Baby Giraffe Dies At Norfolk Zoo

A baby giraffe died on Wednesday at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.

The male giraffe, who was born on July 28, was found dead in his enclosure on Thursday morning when zoo keepers made their morning check.

Necropsy results showed that the giraffe died from peritonitis, which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. The inflammation is caused by a bacterial or fungal infection.

Zoo officials say the giraffe was alert and responsive on Wednesday and had gained 28 pounds since his birth.

"The baby giraffe's loss is a tragedy," said Greg Bockheim, executive director of the Virginia Zoo. "In his short time here, our staff and visitors had already grown attached to him."

PHOTO/ Virginia Zoo

Many visitors watched the baby's birth, since he was born during public hours. This was the second baby for the giraffe mother, a 9-year-old zoo resident named Imara. Giraffes have a gestational period of 15 months, and the baby endures a 6-foot, headfirst drop when it is born. The deceased baby giraffe was reported to be in excellent health at birth. The zoo planned to open a baby-naming poll to the public.

Source;  http://www.dailypress.com/features/family/dp-fea-giraffe-dead-zoo,0,7324297.story

Nine Virginia Travels Arrive Home From Egypt

Nine of 22 local travelers who were stuck in Egypt arrived home safely Sunday from the country, which erupted into massive anti-government protests last week.

Gerry Siekirski, co-owner of Warwick Travel in Newport News, said Monday that she is one of nine passengers who made it home early Sunday morning.

The 13 who were left behind — dubbed the "Cairo 13" by the travel agency — landed safely in Cyprus on Monday and will get to Norfolk about midnight Tuesday.

"Oh, yes, we're gonna be there," Siekirski said about meeting the group at the airport. "I'm alerting families right now."

The U.S. Embassy in Cairo began flying citizens to evacuation points in Europe on Monday. Unrest in Egypt had halted flights and snarled travel out of Cairo since Jan. 25, when tens of thousands of demonstrators began calling for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

They are citing social, economic and political injustice for decades. At least 100 Egyptians have died since protests began.

Students evacuating

Also in Egypt is a College of William and Mary student studying at the American University in Cairo, according to spokesman Brian Whitson. The student arrived there a week ago, Whitson said, and is now waiting at the airport in Cairo for a return flight to the United States.

American University has about 500 American students in Cairo, of which 350 are in study abroad programs, said university spokeswoman Morgan Roth.

"They have a few more days to confer with their parents and decide whether to leave, whether to leave and come back when classes resume, or whether to stay indefinitely," Roth wrote in an e-mail. "We will provide access to the airport for students as long as the Department of State is providing flights out."

The first plane-load of students arrived in Istanbul Monday morning she said, and airlifts will continue for several days.

Mass exodus

The Cairo airport is jammed this week with thousands of foreigners seeking to flee the unrest, Siekirski said.

"Some were sitting on top of their luggage, some laying beside their luggage, some pushing their luggage," she said. "It was a mass exodus of people trying to get back."

As co-owner of Warwick Travel, Siekirski said she tried to trade place with a client when her name was called out for a Delta flight leaving Cairo, but the airline refused to let her. The remaining local tourists are with co-owner Nancy Alligood, she said.

Countries evacuating their citizens from Egypt include the United States, Israel, Russia, the Czech Republic, and even Iraq, which is flying home for free all citizens, including refugees, who want to return.

Protests continue

There's no clear indication of when protests may end. Mubarak has held power for nearly 32 years and has ignored protestor demands that he step down. Instead, he named a vice president Saturday for the first time in his presidency. He also fired his entire cabinet then swore in a new one.

Protests are ongoing, though, with Egyptians making it clear they want Mubarak gone. Chants in Arabic include "Irhul Mubarak," or "Get out, Mubarak."

According to news reports, more than 40 percent of the Egyptian population of 80 million lives on $2 a day or less, and unemployment is rampant. Citizens are reportedly organizing a million-man march for Tuesday or Wednesday.

Siekirski said she and her group did not see any of the protests since they were in a hotel near the airport, rather than the center of the city. She called her clients "troopers."

"These people have traveled all over the world with me, this is just one more adventure," she said. "It turned out to be a greater adventure than we anticipated."

www.wtkr.com

Man Sentenced To Six Life Terms, Plus.......

NORFOLK --Santiago Powell greeted two young female sailors at gunpoint in December 2009.

To prove he was the "baddest" gangster in the city, a prosecutor said, Powell held the women for hours while he robbed and raped them.

