Trusted civilian oversaw repairs of Pacific Fleet

Bill "Ryz" Ryzewic was so highly trusted at Pearl Harbor that he held a position as a civilian that was occupied by a Navy flag officer before and since.

As Pacific Fleet maintenance officer for four years, he directed an organization of more than 18,000 Navy and civilian personnel and managed a $2.8 billion budget.

"Ryz" was a legend in the shipyard — designing a strategy to successfully complete ship repair that later became a model for the Defense Department.

He was witty and knowledgeable, sarcastic and "not shy," and often challenged others to achieve the best results for the Navy, his friends say.

"He knew every flag officer by first name and was senior enough to call them by first name," said Chuck Baker, who first got to know Ryzewic when Baker was a Navy commander. "There was only one admiral in the entire Navy I ever heard him call something other than his first name — and that was the chief of naval operations." The Honolulu man died Oct. 13 at age 66 after losing a battle with cancer.

"Our world has forever changed as we have lost our friend, our mentor, our leader, and one of the most patriotic and stalwart supporters of the Navy," said Bill Clifford, a former head of BAE Hawaii Shipyards who now is president of BAE Ship Repair Systems in Norfolk, Va.

Ryzewic was selected for Senior Executive Service in 1986. In 2001, the secretary of defense awarded Ryzewic the Pentagon’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award for his innovative leadership and technical expertise.

"He was actually so well trusted by the Navy that they assigned him an admiral’s job as the fleet maintenance officer for the entire Pacific Fleet," said Baker, now general manager of BAE Hawaii Shipyards, which does surface ship work for the Navy at Drydock 4.

In 2010, Ryzewic joined BAE as vice president of surface ship programs.

Charlie Ota, vice president of military affairs for the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, said Ryzewic provided "critical input" that enabled the chamber to formulate Hawaii’s defense in successfully preventing the closure of the shipyard by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

He is survived by his wife, Mary; his son, Lee; brother, John; and three grandchildren. A memorial will be held in Honolulu at a future date.