USS George Washington kicks off sea trials after 6-year-long complex overhaul

US Navy’s Nimmitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) has started sea trials as the final phase of its refueling and complex overhaul. 

According to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division, the ship departed the company’s yard on 22 May. Upon completion, CVN 73 will rejoin the US Navy as one of the most modern and capable aircraft carriers in the fleet, the firm noted.

USS George Washington is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the sixth carrier in the Nimitz class and the fourth US Navy ship named after President George Washington. The deal to construct the vessel was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding on 27 December 1982. Its keel was laid on 25 August 1986, and it was christened on 21 July 1990. The aircraft carrier entered into service in 1992.

In 2008, USS George Washnigton was the first aircraft carrier from the US that went on deployment in Japan. Since August 2017, the carrier has been in a refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH), which was expected to be completed by May 2022.

In 2019, the aircraft carrier was undocked during its RCOH. During the dry dock phase of the RCOH, George Washington underwent significant upgrades and repair work both inside and outside the ship. In addition to defueling and refueling its power plant, Newport News shipbuilders have re-preserved approximately 600 tanks and replaced thousands of valves, pumps and piping components.