PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD, Maine - A 1986 graduate of East Brunswick High School, alumnus of Lincoln Technical Institute and native of Summit Hill is serving at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine as part of the largest mobilization of reservists in Naval Sea Systems Command history. The mobilization is tied directly to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey Rossmann is one of the reserve sailors deployed to the Navy’s four public shipyards as part of the Surge Maintenance (SurgeMain) program. Established in 2005 to augment the Navy’s organic civilian shipyard workforce in times of need, SurgeMain has 2,200 enlisted reserve sailors and 240 reserve officers across 75 units.

“Serving in the SurgeMain program gives me the opportunity to do hands-on work at getting these submarines back out to the fleet as soon as possible,” Rossmann said. “I’m extremely proud to be able to do this work for my Navy and my country.”

Between mid-March and late June, up to 25 percent of the naval shipyards’ production workforce had been on administrative leave due to being at high risk for severe complications tied to the COVID-19 virus. As a result, the four shipyards collectively experienced schedule impacts for most of the ships and submarines undergoing maintenance. This delayed maintenance work could result in delays to ship and submarine maintenance which could cause disruptions to the Navy’s deployment schedules and require ships and sailors to remain forward-deployed for longer periods of time.

NAVSEA, the largest command within the Navy, oversees the construction, delivery and maintenance of all the Navy’s commissioned ships and operates four naval shipyards - Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia; Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Workers at each of these shipyards perform a vital role in national defense by performing maintenance on ships, submarines and aircraft carriers required for combat-ready fleet forces.

“The four naval shipyards are critical to providing deployable, combat-ready warships for our sailors and Marines,” said NAVSEA’s Commander Vice Adm. Bill Galinis.

“Augmenting our organic civilian workforce with SurgeMain reservists allows us to address the maintenance challenges generated by the pandemic so we can return ships back to the fleet.”

Rossmann is an engineman responsible for dismantling mast sections that raise/lower the periscope and antennas on submarines.

“We disassemble them, clean them and prep them for painting,” Rossmann said. “Knowing that the work I am doing in helping these sailors and their submarine get back out to the fleet to protect us all, is a very rewarding feeling.”

According to Rossmann, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Summit Hill.

“I was heavily into sports growing up in my hometown, so working hard and being part of a team came very easy to me when I needed to apply that same mentality to the Navy,” Rossmann said.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Rossmann, as well as other sailors, knows they are a part of a service tradition providing unforgettable experiences through leadership development, world affairs and humanitarian assistance. Their efforts will have a lasting effect around the globe and for generations of sailors who will follow.

“I am honored to have been picked to support the Navy and my country in our time of need,” Rossmann added.