VIRGINIA class weld problems

Wonder what Joel thinks of this?

In a statement Monday, Northrop Grumman said changes have been made in yard welding-control processes and that welders and welding foreme n will undergo an eight-hour specialized briefing to avoid future mistakes.

The company said it is "taking appropriate actions" with individuals involved in the errors, but did not elaborate.

"The quality of our work is something we take very seriously," the shipyard said in a statement.

The Navy said the first indications of a problem surfaced when two failures occurred during routine testing of the piping welds - one in August and another in October. That led to a broader investigation.

The failures, the Navy said, were caused by trace amounts of copper alloy filler material incorrectly welded into corrosion-resistant steel socket-welded joints. Using a copper alloy filler in that type of piping joint can cause the joints to crack, resulting in leaks.