A jury on Monday convicted Powell of 28 felonies, including four counts of rape, abduction, robbery and weapons violations. Circuit Judge Mary Jane Hall followed the jury's recommendation and sentenced Powell to six life terms, plus 253 years.

The five-day trial brought testimony about Powell's role in a local affiliate of the Bloods gang.

"He thrives on power and he thrives on violence, and that's why he committed these crimes," prosecutor Charlotte Purkey said.

The first victim testified that Powell, 24, broke into her apartment on Dec. 9, 2009, and pointed a gun at her face. The woman, an active-duty Navy sailor, said that Powell robbed her, raped her and threatened to have her killed.

The woman said she thought her life was over. "This is it," she said she told herself. "It's not fair."

Purkey said the attack lasted three to five hours.

Powell stole the first victim's cell phone and, days later, used it to lure the second victim, according to testimony.

Powell and an accomplice traded texts to the second victim, also an active-duty sailor, and met her in a quiet neighborhood.

The two men pointed guns at the woman, blindfolded her, took her car and drove her around for several hours.

During the abduction, the accomplice, William Barco, used a phone that had been given to him by a Norfolk city employee and paid for with city funds, according to officials and court documents. Barco goes to trial this month.

After Powell dropped off Barco, he took the woman to a hotel and raped her three times, she testified.

"He took my life in his hands and played with it like a toy," she said.

The ordeal lasted for 13 hours, she said.

Powell was captured days later near Oceanair Elementary School. He was lured to the school by police and the first victim, who contacted Powell on her stolen cell phone. She pretended to be another woman wanting to meet him, according to testimony.

Instead, he was met by police.

The minimum punishment for the convictions was more than 100 years in prison. Defense attorney Daymen Robinson asked the jury for leniency, saying Powell had a difficult life and grew up in foster homes. Robinson said he plans to appeal.

The women said their lives had been permanently changed but vowed it would not hinder them. The second victim said she now looks forward to deployments.

"That was one place he couldn't get to me," she said, "out in the ocean."

www.hamptonroads.com

Mother Gets 25 Years In Prison For Murder of Daughter

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A Norfolk woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in the death of her 4-year-old daughter.

Jathiya Wooden received the sentence Friday on the first-degree murder conviction in the death of her daughter Tamera, who suffered years of abuse. Prosecutors had sought a life term.

Wooden, 28-year-old mother of six, falsely reported that Tamera had disappered from a playground in August 2008. She later admitted that the child was hidden in a closet, and police found her body there. Prosecutors said Wooden admitted stabbing Tamera with an umbrella after the child tried to break free from being pinned behind a dresser as punishment.

Doctors said the child was starved, deprived of water and forced to stay in confined spaces. An autopsy found injuries on every part of the child's body.

www.wavy.com

Baltimore Teen Likely Fell From Plane

BOSTON — —

A Massachusetts prosecutor said Friday it's likely that a North Carolina teen originally from Baltimore whose mutilated body was found in a Boston suburb fell from the sky after stowing away in an airplane's wheel well.

Norfolk District Attorney William Keating cited evidence including a handprint in the wheel well, clothes strewn along the plane's flight path and an autopsy report indicating the teen fell "from a significant height."

Keating said Friday that he had informed federal transportation safety officials about the apparent airport security breach by 16-year-old Delvonte Tisdale.

"To withhold any information at this point I think would endanger public safety," said Keating, a Democrat who was elected in November to represent Massachusetts' 10th Congressional District.

Keating held a news conference Friday after police searched a wooded area in Milton near where Tisdale's body was found last month. Along a path a Boston-bound plane would have taken while approaching the city, they found dark sneakers with white stripes and a red shirt matching clothing Tisdale's family said he'd worn, Keating said. Keating said an autopsy showed trauma to Tisdale's body "was consistent with a fall from a significant height."

Investigators also discovered a handprint in grease inside the wheel well on the left side of a Boeing 737 that took off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 15, the night Tisdale's body was found, Keating said.

"We feel it's important to inform federal transportation safety officials that it appears more likely than not that Mr. Tisdale was able to breach airport security and hide in the wheel well of a commercial jet liner without being detected by airport security personnel," Keating said.

Keating called what happened to Tisdale "a terrible tragedy."

"But if that was someone with a different motive, if that was a terrorist, that could be a bomb planted on there undetected," Keating said.

Jon Allen, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said: "We will work with the airport, which is responsible for access control security, to conduct a thorough investigation based on the facts and information provided by law enforcement."

