ACIBC Fact Sheet: Recent Developments
Recent Developments in Aircraft Carrier Construction and Maintenance
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CVN-77: On May 11, 2009 Newport News Shipbuilding delivered the nation's newest and most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) to the U.S. Navy. It is the 10th and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and was constructed by the company's Shipbuilding sector in Newport News, Virginia.
The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)
maneuvers away from the pier to turn the ship
around to enable operation of the ship's propellers
and complete the next phase of the scheduled
ship's refueling complex overhaul (RCOH). - CVN-78: Construction of Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the first ship in the newest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, has begun in Newport News, Virginia. This new class of carrier will replace the Nimitz-class design that originated in the 1960s. The ship's keel was laid on November 14, 2009 and delivery to the Navy is scheduled for 2015.
- CVN-79: Newport News Shipbuilding cut the first pieces of steel for the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, CVN 79, during a ceremony at the company's Shipbuilding sector in Newport News on February 25th, 2011. Full construction of the yet unnamed CVN 79 is anticipated to begin in late 2012 with delivery to the U.S. Navy scheduled for 2020.
- RCOH CVN-71: USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is undergoing the final stages of refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard, the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The carrier left dry dock in May 2011 after spending nearly two years at shipyard conducting.
- RCOH CVN-72: Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard has received a $206.7 million contract from the Navy to plan the upcoming mid-life nuclear refueling and complex overhaul of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Large maintenance projects take place once in the life of a Nimitz-class carrier and aim to extend the ship's life to 50 years.