NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING REDELIVERS USS NIMITZ AFTER THREE-YEAR REFUELING AND COMPLEX OVERHAUL

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., June 28, 2001 - Newport News Shipbuilding (NYSE:NNS) announced today that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was redelivered to the U.S. Navy after a successful three-year refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH).  Nimitz left the company on June 25 and spent three days on sea trials before returning to Norfolk, Va.  In September, Nimitz will depart for its homeport in San Diego, Calif. This was the ship's one and only refueling in a 50-year life-span.

Work included the refueling of both of the ship’s reactors and significant modernization work. This included a major upgrade of the island house that involved the shipyard removing the top two levels of the island house and replacing them. This action was driven by the installation of a new antenna mast that runs down along the island and provides for better radar capabilities. NNS also integrated a new radar tower aboard Nimitz.

Maintenance and repair work was performed below the ship’s waterline and included the application of new paint.  In addition, nearly 3,000 valves were replaced and another 600 were overhauled in various ship systems.

Nimitz, the lead ship of the class, is also the first of its class to undergo this major life-cycle milestone.  "This is a very significant accomplishment for Newport News Shipbuilding," said NNS Vice President for Aircraft Carrier Overhaul and Nuclear Services Roger Eshelman.   "As with any complex construction and repair effort, there were challenges, but many individuals from across the company and within the Navy pulled together as a team and contributed significantly to making this first-of-a-class RCOH a success." 

“We have worked extremely hard to get Nimitz underway again,” said Nimitz Commanding Officer, Captain Steven F. Firks.  “USS Nimitz is a war ship of tremendous complexity.  This great team, Newport News Shipbuilding, Supervisor of Shipbuilding and, I think, most importantly, the Sailors of Nimitz, all deserve recognition for consistently pulling together, overcoming the challenges and completing a very successful RCOH.  Nimitz will go from here to capably serve as an instrument of national defense for another 25 years.”

The ship's keel was laid on June 22, 1968 at Newport News Shipbuilding.  It was christened on May 13, 1972 by Mrs. Catherine Nimitz Lay, daughter of the ship’s namesake, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, and commissioned in 1975.

Nimitz’s first deployment began on July 7, 1976 when it departed Norfolk, Va., for the Mediterranean Sea. The ship has been a powerful and effective Naval presence for 26 years and will rejoin the fleet as one of the most modern and sophisticated aircraft carriers in the world.

The second ship of the Nimitz class, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), arrived at Newport News Shipbuilding in late May and is currently in the preliminary stages of its once-in-a-lifetime RCOH.

Newport News Shipbuilding designs and constructs nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy and provides life-cycle services for ships in the Navy fleet. The company employs nearly 17,000 people and has annual revenues of approximately $2 billion. Visit NNS on the Web at www.nns.com.