Tisdale was a member of the Air Force ROTC program at North Mecklenburg High School near Charlotte. His father, Anthony, said the family had moved from Greensboro to Charlotte in the summer so the teen could join that program. Anthony Tisdale said his son was happy in Charlotte and stayed out of trouble.

But Delvonte Tisdale's brother, Anthony Tisdale Jr., said his brother was unhappy in North Carolina and had never wanted to leave Baltimore.

Delvonte's grandmother, Lula Mae Smith, said Friday evening from her home in Baltimore that she hadn't been told about the prosecutor's finding.

"This is a surprise," Smith said. "He was such a good boy. I don't know what happened — why he would jump on an airplane. I just don't know."

Laura Attikou, Delvonte's aunt, said her brother's son was well-behaved and had a good life.

"The biggest mystery to me is how did he get on that plane? Where was security?" she said from her home in Greensboro, N.C. "We're still at a loss. We're still in shock."

Keating said Tisdale was last seen by a sibling at home in North Carolina at 1:30 a.m. The flight he's believed to have boarded took off at about 7 o'clock that evening, and investigators confirmed flight times and paths with the Federal Aviation Administration, he said.

Just before 9 p.m., someone who lived near where the body was found heard a loud crashing noise, Keating said. At 9:30 p.m., Tisdale's body was discovered without shirt or shoes by a group of college students in Milton, an affluent Boston suburb.

Keating said his office first tried to determine whether Tisdale was a crime victim. The body was found after apparently being run over by a Jeep and then an Audi, and investigators found blood and tissue on the undercarriages of both vehicles. But Keating said there was no proof of a hit-and-run, Keating said.

He said police also interviewed family members in North Carolina without finding a "scintilla" of evidence of foul play.

Last week, detectives visited the Charlotte airport to take samples of grease used in maintaining the planes, to see if it matched grease found on Tisdale's pants. (The tests have not been completed.) That's when they found scuff marks and the handprint in the wheel well, Keating said.

Keating acknowledged initially that it seemed like a remote possibility that a teen could sneak onto a commercial jet.

"This wouldn't be the first [possibility] a person would think about," he said.

www.baltimoresun.com

USS Kittiwake Arrives In Grand Cayman Under The Command of Captain Reggie Stubbs

When I read this I just had to give a big grin. For those of us that know Reggie very well know this is something he would do and do well. I've never seen anything that Reggie couldn't do and didn't do with his whole soul! Way to go, Reggie!!!

NORFOLK -- The Norfolk-based tug America recently towed a former U.S. Navy submarine rescue ship to Grand Cayman in British West Indies for sinking as an artificial reef there.

The America, under the command of Chincoteague native Captain Reginald Stubbs III arrived in George Town, Grand Cayman, on Christmas Day.
On board the ship were also Chincoteague residents Michael Isdale, deck chief, and Salvage Captain Timothy Mullane, managing director of American Marine Group of Companies.

The America, a 105-feet, 3600-horsepower ocean tug, left Norfolk with USS Kittiwake during snow on Dec. 16, towing the ship down the East Coast and around the western tip of Cuba to arrive in Grand Cayman with a Christmas gift that will pay off for years to come.

The rest of the Mullane family and other crew members were anxiously waiting on shore for the arrival, and a traditional Christmas Dinner was hosted by the family of Nancy Easterbrook, the Kittiwake Cayman project manager.
USS Kittiwake had been cleaned and prepared for sinking as an artificial reef to provide beneficial marine habitat and a dive tourism attraction in the crystal clear waters of Grand Cayman. The Kittiwake is a 251-foot ship built in Savannah, Ga. in 1944 and served on active duty for more than 50 years in the Navy before being decommissioned and mothballed in the James River Reserve Fleet. The ship should be sunk near Seven Mile beach in Grand Cayman shortly New Year's Day.

American Marine Group is engaged in the marine services industry, to include marine salvage, towing, wreck removal, marine heavy lift services, and artificial reef development, and has deployed more than 50 vessels on artificial reefs from New Jersey to Grand Cayman, as well as deploying concrete modules on artificial reef sites in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay.

