USS ENTERPRISE RETURNS TO NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING FOR MAINTENANCE WORK

March 5, 1997, NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) has returned to Newport News Shipbuilding for a six-month period of maintenance valued at approximately $70 million.

The Newport News-built ship arrived February 13, 1997 for an Extended Selected Restricted Availability (ESRA), part of an incremental maintenance program the Navy has begun with its carriers to meet budgetary demands. Aircraft carriers will now undergo more frequent four to 10-month maintenance periods rather than the usual 18 to 24-month more complex overhauls.

Work during the six-month maintenance period will include radar upgrades; modifications to make the ship more suitable for female crew members; redecking of two elevators; and miscellaneous repair and upgrades in the propulsion and reactor plants.

Enterprise was launched at Newport News Shipbuilding in 1960 and was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to join the U.S. Navy=s fleet. The company re-delivered Enterprise to the Navy in 1994 after a major four-year overhaul and refueling.

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. It is also building nine Double Eagle product tankers. 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 workforce numbers 18,000, making it Virginia's largest private employer.