The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Atlantic Ocean. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class K. H. Anderson/Released)
WASHINGTON — The Navy has awarded HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division a $913 million contract to begin planning for the comprehensive mid-life overhaul of the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).
The contract, awarded on Jan. 26, is “for advanced planning and long-lead-time material procurement to prepare and make ready” for the Truman’s “refueling and complex overhaul,” according to a Pentagon statement.
“Comprehensive planning is vitally important to the overall success of an engineering and construction project of this magnitude on the aircraft carriers that serve our nation,” Rob Check, an NNS executive, said in a statement the same day. “This contract allows us to properly plan for each step in the overhaul process, from preparing for the ship’s arrival at NNS to its redelivery back to the Navy, so that Harry S. Truman and its sailors can continue to protect peace and prosperity around the world.”
The refueling and complex overhaul, also known as an RCOH, is a major milestone for each US Navy aircraft carrier that involves taking the ship out of service for roughly four years to modify, repair and upgrade everything from the hull, mechanical, and electrical systems that run the ship, all the way down to the electronics managing its communications and various warfare systems. Perhaps most notably for the nuclear-powered carriers, the time in dock provides a chance to refuel the ship’s reactors.
Traditionally scheduled for around the 25-year mark in the ship’s life, the RCOH is crucial in making sure the carrier will be able to operate for another 25 years.
Although the Navy and industry plan for carriers to leave operations for four years, the complicated nature of refurbishing a ship as large as a carrier has the potential for significant amounts of unexpected work, which can snowball into schedule delays. The George Washington (CVN-73), for instance, didn’t leave its overhaul period until six years after the process began.
The John C. Stennis (CVN-74), which is currently undergoing its RCOH, arrived at HII in May 2021 and is projected to be delivered back to the Navy in August 2025.
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