The company is also preparing the USS Arthur W. Radford, a 563-foot destroyer, for sinking on the Del-Jersey-Land artificial reef site, 26 miles from Indian River Inlet, 28 miles from Ocean City Inlet, and 30 miles from Cape May, N.J., this spring.
American Marine Group has operations based in Philadelphia and Norfolk, with employees based in North Carolina, Virginia, the Delmarva Peninsula, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
www.easternshorenews.com

Thieves Steal Kettle From Bell Ringer

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Thieves stole a Salvation Army kettle from a bell ringer outside the Walmart on Tidewater Drive Friday afternoon.

Matthew Pochily, director of public relations for the Salvation Army, said in a news release that one man distracted the bell ringer about 2:30 p.m. while a second man snuck up behind him, unhooked the kettle and fled.

While it was uncertain how much money the thieves took, the Salvation Army set a goal of $650 or more at the location for Black Friday, Pochily said in the release.

Anyone with information about the thieves is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

"It's sad that at a time of great thanks, someone felt it necessary to steal from an organization who's mission is to serve those in need," said Major Lewis Reckline of the Salvation Army. "The money that they may have gotten away with in that kettle is no match for the services we offer that may have been able to help them had they come though our doors seeking assistance."

The Salvation Army, Walmart officials and Norfolk Police have since worked together to piece together a description of the two men, according to the news release. No description of the thieves was available.

The Salvation Army has more than 150 kettle locations throughout Hampton Roads. The Salvation Army rings bells Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Those interested in supporting the Salvation Army can visit SalArmyHR.org to donate online, sign-up to be a volunteer bell ringer or host their own Online Red Kettle. Donations can also be made via mobile device by texting SAL to 50555.

Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from the Salvation Army each year. Their social services include providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.

www.wavy.com

Siberian Tiger 'Shaka Khan' Dies Of Cancer/Zoo Announces Two New Malayan Tigers

NORFOLK — After battling cancer for several months, the Virginia Zoo's 18-year-old Siberian Tiger named Shaka Khan, died in her sleep over the weekend.

Zoo Director, Greg Bockheim says even though her passing was inevitable, it has hit the staff hard.

He says, "It does have a tremendous effect and really is traumatizing to the animal care staff because we really do build those relationships with the animals that has passed away."

Sadly, the Virginia Zoo is riddled with a history of animal deaths over the past decade.

Since 2002, a baby giraffe and her mother, a tiger, a bull rhino, a zebra, several prairie dogs, a baby gazelle, another giraffe, a baboon, and a lion, have all died. Some were health related, others were accidents.

"We report and announce things when they do happen because we're not the only people that are close to these animals but we know that our community and visitorship is also," Bockheim says.

But there is good news, even in the sadness. Virginia Zoo officials shared exclusive information with NewsChannel 3.

Ten days ago, the zoo received two new Malayan Tigers. Kadar and Tahan are 16 months old and are currently in quarantine in Norfolk. They'll be available for public viewing in the spring.

www.wtkr.com

USS Mahan Deploys

NORFOLK, Va. - Hundreds of local sailors said goodbye to their families Sunday morning as they headed out to sea on the USS Mahan.

I'm going to miss my family, but it's my job and you've got to do what you've got to do," said CTR1 Jason.

Jason has been on three different deployments, but said this is the first since he's had his son, and they did a lot to prepare for this goodbye.

"We celebrated our birthdays together. We went out and did a bunch of stuff together, as much as we could possibly do to, I guess, kind of make up for the time we'll miss and be going through."

The time these men and women will miss during their six month deployment includes the holidays. For 19 month-old Hayley, this will be her first time away from daddy.

"This is the first Christmas she'll actually understand opening the presents and everything," said Hayley's mother.

"It's hard, but you just deal with it and move on and be back as soon as we can," said FC2 Dustin Pelzel.

This is a routine mission for the sailors aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Mahan.

"The main thing we'll be heading out to do is maritime security operations and that kind of runs the gamut, everything from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, to promoting peace and security and stability in the maritime areas around the world," said Commander Kurt Mahan.

This deployment is something the Dominguez's have never experienced.

"It's his first deployment, I'm a first time wife, so, navy wife, first time being separated for this long, so, it's getting kind of emotional and it's just that I'm pregnant, so," said Mrs. Dominguez and her husband.

It was an emotional day for everyone pierside. Fathers and mothers held their little ones tight, preparing for that six month separation. Everyone made the same promise.

"I love her and I'll be back soon enough," said one sailor.

www.wavy.com

Congressman Nye To Block Closing Of JFCOM Until More Info Is Gathered

Even in the midst of a tough re-election campaign, Congressman Glenn Nye is still working to keep the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk open. JFCOM accounts for 42% of the 2nd District's GDP.

