Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] Newport News Shipbuilding began final testing of the steam-powered systems aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and is on track to redeliver the ship in 2016, the company said on Aug. 27.
The Lincoln is undergoing its mid-life refueling and overhaul at the shipbuilder’s yard in Newport News, Va. The process will grant the Nimitz-class carrier another 25 years of service life.
After reintroducing steam to the carrier, contractors and sailors began testing systems such as the main engine complex and electrical generators.
“As steam is reintroduced into Lincoln‘s piping systems and equipment is operated, the ship is truly coming back to life,” said Chris Miner, the company’s vice president of in-service aircraft carrier programs. “Once the work and final testing, including sea trials, is complete, Lincoln will be redelivered to the Navy as one of the most technologically advanced Nimitz-class carriers in the fleet.”
The refueling and overhaul work began in March 2013 and takes almost four years to complete. By that point, Newport News personnel will have completed more than 23 million man-hours of maintenance and modernization to the vessel.
In November, the company completed the dry dock portion of maintenance and returned the Lincoln to the water to begin the “rebuilding” phase of the overhaul (Defense Daily, Nov. 7).
“We achieved another major milestone recently by establishing shore-steaming capabilities, thanks to my counterparts at Newport News Shipbuilding, but also to the men and women serving aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and many others who all played an important role in accomplishing this feat,” said Capt. Ronald Ravelo, the ship’s commanding officer.