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the rainbow…
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Nuclear reactors save a lot of diesel fuel, but until the new CVN-21 carriers arrive, there’s a catch. Mid-way through the ships’ 50-year life, the nuclear reactor needs to be refueled – a long, complex, and expensive process. Anyone who has ever done home renovations knows that the opportunity to make upgrades can be nearly irresistible in these situations, and in truth, this stage in the carrier’s life is a very good time for that kind of work.
The USS Abraham Lincoln [CVN 72] was built by Northrop Grumman’s Newport News sector. Commissioned on Nov 11/89 and homeported in Everett, WA, CVN 72 is expected to remain in service until 2039. As it approaches its mid-life stage, however, its mid-life upgrade and reactor refueling approaches. Its counterparts USS Carl Vinson [CVN 70] has jus completed its RCOH, and USS Theodore Roosevelt’s [CVN 71] is underway. CVN 72 is just getting ready to deploy, but in a few years she will become the 6th American carrier to undergo this procedure…
The RCOH Process
After nearly 25 years of service, the USA’s nuclear aircraft carriers undergo a 3-year maintenance period to refuel their nuclear reactors, upgrade and modernize combat and communication systems, and overhaul the ship’s hull, mechanical and electrical systems. This is the refueling and complex overhaul.
During an American Nimitz Class carrier’s 50 year life span, it has 4 Drydocking Planned Incremental Availabilities and 12 Planned incremental availabilities. It has only one RCOH, however, which is the most significant overhaul the ship receives during its 50-year life span.
The new “CVN-21” Gerald R. Ford Class will have a redesigned nuclear power plant whose features will affect its RCOH. The new system is expected to make use of advances from the USA’s Seawolf and Virginia Class submarine reactors, in order to eliminate expensive reactor refueling completely, increase the reactors’ output, and drop the number of people required to operate them.
The Nimitz Class isn’t so lucky – hence ongoing RCOH efforts and contracts. Costs are generally above $3 billion per RCOH – a sum that could build a smaller carrier like the America Class from scratch.
The USA has laws that force the Navy to maintain a certain number of carriers, but the reality is that the number of naval fighter squadrons is dropping, and the cost of new planes is rising. As entitlement budgets and a colossal debt load start to bite, hard decision could lie ahead for the some members of the American carrier fleet. For now, however, RCOHs to keep existing carriers in service are being planned and executed smoothly. As one might expect, Northrop Grumman and the US Navy will attempt to apply lessons from the previous 5 RCOH efforts to the Abraham Lincoln.
Contracts & Key Events
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Unless otherwise specified, all contracts are issued to Northrop Grumman’s Newport News in Newport News, VA by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, DC.
March 17/10: An $80.9 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort contract for FY 2010 advance planning to prepare and make ready for the RCOH of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and its reactor plants. This effort will cover advanced planning, ship checks, design, documentation, engineering, procurement, fabrication, and preliminary shipyard or support facility work.
If all options are exercised, the full potential value of the contract could reach $678.6 million. As we have seen with other ships, however, that is only about 20% of the procedure’s total cost.
Work will be performed in Newport News, VA, and is expected to be complete by February 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, since Newport News is the USA’s only aircraft carrier shipyard (N00024-10-C-2110). See also Northrop Grumman release.
March 9/10: USS Abraham Lincoln is still undergoing testing from her 2009 PIA maintenance, and successfully completes a PACFIRE test firing of her 20mm Phalanx Close In Weapons System (CIWS), while exercising the boat’s combat systems. Upgrades to the close-in self-defense weapon system included transition from block 1 baseline 0, to block 1 baseline 2. The main improvement uses compressed high pressure air instead of hydraulics to release the rounds faster, allowing the gun to fire 4,500 rounds per minute instead of 3,000.
Abraham Lincoln was pier side at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 9 months in 2009, undergoing a complete overhaul during a Planned Incremental Availability. She is preparing for an upcoming deployment, even as Northrop Grumman’s engineers and Navy personnel make preparations to ensure a smooth start to her RCOH once CVN 71 is done in 2013. US Navy.
Additional Reading and Sources
- US Navy – USS Abraham Lincoln Official Web Site
- DID – USS Theodore Roosevelt Headed Into Mid-Life Overhaul. And still in it, until 2013.
- DID – CVN 70 Carl Vinson’s Mid-Life RCOH Refueling & Maintenance. Completed.