"We've been working together as a Virginia coalition since day one when we found out the Secretary of Defense wanted to close JFCOM," said Nye in an interview. "I've met with Governor McDonnell, Randy Forbes and Bobby Scott and we've united as a team and made pretty good progress pushing back on the issue."

Nye says it is Congress' job to decide whether JFCOM stays open. He also says there have been no studies to show how much money will be saved by closing the command.

"Congress makes decisions about funding the Defense Department and anything they would like to change they have to get funding," explained Nye. "We're not going to allow them to close the command without doing an analysis that shows how it could actually save any money and how we could maintain those important military functions of JFCOM without hurting our military."

According to the most recent poll sponsored by Christopher Newport University, The Virginian-Pilot and 13 News of likely voters, opponent Scott Rigell leads Nye by one half of a percentage point. Other polls have shown Rigell's lead is much greater. Rigell has also said he will fight to keep JFCOM open.
www.shoredailynews.com

Woman Finds Latex Fingertips In Bottle Of Dr. Pepper

NORFOLK - Elizabeth Perkins says she found more than just soda inside a bottle of Dr. Pepper she bought.

Floating in the bottle were two fingers from a latex glove. What's even more disgusting is that Elizabeth was actually drinking from the bottle that she had bought at a grocery store. In fact, it was almost halfway gone before she noticed the large clumps of latex.

"I took a couple of swigs of it, put the cap back on and when I arrived at work, there was something that was floating on the top that resembled, well it was just very jumbled plastic stuck together.

At first glace, Elizabeth wasn't sure what was floating in her Dr. Pepper.

She says, "At first, I thought it was some kind of worm."

After Elizabeth took a photo, she realized there were two latex glove fingers, cleanly sliced, floating in her soda.

"This is like, one and a half knuckles up on a glove. There are inch long pieces, inch and a half even, of latex glove fingertips," Elizabeth says.

Latex is obviously not an ingredient in Dr. Pepper, and that got Elizabeth wondering what else could be in the bottle.

She says, "It was awful to think that someone could have possibly lost two figures on a Dr. Pepper line and they didn't stop production or make sure none of that stuff got into the bottle is just, is disturbing to me."

Elizabeth called Dr. Pepper to let them know what she found. Dr. Pepper officials responded to Elizabeth by sending her a letter stating that they regret the inconvenience that this has caused. They also sent her a coupon for a free 12-pack of Dr. Pepper.

"They weren't necessarily interested in my welfare," Elizabeth says, "You know, did I have to go to the hospital? You know, was anything else in there? Nothing like that was asked."

Instead, the company told Elizabeth they wanted her to send the bottle back to them so that they could examine it. Elizabeth hasn't decided what she's going to do with the bottle or the latex fingertip. But she says she has learned something from this experience.

"I don't drink pop without pouring it into a see-through glass. No soda pop without a see-through glass. It's just my rule," she says.
www.wtkr.com

Virginia Zoo Opens New Exhibit This Friday

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk is about to gain some weight - 700 pounds to be exact.

Five Aldabra tortoises – the second largest land tortoise in the world – are moving into in a brand new exhibit at the Virginia Zoo on Friday at noon. The largest, a male named A.J., weighs 475 pounds.

The zoo's second largest tortoise, a female named Lynn, weighs 150 pounds.

A.J. and Lynn are estimated to be around 80 to 90 years old. The youngest turtles of the five, Dottie, Bubbles and Jackson, hatched in the spring of 2006. The lifespan of Aldabra tortoises is estimated to be over 100 years.

The zoo says Aldabra tortoises are native to the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. The cluster of coral islands is part of the Seychelles’ Islands in the Indian Ocean.

The tortoise exhibit was built by Virginia Zoo staff. Officials say its low barriers will help visitors feel even closer to the animals.

www.wavy.com

18 Year Old Shot By Police Was Armed

Reported 7/12/10

NORFOLK--A man killed by police during a chase early Sunday was raising a handgun when officers fired, the Police Department said today.

Jamarr Hassell, 18, was shot about 2:23 a.m. after officers tried to pull over a Ford Explorer he was driving. About five officers had responded to the 7100 block of Sewells Point Road for a report of gunfire.

Hassell ran from the Explorer and was shot by police during a foot chase, "Prior to shooting, officers verbally challenged suspect, instructing him to drop his gun. Suspect turned toward officers and began to raise his weapon when officers fired," a police statement said.the department said.

