The US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) arrived at Newport News Shipbuilding on September 30, 2026, to begin a major midlife overhaul involving reactor refueling and extensive modernization.
The work follows years of advance planning and prepares the carrier for the second half of a service life expected to span more than 50 years.
Truman becomes the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to undergo a refueling and complex overhaul, or RCOH, at the HII shipyard in Virginia.
Preparing for the overhaul
Newport News Shipbuilding has already conducted thousands of inspections and preliminary tasks to prepare for the carrier’s arrival. The shipbuilder also ordered materials with long procurement lead times to support the project.
“We’ve taken a proactive approach, from ordering long lead-time materials to conducting thousands of inspections and preliminary work, to ensure the RCOH of USS Harry S. Truman is successful,”said Bryan Caccavale, NNS vice president of program management.
“This extensive engineering and construction project to ready the ship to rejoin the fleet is a team effort, across shipbuilders, suppliers and our Navy partners, and we are honored to do our part,” he added.
The preparations support an overhaul that brings together nuclear refueling, structural maintenance, and upgrades across much of the ship.
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Reactors and ship systems
A central part ofTruman’s overhaulinvolves defueling and refueling its nuclear power plant. The project also includes major upgrades to the propulsion plant and combat systems.
Beyond the reactors, shipbuilders will carry out extensive modernization in thousands of compartments and tanks, along with work on most ship systems.
The scope reaches from the carrier’s internal spaces to the equipment that supports its movement through the water.
Newport NewsShipbuildingwill blast and paint the hull and freeboard and repair the carrier’s propellers, sea chests, shafts, and rudders.
These tasks make the availability a broad recapitalization effort, combining maintenance of existing equipment with modernization intended to support the carrier’s continued role in the fleet.
HII said the resulting ship would be capable of supporting current and future national strategy objectives while serving as a centerpiece of naval operations for decades.
Contract supports carrier’s next chapter
HII announced a $5.1 billion contract for Truman’s RCOH on September 29, 2026. Options, if exercised, would raise the cumulative contract value.
“Our team has been diligently working to get ahead on this critical engineering and construction project that will prepare USS Harry S. Truman for the second half of her service life,” Caccavale said in the contract announcement.
“When the ship arrives at NNS, we’ll apply that same diligence to working with our suppliers and Navy partners to ensure a successful recapitalization of CVN 75,” he said.
The carrier returns to the shipyard that built it. Truman was christened in 1996 and delivered to the Navy in 1998.
According to HII, the overhaul will prepare Truman to return to the fleet and continue operating for decades.
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The US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) arrived at Newport News Shipbuilding on September 30, 2026, to begin a major midlife overhaul involving reactor refueling and extensive modernization.
The work follows years of advance planning and prepares the carrier for the second half of a service life expected to span more than 50 years.
Truman becomes the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to undergo a refueling and complex overhaul, or RCOH, at the HII shipyard in Virginia.
Preparing for the overhaul
Newport News Shipbuilding has already conducted thousands of inspections and preliminary tasks to prepare for the carrier’s arrival. The shipbuilder also ordered materials with long procurement lead times to support the project.
“We’ve taken a proactive approach, from ordering long lead-time materials to conducting thousands of inspections and preliminary work, to ensure the RCOH of USS Harry S. Truman is successful,”said Bryan Caccavale, NNS vice president of program management.
“This extensive engineering and construction project to ready the ship to rejoin the fleet is a team effort, across shipbuilders, suppliers and our Navy partners, and we are honored to do our part,” he added.
The preparations support an overhaul that brings together nuclear refueling, structural maintenance, and upgrades across much of the ship.
More from Military
See AllMilitaryBoeing to build 22 more F-15EX fighters to replace US Air Force’s aging Eagle jetsMilitaryUSS Nautilus: World’s first nuclear submarine that changed underwater warfare foreverMilitaryBoeing 777 boosts hypersonic testing capacity by 35% for US defense programsMilitaryChinese lidar laser sensor detects 1,200-mph US F-35 fighter from 38 miles at nightMilitaryUS Navy selects America’s biggest shipbuilder for 10 ROMULUS autonomous surface vesselsHII describes the RCOH as representing nearly a third of all maintenance and modernization performed during an aircraft carrier’s service life.
Reactors and ship systems
A central part ofTruman’s overhaulinvolves defueling and refueling its nuclear power plant. The project also includes major upgrades to the propulsion plant and combat systems.
Beyond the reactors, shipbuilders will carry out extensive modernization in thousands of compartments and tanks, along with work on most ship systems.
The scope reaches from the carrier’s internal spaces to the equipment that supports its movement through the water.
Newport NewsShipbuildingwill blast and paint the hull and freeboard and repair the carrier’s propellers, sea chests, shafts, and rudders.
These tasks make the availability a broad recapitalization effort, combining maintenance of existing equipment with modernization intended to support the carrier’s continued role in the fleet.
HII said the resulting ship would be capable of supporting current and future national strategy objectives while serving as a centerpiece of naval operations for decades.
Contract supports carrier’s next chapter
HII announced a $5.1 billion contract for Truman’s RCOH on September 29, 2026. Options, if exercised, would raise the cumulative contract value.
“Our team has been diligently working to get ahead on this critical engineering and construction project that will prepare USS Harry S. Truman for the second half of her service life,” Caccavale said in the contract announcement.
“When the ship arrives at NNS, we’ll apply that same diligence to working with our suppliers and Navy partners to ensure a successful recapitalization of CVN 75,” he said.
The carrier returns to the shipyard that built it. Truman was christened in 1996 and delivered to the Navy in 1998.
According to HII, the overhaul will prepare Truman to return to the fleet and continue operating for decades.
Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.
By subscribing, you agree to our
Terms of Useand
PoliciesYou may unsubscribe at any time.
0
COMMENT
Subscribe to
Today!
Access to exclusive content, expert insights and a deeper dive into engineering and tech. No ads, no limits.
Explore Now!By
Atharva GosaviAtharva is a full-time content writer with a post-graduate degree in media & amp; entertainment and a graduate degree in electronics & telecommunications. He has written in the sports and technology domains respectively. In his leisure time, Atharva loves learning about digital marketing and watching soccer matches. His main goal behind joining Interesting Engineering is to learn more about how the recent technological advancements are helping human beings on both societal and individual levels in their daily lives.
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- 2Light-based processor aims to tackle power, bandwidth limits of electronic GPUs
- 3Humanoid robot fleet decommissioned in wild Terminator-style leap into molten steel
- 4Trump unveils Korea-backed $200B US energy plan with 8 reactors, 6.5-GW Texas plant
- 5Chinese lidar laser sensor detects 1,200-mph US F-35 fighter from 38 miles at night
