Losing the George Washington for 6 years
Nimitz class carriers are strange and complex ships. They are expected to have a service life of 50 years, I read – there is a caveat to that.
The U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers undergo a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at the mid-point of their 50-year lifespan, a process that takes years to complete. The USS George Washington (CVN-73) recently completed its RCOH, which lasted 2,117 days—almost as long as it took to build the ship.
Construction began on USS George Washington (CVN-73), the United States Navy’s sixth Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on August 24, 1986, when her keel was laid down at Newport News Shipyard in Virginia. The vessel was christened by First Lady Barbara Bush less than four years later on July 21, 1990, and commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk on July 4, 1992.
In fewer than six years, the 1,092-foot-long carrier was constructed and delivered to the U.S. Navy.
Little quick number punching says the RCOH took 5.8 years. Potayto, potahto.
The delays involving CVN-73 were largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown, which stopped work entirely for a period, followed by supply chain issues, and competing requirements for resources. The United States Navy currently lacks the facilities and the workers to properly maintain its fleet.
“Factors that extended the RCOH included delays and changes in her RCOH planning and induction timeline due to FY15 budgetary decisions to inactivate (vice refuel) this ship; the arrival condition of the ship, which was more challenging than expected, planned or budgeted for, including growth work in significant areas of the RCOH; the requirement to remove critical parts from CVN-73 to support higher-priority, deploying aircraft carriers; and the impact of COVID-19 on the workforce and industrial base,” HII said in a May 2023 statement to USNI News.
Let’s circle back to that FY15 bit… decision to deactivate vs. refuel? Whoa.
The next Nimitz-class carrier, USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) won’t return to service on schedule either. The sea service announced earlier this year that the carrier’s RCOH will take about five and a half years, an extension of about 14 months. The warship began its midlife refueling in 2021 and was originally on track to complete the work by August 2025.
It should be noted this has been an ongoing problem since USS Nimitz (CVN068) began her RCOH in 1998. According to a 2002 RAND report, the project was scheduled to last 33 months, but dragged out due to a labor dispute and strike at the shipyard, while costs increased by $250 million.
It sounds like they basically almost gut the vessel and then rebuild her from the outside in?
The RCOH truly is a “complex overhaul” as NNS shipbuilders replaced thousands of valves, pumps, and piping components, while on the outside, they performed major structural updates to the island, mast, and antenna tower. Upgrades have been made to all aircraft launch and recovery equipment; while the carrier’s hull, including sea chests and freeboard, has been painted. The team restored the propeller shafts and installed refurbished propellers and rudders.
Under ideal conditions, it sounds like the projected 4-year refit is going to take six routinely. The article claims the ship will be more capable when it’s finished – sure hope so.
Someone please call China and tell them to back off for a few years…
Category: Navy
They just might depending on the election.
If it’s China, isn’t it an “erection”?
That made me raff out rowd
Justin Turdeau loves it when the Chinese interfere with his erection
To be fair, how often has a six month cruise returned to port in six months. Sounds a whole lot like “Your mileage may vary”.
Rosie The Riveter…weeps.
Hey snowflakes, DEI hires, and MIC types…Your Gran’ Ma was more of a badass shipbuilder than you’ll ever be.
Does the Sea Chest have a new set of keys after these overhauls?
Asking for a friend.
Hey, those gyro bearings ain’t gonna grease themselves.
Do they lubricate the bearings with tzatziki sauce?
I hear that the Royal Navy uses marmite.
I thought you warned them about using “I can’t believe it’s not KY” for all their lubrication needs.
Thats why those gyro bearings have to be greased by hand with a bucket of relative bearing grease by a greaser with a ducks ass haircut and pompadore. Any 1950’s greasers out there???????
Not a 1950s’ greaser but remember on my first ship of being sent to the bosun for 50 feet of water line, a bucket of steam from the BT’s, etc., good times!
Try finding a bucket full of EW bearings
1. The idea that a “new” ship like the Stennis could be going through it’s RCOH already seems so surreal to me…until I do the math and remember that I retired 21 years ago now….damn I’m getting old.
2. I was stationed on the Enterprise during the last year of its RCOH in the early ’90’s
“It sounds like they basically almost gut the vessel and then rebuild her from the outside in?”
Pretty much. The reactors are way down deep inside the hull in the engineering spaces. To get to them in order to refuel them, they have to cut holes in the decks from the flight deck all the way down to the reactors. The holes on the Enterprise were squares about 20 feet per side.
Every compartment between the flight deck and the reactor where those holes are cut (and usually the ones adjacent to those compartments) are destroyed and must be completely rebuilt…along with any wiring, plumbing, ventilation, etc that passes through them.
Granted, the Enterprise was in her own class and actually had 8 reactors…8 holes.
The Nimitz class only has two reactors so they don’t have to cut as many holes, but it’s still pretty traumatic to the ship. They also basically do a complete overhaul and refit to the ship’s spaces and systems while they’re at it, upgrade equipment to the latest model, add new tech, etc.
