A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s midlife overhaul—called a Refueling and Complex Overhaul, or RCOH—refuels its reactors and renews major parts of the ship for the second half of its planned service life. The work starts with preparation and equipment removal, continues through years of shipyard repairs and upgrades, and ends with system testing and sea trials. The exact work and schedule vary by ship; this process is specific to U.S. nuclear carriers, not a standard overhaul for every navy’s carriers.
What an RCOH is—and why it is done
The U.S. Navy defines RCOH as an overhaul for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers that includes reactor refueling. It is also a broad recapitalization: alongside the reactor work, teams repair, replace, inspect, and modernize systems throughout the ship. The overhaul takes place around the midpoint of a planned 50-year service life, preparing the carrier for its second half.
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Because the scope is extensive and some work is difficult or impractical to do while the ship is waterborne, the carrier spends years in a shipyard period. The Navy and shipyard workforce coordinate with the ship’s crew and contractors throughout the project.
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How the overhaul proceeds
1. Planning and preparation
Work begins well before the main construction period. Planning, assessments, long-lead material purchases, and preparation of shipyard facilities help set up the work. Crews may remove movable equipment for storage and establish temporary services so work can proceed safely and efficiently.
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Preparation varies by ship. During USS George Washington’s 2017 “Smart Start” work at Norfolk, documented tasks included setting up temporary systems, removing fuel, lube oil, and firefighting foam, taking out selected habitability services and decking, offloading combat-systems equipment, and building a work-control complex. These are examples from that project, not a checklist that applies identically to every carrier.
2. Reactor, hull, and machinery work
The defining RCOH task is defueling and refueling the nuclear reactors. In parallel, workers overhaul propulsion equipment and carry out intrusive inspections, radiological surveys, repairs, and replacements across the hull, machinery, and electrical systems.
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Documented work on George Washington’s completed overhaul included its hull, shafts, propellers, rudders, tanks, valves, pumps, piping, cables, and ventilation. Navy accounts also describe work on support distribution systems such as potable water, electrical power, aircraft refueling, and air conditioning. The precise work package depends on the ship’s condition and project scope; a system named in one account is not necessarily replaced on every carrier.
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An RCOH can also update combat systems and communications, as well as aircraft launch and recovery equipment and other aviation-support systems. The overhaul creates an opportunity to carry out this work while the ship is already opened up for major maintenance. Which upgrades are included is specific to the ship and overhaul plan.
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4. Testing and sea trials
After installation and repair, teams check systems and test the ship and propulsion plant before it returns to operations. For USS John C. Stennis, the Navy described milestones including propulsion-plant repairs, shore steaming, cold and hot operations, power-range testing, a total-ship test program, “fast cruise,” and sea trials. George Washington’s reported sea trials tested the full range of operating systems and included high-speed maneuvering.
Those milestones show the kinds of testing a project may involve; they do not establish a single identical test sequence for every carrier. Sea trials provide an important check of ship performance before redelivery.
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How long does an aircraft carrier overhaul take?
An RCOH takes years, and dates should be read as ship-specific schedules or results rather than a general duration for all carriers.
| Carrier | Schedule or result | What the figure means |
|---|---|---|
| USS John C. Stennis | Nearly four years, approximately 48 months | The U.S. Navy’s 2021 description of the overhaul schedule. |
| USS Harry S. Truman | Scheduled for completion in November 2031 | The U.S. Navy’s September 2026 announcement said Truman had departed to begin its shipyard phase; this is a scheduled completion date, not a reported result. |
Condition, the work required, and program execution affect the calendar, so one project’s duration should not be treated as a forecast for another.
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What the scale looks like in reported figures
- 26 million man-hours: Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs reported this total for George Washington’s completed RCOH in 2023. It is a figure for that ship’s project, not a standard estimate.
- $5.1 billion: The U.S. Navy announced this as the contract value for Truman’s RCOH in 2026. It is the announced amount for that contract, not a general price for carrier overhauls.
- Eighth Nimitz-class carrier: The Navy’s September 2026 announcement said Truman would be the eighth Nimitz-class carrier to undergo RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding.
The work’s scale reflects its breadth: reactor refueling happens alongside major repairs, equipment replacement, modernization, installation, and testing across a large warship.
What happens after the ship leaves the yard?
Following testing and sea trials, the Navy redelivers the carrier for operational service. The overhaul is a transition point in the ship’s life: the vessel returns with its reactors refueled and a ship-specific package of maintenance and upgrades complete. The work is a coordinated effort involving the ship’s crew, the Navy, the shipyard, and contractors.
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