Giants of Skilled Trades: Bob Spears, Newport News Shipbuilding

Bob Spears has continued a family tradition while creating an outstanding legacy of his own.

In his 41 years (and counting) as a shipbuilder at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division, the Norfolk native has spent most of his career as a nuclear mechanic on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and submarines. With the former, Spears has been a part of the refueling and overhaul of seven different Nimitz Class carriers.

On the submarine side, he has helped repair and maintain vessels in a pair of classes: the Benjamin Franklin Class which was in commission from 1965 to 2002, and the Los Angeles Class which has been in use since 1976.

As NNS continues its wide-ranging work constructing the next generation of the Navy’s submarines and other ships while maintaining existing vessels, Spears’s essential role continues to serve as an example to his present and future NNS coworkers. We asked him some questions about his impactful work.

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What made you want to get into the skilled trades?

I have always been interested in working on motors, lawnmowers, and cars. My father and grandfather worked at different shipyards. It was only natural that I work at one as well, so now I work to build our nation’s most powerful ships.

What satisfaction have you gotten over the years from working on so many Navy ships?

Knowing that I played a part in helping our country stay in the fight and defend our freedom.

Is there anything that stands out from working on the submarines?

One of the things I liked about working on subs was testing the hydraulic systems. I was able to operate torpedo tubes, missile tubes, periscopes, the rudder, and fairwater planes.