By Kris Osborn, Warrior

The US Navy’s Ford-class carriers are expected to surge into the 2100s and sustain maritime power projection for several generations moving into the future, yet they too will need to go through the standard mid-life refueling effort to maintain success service throughout their entire lifespan.

This can have quite an impact upon operations, because active carriers essentially become “dry docked” for years and taken out of the water for repairs. Refueling a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is among the most complex industrial tasks in existence, as it involves lengthy, highly specialized procedures intended to ensure the carrier can surge several decades longer into the future. The process is as difficult and challenging as it is important, given that the process can take up to 6 years. 

The Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) process for carriers is intended as a “mid-life”service extension and massive upgrade, involving the opening of a huge hole in the ship to enable access to the reactor and other critical ship systems. The process is quite involved as the reactor must first be brought into a low power state before being fully shut down and left to “cool off” for several days until procedures can begin. 

Then the top of the reactor needs to be cracked open through the removal of bolts and then literally lifted off with a large crane. Once the top of the reactor is off, new fuel assemblies can be added in place of old ones in large increments.  Several hundred rods can be removed at one time, but all of the nuclear reactor’s rods need to be replaced to fully refuel the boat. This entire process takes quite a bit of time, as it has to be done carefully and with great precision. Following this process, the large top of the reactor can be “bolted” back on after all the water is pumped out. 

Maintenance and Modernization

The RCOH process, however, involves much more than refueling the reactor, as there are many other systems on a carrier that can only be upgraded while the reactor is offline. When the reactor is taken apart, there is a massive amount of additional work that takes place as well, given that new areas of access are opened up and available for maintenance crews to reach. 

This relates to what is likely the largest unrecognized reality of an RCOH, and that is the modernization elements. With access to the ship’s critical systems enabled by the refueling process, engineers can upgrade the ship’s electronics, command and control systems, digital sensors, radar and computing. Essentially, an RCOH offers an opportunity for a massive modernization overhaul to the carrier’s weapons systems, fire control apparatus and overall “wiring.”  Much of the hardware likely needs to be replaced due to wear and tear through service, yet there are also many opportunities to upgrade much of the software woven through the ship’s computer systems. 

Opens up Ship Caverns

Alongside the modernization, RCOH opens up vast, typically empty caverns in the body of the ship where key equipment such as generators, pipelines, water supplies and other ship necessities are housed and shepherded through or utilized as needed.  There is likely extensive piping throughout the body of a carrier to carry water and cooling materials while also ensuring on-board generators sustain the power supply throughout the ship. 

All of this takes time, and once upgraded much of the ship needs to be reassembled and parts of the hull and internal steel casings need to be cleaned off and reinforced in some cases. The process can be lengthy and cumbersome, and while it is expected to finish in roughly 4 years, many RCOH efforts can take up to 6 years … which was the case with the USS George Washington.

Four Carriers at Sea

The complexity and duration of the RCOH dry dock period is a large reason why the US Navy maintains at least 11 carriers. At any one time typically four aircraft carriers are at sea patrolling or on key deterrence or global stability missions, three or four more are docked and standing by “ready” in case of an emergency or fast-erupting conflict, and three carriers can be “dry docked” for repairs, refurbishment or RCOH. This essential breakdown enables the US Navy to consistently have seven or eight “ready” carriers in position to support operations around the world, something which ensures massive power projection potential for the US Navy. There are many theaters of operation, and the regular availability of deployable carriers is extremely relevant in light of the Pacific, as the vast region can accommodate as many as three Carrier Strike Groups at one time.  One carrier is permanently based in Yokosuka, Japan and five more are spread across the Western coastline of the United States to include San Diego and Bremerton, Washington. 

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University