Carrier George Washington running more than a year behind schedule

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier going through its mid-life refueling is now delayed by more than a year, due to new work that emerged during the repair and pandemic-related labor challenges.Nimitz-class carrier George Washington began its refueling and complex overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding in August 2017. These RCOHs, conducted halfway through a carrier’s 50-year service life to refuel the nuclear power reactor and conduct significant repairs and upgrades, typically last four years.Under a four-year schedule, George Washington would have been complete by August 2021. The ship reached a 50% milestone right on time, in August 2019, and several subsequent news releases noted a 2021 completion date.By September 2020, though, a company news release noted a 2022 date. The Navy now tells Defense News the carrier is on track to complete the RCOH in December 2022.“The RCOH is currently 92.5% complete, with some propulsion plant work, catapult work, and combat systems testing remaining,” Naval Sea Systems Command spokesman Alan Baribeau wrote in a March 17 email.He said the two main causes of the delay were unplanned growth work, though he did not specify in what areas, as well as labor inefficiencies.“COVID-19 has also contributed to the delay, both directly (e.g. te …

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