NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING REDELIVERS AIRCRAFT CARRIER DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) AFTER SUCCESSFUL OVERHAUL

February 10, 1997, NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Newport News Shipbuilding re-delivered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) to the United States Navy on January 28, after a successful 18-month overhaul that was originally scheduled to take two years.

"Faced with the Navy's need to return the ship to the fleet more quickly, and at less cost, we improved internal work processes and worked very closely with U.S. Navy officials and the ship's crew during both the overhaul planning period and actual work performance," said Bill Fricks, Chairman and CEO of Newport News Shipbuilding. "The effort began in 1994 with re-engineering of our carrier overhaul program to reduce the schedule. The result was that we were able to re-deliver Eisenhower within the 18 months the Navy required. This achievement was a team accomplishment between the shipyard, the U.S. Navy and the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Newport News."

The Commanding Officer of the Eisenhower, Captain Gregory C. Brown, said, "I credit the superb teamwork and coordination between the Ike, Naval Sea Systems Command and Newport News Shipbuilding with delivering the Eisenhower, ahead of schedule and below budget."

The 18-month overhaul is valued at more than $404 million. Work included overhaul of major propulsion equipment such as the main engines, reduction gears and turbine generators; repair and replacement of valves; major combat system upgrades; and overhaul of all elevators aboard the ship including weapons and aircraft elevators.

Captain Kevin Perkins, the Navy's Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Repair and Conversion at Newport News Shipbuilding said, "The carrier overhaul team comprised of Newport News Shipbuilding, Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Newport News and the crew of Ike formed a partnership which worked exceptionally well to prepare Ike to rejoin the fleet. The win-win approach adopted by the team allowed them to make good choices when solving the many challenges of this very complex maintenance period, and the hard work and dedication of the partners assured that Ike left Newport News in exceptional material condition."

Named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, the Newport News-built Nimitz-class carrier was christened by Mrs. Mamie Doud Eisenhower, the ship's sponsor and widow of the former president. Eisenhower was commissioned in October 1977.

In October, 1994, prior to arrival at Newport News Shipbuilding for its complex overhaul, Eisenhower departed for a six-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Gulf and Adriatic Sea. This deployment marked the first time that women were a part of the crew of a U.S. Navy combatant. After flying missions in support of Operations Southern Watch and Deny Flight, Eisenhower returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., in April 1995. The ship arrived at Newport News Shipbuilding on July 17, 1995.

This was Eisenhower's second complex overhaul, the first being performed at Newport News in 1985. The ship is scheduled for refueling at Newport News in 2002.

According to Captain Brown , "The culmination of the entire overhaul experience came after successfully completing sea trials. I thought to myself, now Ike is back where it belongs, doing what it does best, defending our great nation."

Newport News Shipbuilding is America's largest ship design and construction company. It has produced approximately 800 ships during its 111 years of operations - - including Navy aircraft carriers, submarines and cruisers. The company is currently building the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) and Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and has begun work in preparation for construction of the Navy's New Attack Submarine. Its 1996 revenues totaled $1.87 billion, with earnings before interest and taxes of $140 million. The current backlog is approximately $3.5 billion. The work force numbers approximately 18,000, making it Virginia's largest private employer.