Not to mention the safety precautions that have to be implemented in order to safely open up nuclear reactors, remove spent (but still radioactive) fuel rods and install new ones…that takes time to do it right. The fact that in all the years they’ve been doing this (not just to carriers but to nuclear subs as well) we’ve never had a major nuclear incident is a testament to how seriously these procedures are taken. I wonder how long that will last with the new focus on DEI rather than competence? But I digress.
I was thinking it was something like that but appreciate a more detailed explanation.
I found the previous story concerning the WASP LHD-1
interesting because I had a tour of the WASP back when she
was in Boston and I was a Boy Scout. Then I realized that
WASP was CV-18 and was scrapped long long ago. Yeah, getting old.
My Cousin was a Wasp pilot in the 60’s and was killed when his plane crashed. Long time ago.
There really should be a national bitch slap a design engineer day. I suggest any day that ends with “Y”
Mechanics and maintenance personnel would whole heartedly agree I’m sure.
Agree, Odie.
Ends with a “Y” and starts with a consonant.
It is an article of faith among mechanics that a design engineer will crawl naked over peppered broken glass to screw up mechanics.
I have a Chevy Colorado 4×4 that has developed a seep from the oil pan. Warrenty timed out of course, looked into doing it myself. 19.5 hrs labor for someone that has a shop, lift and a snap on truck/ parts store at their disposal, the engine has to be supported from the top, just about everything under the front has to be removed, and one side of the engine mount unbolted and jacked up to clear the oil pump and remove pan.
Yeah, it ceased being a simple home repair just reading all that.
Well 3 plant wasn’t a registered accident…
I was also on the ‘prise during the overhaul in the early 90s. Small world!
You’ll note I said haven’t had a “major” nuclear incident.
That was more like just an “oops”.
Yup, small world. My condolences. That yard period was not fun by any definition and the last six months or so trying to get her at least minimally seaworthy were insane.
Soooo…..since the ship is totally gutted and rebuilt, do the first set of sailors that serve on any of the RCOH Nimitz class carriers, would they be considered “plank holders” (or whatever it’s called)?
Good question. I know we tended to hate being on brand new builds or ships coming right out of extended yard periods because we inevitably dealt with all the glitches and quirks that came with the privilege of being there first.
Commissioning crew only are “Plank Owners.”
My brother served aboard the USS Midway and joined the crew just as she was about to come out of overhaul at Bremerton. He has a Plank Leaser framed certificate.
No. Plank Owner is specifically for commissioning. I don’t think they had nuclear aircraft carriers in mind when some of these traditions began.
Maybe that’s something that should start. Give everyone who served during the RCOH a chunk of steel from the flight deck.
Have a friend who makes knives making me one. Heavy 6-8″ drop point blade about 2″ wide, wood from the deck of the New Jersey for the groups. Nice working knife.
Nice. I’d imagine aged Teak would make great knife scales and the history there would make it especially meaningful.
TY both for the clarification.
Naw, China wouldn’t do anything nefarious, would they? /sarc
“the arrival condition of the ship, which was more challenging than expected…”
And they’re surprised about that how?
GW was the forward deployed carrier to 7th Fleet (homeported in Japan) prior to her RCOH. Every ship in Japan gets rode hard, put away wet, yanked right back out still wet, and rode hard some more.
I’m a bit of a news junkie, as most of you are and most military people are. With the current atmosphere in the world due in large part to the passive leadership, (or complete lack of)from the U.S., I think this is a very terrible time to lose one of our platforms for taking the fight to “them”!
Speaking of news….
https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2024/09/navy-relieves-officer-once-pictured.html
Took the Navy that long to figure out the rifle scope was on backwards?
Mr. Magoo was lead investigator.
Given that there’s been a dozen Nimitz carriers, and all those nuke submarines, and maybe some of the surface vessels that have gone through the refueling and rebuild process, I wonder if anyone thought “Hey, let’s plan the ship structure and the wiring, plumbing, ventilation and such around these big holes we have to cut in the ship later when it’s refueled so it’s easier to do.”
“What, you mean, like, plan ahead??!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Silly sailor, that is not the Navy way!
Common sense would blow the budget.
This has got to be the worst time possible for a half decade ‘ refit ‘.
Just imagine how many genders will exist then??
They built the USS Ford without urinals…
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2017/07/21/no-urinals-on-the-new-navy-aircraft-carrier/
If I didn’t just read it, I wouldn’t believe it.
So….they will have far fewer heads that will use much more water.
I can’t recall seeing many U/S urinals but have seen plenty of broken/plugged(pads usually) toilets.
So, lemme figger this out for the Navy.
Basically you pull a ship out of the water for about six years and in essence build a whole new ship out of it. For the same amount of money why don’t ya just build a new ship, name it the USS Junior, and send it out to sea?
Seems to that orta work just fine.
Yer welcome.
Meanwhile, USS BOISE (SSN-764) just started her overhaul that had been on the schedule since 2020.
But wait, it gets worse.
BOISE had lost her dive certification due to other maintenance backlogs way back in 2017. She was supposed to originally start overhaul in FY2016. (Hey! Who was president then?) It was bumped because of “higher priorities”, read: carriers and Tridents.
Scheduled completion of overhaul? September 2029.