A U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier’s midlife Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) is planned to take about four years, but actual work can take longer. USS George Washington’s maintenance period lasted 2,117 days—nearly six years. RCOH combines reactor refueling with extensive repairs, modernization and testing; it is not simply a refueling stop.
What does RCOH mean?
RCOH stands for Refueling and Complex Overhaul. The U.S. Navy describes it as a carrier’s midlife overhaul, normally around the 25-year point, intended to prepare the ship for the second half of its planned service life. The Navy said in 2021 that USS John C. Stennis’s RCOH was expected to last approximately 48 months and represented about 35 percent of that ship’s lifetime depot-level maintenance. In 2026, the Navy described Truman’s RCOH as nearly one-third of the maintenance and modernization it would receive over a service life exceeding 50 years. Those figures describe the respective ships and Navy estimates; the work package and duration are not identical for every carrier.
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How long does a U.S. aircraft carrier overhaul take?
About four years is a useful planning baseline for an RCOH, not a guaranteed completion time. The elapsed period depends on the ship, its condition and the work required. A completed example shows how much schedules can vary: U.S. Naval Institute News reported that George Washington’s maintenance period lasted 2,117 days, close to six years.
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The latest announced case in the cited Navy releases is USS Harry S. Truman. The Navy said on September 29, 2026, that it awarded Newport News Shipbuilding a $5.1 billion fixed-ceiling incentive contract for the overhaul; Truman arrived at the shipyard the next day. The Navy scheduled completion for November 2031, roughly five years after arrival. That is a future target, not a completed result, and the contract’s schedule and price apply to Truman rather than all carrier overhauls. Navy contract announcement.
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What work is involved in an RCOH?
The overhaul combines nuclear-plant defueling and refueling with depot-level maintenance, repairs and modernization across the ship. The Navy’s 2026 Truman contract announcement calls it a full recapitalization, including upgrades and repairs to ship systems. Newport News Shipbuilding’s account of Truman’s work lists hull and freeboard blasting and painting; repairs to propellers, sea chests, shafts and rudders; and power-plant defueling and refueling. The Navy’s Stennis account describes disassembly and replacement of surfaces and structures, complex machinery and system repairs or replacement, and propulsion-plant repairs followed by operating tests.
The detailed work package varies with the carrier’s condition and approved requirements. At a high level, the process runs from preparation and offload through refueling, repairs and modernization, then testing and sea trials.
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1. Prepare and inspect
Advance planning, long-lead material orders, shipboard inspections and shipyard preparation begin before the main overhaul. The Navy described a Stennis preparation period called “Smart Start,” which included temporary services, removal of decking and catapult equipment, painting and sampling work, and refueling preparations. HII said Truman’s preparation included years of advance planning, long-lead material orders, thousands of inspections and preliminary work.
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2. Offload equipment and supplies
During the Shipboard Consolidated Offload and Outfitting Plan, crew members and contractors remove equipment and supplies that are not built into the ship and place them in storage. This clears space and supports access for the shipyard work.
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3. Refuel, repair and modernize
The nuclear plant is defueled and refueled while shipyard teams address propulsion equipment, the hull and underwater components, machinery, and ship systems. Depending on the approved work package, components are repaired, replaced or upgraded. Inspections can also identify additional work after the overhaul is underway.
4. Test the ship before return to sea
Refueling and repairs are followed by operating checks and shipwide testing. The Navy’s Stennis account lists shore steaming, cold and hot operations, power-range testing, a total-ship test program, “fast cruise” and sea trials among the milestones before the carrier resumes operations at sea. These are distinct steps; a ship’s arrival, undocking, sea trials and final redelivery are not interchangeable measures of completion.
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Why do carrier overhauls take so long?
RCOH joins work on a complex nuclear-powered ship with a major refueling effort, so the schedule can change as the ship is inspected and work progresses. USNI News reported several contributors to George Washington’s extended maintenance period: planning and induction delays following earlier budget decisions, a more challenging arrival condition than expected or budgeted that generated growth work, removal of critical parts to support higher-priority deploying carriers, and COVID-19 effects on the workforce and industrial base. Navy reporting on Stennis also cited mandatory growth work identified through ship-condition assessments and industrial-base challenges. USNI News account of George Washington’s maintenance period.
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- Planning and funding: Changes before induction can affect when work starts and how it is organized.
- Parts and competing fleet needs: Parts may be needed to support other deploying carriers.
- Shipyard capacity: Workforce and industrial-base constraints can affect the pace of work.
How to interpret an announced completion date
A stated RCOH duration is meaningful only alongside the milestone it measures. A shipyard arrival date marks the start of the period, while undocking, sea trials and final redelivery occur at different points. Truman’s November 2031 date is the Navy’s announced completion target; until the work is finished, it does not establish the actual elapsed duration.
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