Newport News Shipbuilding redelivers carrier George Washington

Newport News Shipbuilding redelivered aircraft carrier USS George Washington after a ship overhaul. (US Navy)

HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division redelivered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) to the US Navy (USN) after the shipyard successfully completed the ship's refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH), HII confirmed on 25 May.

“George Washington has gone through a transformation and now returns to the fleet as a fully recapitalised ship for another 25 years,” Todd West, NNS vice-president, In-Service Aircraft Carrier Programs, said in a statement.

A carrier RCOH repairs, upgrades, and modernises nearly every space and system on the ship, including tanks; the hull; shafting; propellers; rudders; piping; ventilation; and electrical, combat, and aviation support systems.

During RCOH, a carrier's two nuclear reactors are defuelled and refuelled, and the ship's propulsion plant is repaired, maintained, and upgraded.

The USN's fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget proposal includes USD1.2 billion for RCOHs to fund advance procurement of long-lead items for the USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) with the RCOH scheduled to begin in FY 2025. The FY 2024 request also funds cost to complete for USS John C Stennis (CVN 74), which is undergoing overhaul now. This work includes the installation of the main mast.