue driving until the pile reaches its required depth. Inside the cofferdam, braces and struts connect the parallel walls, helping them resist pressure from the surrounding water.

Beside the cofferdam, crews are building the pump well, which will contain the equipment used to drain Dry Dock 5 during future vessel maintenance. Below the surface, crews are also placing concrete through tremie pipes, which allow concrete to be delivered underwater. The concrete connects the prefabricated floor units to the perimeter while the construction area remains flooded.

One Navy effort

Delivering Dry Dock 5 depends on more than the work taking place at the waterfront. The project brings together organizations responsible for funding, construction oversight, shipyard operations, labor and material support.

“Just as we rely on the broader Navy enterprise for guidance and parts to maintain submarines, we rely on NAVFAC, SIOP and industry partners to deliver Dry Dock 5,” McCrillis said. “This unified effort will ensure we have the facility needed to keep the Pacific Fleet ‘Fit to Fight.’”

The construction workforce is expected to grow from approximately 350 workers per day to more than 1,000 as the project enters its next phase. That growth will increase demand for skilled labor, concrete and other locally supplied materials, connecting the project’s construction needs with Hawaii’s workforce and industrial base.

“This type of megaproject requires continued collaboration and coordination among all team members,” Coggins said. “Teamwork with local unions and batch plant operators to prioritize supplies will be key to the project’s success.”

While the construction workforce builds the facility, PHNSY & IMF personnel are preparing to operate it. Shipyard employees participate in design, testing and planning for future operations, while workforce programs help prepare future employees for careers supporting the Navy’s maintenance mission.

“Our shipyard personnel are not just waiting for Dry Dock 5 to be built; they are actively involved in the design, testing and planning for future operations, ensuring we can begin maintaining submarines when it is completed,” McCrillis said. “We have many pathways to become part of our shipyard ‘ohana. The most popular is our Apprenticeship Program, which opens each year to approximately 150 new employees who learn a trade while earning a degree.”

Dry Dock 5 also reflects NAVFAC Pacific’s broader responsibility for delivering and sustaining defense infrastructure throughout the region.

“The mission of NAVFAC Pacific is to deliver infrastructure that enables the Fleet and Joint Force to deter, fight, and win,” said Rear Adm. Omarr Tobias, NAVFAC Pacific commander. “We do that by employing construction, engineering, and contracting expertise across the Pacific theater.”

“We are the engineering support to the Fleet. From constructing piers and runways to ensuring clean water and power at bases, we make sure our warfighters have the infrastructure they need to succeed—wherever they’re called to serve.”

That mission depends on skilled engineers, construction managers, program and project managers, architects, engineering technicians and contract specialists working across the Pacific area of operations.

“The Pacific requires disciplined speed, theater-wide portfolio thinking, and a government and industry co-created delivery ecosystem, from the expeditionary edge to the Foundry. The job ahead is massive, but the stakes are high.” Tobias said. “Peace, deterrence, and stability across the Pacific depend directly on the speed, durability, and resilience of the infrastructure we put in place today, from austere airfields to our largest dry docks. Our work must deliver the right capability – ready when the Joint Force needs it.”

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