The Berth 11 Bulkhead

Berth 11 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, supports the overhaul, repair, and modernization of US Navy submarines. The $40m Berth 11 repair project includes a new 1,166 ft long bulkhead in front of the original open wharf structure, supplemental piles to eliminate crane capacity restrictions, mooring hardware, dockside services, and new fendering to accommodate deep draft camels for berthing the submarines. The bulkhead design concept was driven by subsurface conditions that includes high rock and limited overburden along the berth. The design uses rock socketed W36 king piles, precast concrete shutter panels, and rock anchor tie-backs. The top of rock variability, coupled with the need to fabricate the shutter panels and piles in advance, required innovative details to accommodate site conditions, installation sequence, and construction tolerances.