Huntington Ingalls Industries has redelivered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) to the U.S. Navy. The redelivery took place following successful sea trials that tested the ship’s systems following its refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. Sea trials test the carrier’s systems and operations at sea, including high-speed operations. The trials team, comprising sailors, shipbuilders and government representatives, puts the ship through a series of tests designed to prove system performance and demonstrate all the carrier’s capabilities at sea. The RCOH process is performed only once during the ship’s 50-year lifetime and involves upgrades to nearly every space and system on the ship. Tanks, the hull, shafting, propellers, rudders, piping, ventilation, electrical, combat and aviation support systems were repaired, upgraded and modernized. Work also included defueling and refueling the ship’s two nuclear reactors and repairs and upgrades to the propulsion plant. The next carrier in line for its RCOH is USS George Washington (CVN 73). Preparations are underway at Naval Station Norfolk, and the ship is scheduled to arrive at Newport News this summer.