Two officers have been put on administrative duty while the shooting is investigated, which is routine in such cases.

The gunfire report was made at 2:17 a.m. A second caller five minutes later said a man in a Ford Explorer was firing a gun into the air near Johnstons Road and Chesapeake Boulevard, police said.

Officers tried to stop an Explorer on Sewells Point Road; when it stopped, Hassell ran from it, police said.

The officers at the scene were not aware that Hassell was wanted on charges of robbery, carjacking and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with a Wednesday incident, police said. In that case, four people tried to carjack a man about 1:40 a.m. in the 7400 block of Fenner St. Police allege that Hassell was one of the carjackers and fired at the victim as he ran.

The Ford Explorer that Hassell was driving had a North Carolina license plate that did not match the vehicle, police said. Chris Amos, a police department spokesman, said investigators believe it was stolen.

He was wanted in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Norfolk police said. In Chesapeake, Hassell was facing charges of vandalism, two counts of grand larceny and failure to appear, police said. The Virginia Beach charges came while Hassell was a juvenile, and a police spokesman said he couldn't comment on them.

On his Facebook page, Hassell said he liked comedian Martin Lawrence, and he listed his interests as "money" and his activities as "Smoking weed."

USS ENTERPRISE Returned To Navy

NEWPORT NEWS — After spending two years at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Newport News shipyard for its final major maintenance project, the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier was re-delivered to the Navy on Monday after successful sea trials.

The nation's oldest warship entered Hampton Roads harbor just after 1 p.m. Monday, its flight deck lined with sailors clad in dress whites to celebrate the completion of the ship's last dry-dock availability in Newport News.

Flanked by a four tugboats, the nearly 49-year-old matriarch of the U.S. fleet returned to pier at Naval Station Norfolk, where it will prepare for two final six-month deployments before it's decommissioned in 2013.

"Enterprise is as ready and capable as she has ever been throughout her 48 years," said Capt. Ron Horton, the ship's commanding officer. "For me, Enterprise is more than just the oldest active warship, she's the legend."

The Enterprise arrived at the shipyard in April 2008 for what was supposed to be a 16-month maintenance project estimated to cost $453.3 million. But the aging 1,101-foot giant, with its corroded pipes, tanks and hull, proved to be a much more formidable challenge.

The Navy spent nearly $662million on its 24 months of maintenance work, about 46 percent higher than the original price tag. Just last week, the service approved spending an additional $6.8 million to complete the project — the 12th time in 22 months it doled out more cash to fix unexpected problems.

"There's a lot of equipment from the 1950s still on board that no one makes anymore," said Dan Klemencic, Northrop's top-side construction director for the Enterprise project. "So what appears to be a minor problem can quickly become a major one."

Northrop fixed and repaired pipes, tanks, combat systems and electrical systems and made enhancements to the hull and mechanical systems.

Many problems weren't discovered until shipyard engineers and waterfront workers performed inspections and made repairs deep within the ship's hull.

In tanks and fuel and sewage pipes, for example, the yard found a significant amount of "good, old-fashioned rust," Klemencic said. In some cases, the only thing holding together sewage pipes was a buildup of calcification. In some fuel pipes, "we saw some significant holes" that either were patched or the pipe replaced, he said.

"We found more things than one could have possibly anticipated," said Jim Hughes, vice president of aircraft carrier overhauls at Northrop. "It's like the plumbing in an old home — the more you get in there, the more you find."

Built in Newport News and commissioned in 1961, the "Big E" is the world's first nuclear-powered carrier.

Over the past five decades, the Enterprise has spent several years in Newport News for maintenance projects, employing thousands of shipyard workers. That fact spawned the creation of an oft-repeated saying around the yard: "There are two kinds of people who work here: Those who have worked on the Enterprise, and those who will."

Northrop has a contract to provide all remaining maintenance on the ship. But when Enterprise left Newport News on Saturday morning for sea trials, it marked the last time the ship will be on the James River waterfront until it is deactivated and decommissioned in three years.

"This is an exciting day for us and the Navy," Hughes said. "But it's also very bittersweet."

The "Big E"

•Northrop completed the ship's final maintenance project Monday at a cost of $662 million.

•The project was delayed eight months and was 46 percent over budget, mostly because of unexpected problems due to its age.

•Enterprise is scheduled to make two final six-month deployments before a 2013 decommissioning.

•The world's first nuclear-powered carrier and the oldest in the U.S. fleet was built in Newport News and commissioned in 1961.

www.wtkr.com