The contract involves advance planning, design, documentation, engineering, material procurement, ship checks, fabrication and preliminary shipyard or support facility work. This will be the ship’s first and only refueling during a service life expected to span approximately 50 years. Eisenhower, built at Newport News, was commissioned by the U. S. Navy in 1977. The ship is scheduled to arrive at Newport News in late 2000 and remain for approximately three years.

Newport News Shipbuilding designs and constructs nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy and provides life-cycle maintenance services for ships in the Navy fleet. The company employs 18,000 people and has annual revenues of approximately $1.9 billion.