According to information published by the U.S. Navy on May 13, 2021, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Nimitz-class aircraft carrier departed Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for sea trials on May 12, 2021, following completion of its Extended Carrier Incremental Availability (ECIA).
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Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) departed Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, May 12, following the conclusion of the first of its kind, Extended Carrier Incremental Availability, conducted there. (Picture source U.S. Navy)
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) arrived at NNSY in July 2020 coming off a seven-month deployment. For the first time at NNSY (Norfolk Naval Shipyard), two carriers shared a single pier, with USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) neighboring Truman for several months. Bush undocked in August for the final phase of its planned 28-month Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) before returning to the Fleet.
With ensuring combat-ready power through the on-time delivery of ships, submarines and systems to the Fleet as Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) number one goal, NNSY is at the forefront of a number of aircraft carrier and submarine maintenance initiatives. To improve the on-time delivery of submarines and aircraft carriers out of maintenance availabilities, NNSY, and the other three public shipyards, are executing the Naval Sustainment System – Shipyards (NSS-SY) program that combines industry and government best practices. NSS-SY is pushing to provide the production workforce all the tools and resources needed to support the nonstop execution of work, while simultaneously removing any barriers in availability execution.
From 29 August, 2020, until completion of the Truman Project, Truman shared a pier with USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77), the first time two Nimitz-Class aircraft carriers have been moored together at NNSY. NNSY managed maintenance for both carriers at once using a “split-plant” work management concept.
“The project team devised and implemented an innovative workforce execution strategy, called Split Plant, that provided the capacity to simultaneously support the maintenance and modernization needs of two aircraft carriers,” said Truman Project Superintendent Jim Brewer. “It also provided approximately 30 additional work days of production time for the Truman Project.”
In addition to work completed by the shipyard’s workforce during the ECIA, Truman’s ship’s force restored and rehabilitated 141 decks, totaling 28,000 square feet, refurbished all three ship’s wardrooms, the ship’s forward and aft mess decks, numerous offices and staterooms, and over 230 watertight doors. Truman also successfully conducted a mid-point propulsion plant start-up, marking the first time a Nimitz-Class CVN has conducted such an evolution during a shipyard maintenance availability. In addition, Truman conducted “no-load” catapult testing on the flight deck, certifying its catapults for use following maintenance—another first for a CVN during a shipyard maintenance availability.
The USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in service with the United States Navy. The ship was launched on 7 September 1996 by Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, and commissioned on 25 July 1998. Ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are into service with the U.S. Navy. The first ship of the class, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), was commissioned in 1975. The last ship of the class, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), was commissioned in January 2009.
The Nimitz Class carriers provide the U.S. Navy the ability to deploy 85 to 90 warplanes to almost any area in the world on very short notice. With over 6,000 personnel (ship’s company and aircrew), these carriers have a displacement of 102,000t, a flight deck length of 1,092ft, and a beam of 252ft. All ships of the class are powered by 2 A4W nuclear reactors kept in separate compartments to allow more ordnance, fuel, and aircraft storage space in comparison to the previous class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (the Enterprise Class). The ship’s propulsion comes from four propeller shafts which produce a maximum speed of over 30 knots (56 km/h). Since the Nimitz Class is nuclear-powered, the aircraft carrier can operate for 20 years without refueling and has a projected service life of 50 years.
These ships were initially classified as attack carriers since the introduction of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). When older carriers come in for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), for which Congress regularly procures funding, the ships’ nuclear power plants are refueled, and they are upgraded to the standards of the latest carriers. These improvements include better radar systems and facilities, which enable the ships to operate aircraft in a more effective anti-submarine role. Fitted with Common Undersea Picture (CUP) technology, the Nimitz Class aircraft carrier uses sonar to allow for better assessment of the threat from submarines. Other RCOH changes include better support for SH-60 “Seahawk” helicopters with dipping sonar systems. The USS Nimitz, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the USS Carl Vinson have all received their midlife RCOH, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently in port to receive its overhaul.
The Nimitz Class aircraft carriers are assigned as follows: USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in Bremerton, WA; USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in Norfolk, VA; USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) in San Diego, CA; USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in Norfolk, VA; USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in Everett, WA; USS George Washington (CVN-73) in Yokosuka, Japan; USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) in Bremerton, WA; USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in Norfolk, VA; USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) in San Diego, CA; and the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) in Norfolk, VA.
The Harry S. Truman has a length of333 m long, a wide of 78 m, a height of 74 m, and a displacement of 97,000 tons. She can accommodate approximately 90 aircraft and has a flight deck of 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) in size, using four elevators that are 3,880 sq ft (360 m2) each to move planes between the flight deck and the hangar bay.
