Shop ’til you drop — in Norfolk
June 28th, 2011 | Construction Navy Navy Exchange Norfolk Naval Station | Posted by Bill McMichael
A Wednesday ribbon-cutting at Navy Exchange Norfolk will mark the grand opening of its newly expanded Main Store. With more than 180,00o square feet of retail space, it is now the largest Navy Exchange in the world. Fitting, since NOB is the world’s largest naval base.
The June 29 grand opening will feature visits from a couple of pro sports celebrities: fearsome Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, and fearsome Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Phil Davis.
The addition to the expanded Main Store opened in July 2010 and features a larger selection of toys, sporting goods and grocery items, according to the Navy, and what is being billed as a “state-of-the-art” lawn and garden center. The addition’s second floor has an expanded uniform/tailor shop, a major appliance center, a large selection of mattresses and an enhanced special order center.
Meanwhile, the original exchange has been fully renovated and features expanded fashion departments and upgrades such as improved cash registers. The Navy Exchange Mall is home to renovated barber and beauty shops — with “spa” services! — upgraded optical and dry cleaning shops, a sunglasses/watch shop and a renovated food court.
The $25 million project took three years to complete, the Navy says.
Bring your earplugs
April 7th, 2011 | C-5 Galaxy Combat support Construction Logistics Naval Expeditionary Logistics Center Navy NECC Seabees | Posted by Bill McMichael
Maybe it’s a guy thing. But I, for one, would like to see the Navy’s new Expeditionary Rock Crusher in action. Look at this bad boy! The crusher/rock impactor and plant together weigh approximately 119,300 lbs., which is child’s play for a C-5 Galaxy. It fits, as you can see. And now, it’s certified to be loaded and shipped anywhere Seabees operate.
The Expeditionary Rock Crusher is loaded into a C-5 during certification testing in January at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. // Photo courtesy of Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center
Seabees can build anything, but one thing they build a lot of is roads and airstrips for the Navy and Marines. That’s where the ERC comes in.
“The Expeditionary Rock crusher bridges the gap between war debris or rubble and a useful construction project,” explains John Lemmond, First Naval Construction Division, Civil Engineer Support Equipment readiness program manager. “The Seabees take that mineral-based pile of war debris and recycle it into usable construction products like aggregate for asphalt and concrete and other construction materials.”
Previously, the Seabees couldn’t easily deploy a rock crusher, and had to rely on local raw materials and suppliers to produce much of the stuff for their construction projects. Now, they can deploy the ERC and create their own mineral base products for concrete and asphalt that meet their high standards.
Here’s the full-on view:
The Navy's Expeditionary Rock Crusher is a mobile, triple axle, rock crusher manufactured by the Eagle Crusher Company. // Photo courtesy of Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center
The machine is essentially a militarized, field-painted version of the commercial Eagle 1200-25CC with the UM25 impactor. The Naval Construction Force — the Seabees’ parent command — owns four of them so far, according to the Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center. They haven’t yet been fielded, but Seabees will begin using them this summer, NFELC says.