Record Number of U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers at Newport News Shipbuilding
While the fact that six flattops are now in various stages of their lifecycle in Virginia is notable in that efforts are being made to allow the U.S. Navy to maintain its edge, the fact remains that it can barely keep up.
by Peter Suciu
Virginia has long been known as the Old Dominion State, but currently, it could be known as the land of aircraft carriers—as six flattops are in various lifecycle stages at an Atlantic coast shipyard. It is the single most carriers that Huntington Ingalls' (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding has had in its yards in the past three decades.
The former USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is awaiting disposal even as the future Ford-class USS Enterprise (CVN-80) is now in the early stages of its construction.
In addition, the Nimitz-class carriers USS George Washington (CVN-73) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) are now in their respective mid-life refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). CVN-73 had entered Dry Dock #11 in August 2017 and work was expected to be completed by August of last year, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is now on track to return to the sea later this year. CVN-74 is now set to begin its RCOH this year, and that is scheduled to be completed sometime in the mid-2020s.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/record-number-us-navy-aircraft-carriers-newport-news-shipbuilding-200560
