PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — After 10 months at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) departed on Wednesday.
The ship had been in there since July of last year to complete the first of its kind, Extended Carrier Incremental Availability, as part of the “Truman Project.” The project completed over 300,000 man-days of maintenance that aircraft carriers such as Truman often undergo after a three-year deployment.
The maintenance included equipment testing that had never before been completed during maintenance availability, as well as pipe fabrication, gas-free engineering checks and safety inspections.
“We completed a tremendous amount of work in a relatively short period of time, executing the types of repairs, upgrades and modernizations more commonly performed during a full Planned Incremental Availability within the shorter timeframe and constraints of an ECIA,” said Project Officer, Lt. Avi Chatterjee.
The crew aboard the ship rehabilitated the ship’s forward and aft mess decks, offices, staterooms and watertight doors. Overall, the rehabilitation and renovations reached over 140 decks, totaling over 28,000 square feet.
“It’s not hard to see why Truman’s crew was recently declared the best in the Atlantic Fleet with the 2020 Battenberg Cup Award,” said Capt. Kavon Hakimzadeh, Truman’s commanding officer. “Their teamwork always shines through in overcoming challenges to the mission. I’m both honored and humbled to be part of this dedicated group!”
In addition, the ship completed a mid-point propulsion plant start-up. This was the first time a Nimitz Class ship completed such a task during shipyard maintenance.
All of these updates and renovations were completed while adhering to strict COVID-19 protocols.
“Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 during the ECIA was a challenge for Truman’s crew and everyone involved, said Cmdr. Veronica Bigornia, Truman’s senior medical officer. “However, all hands did their part – from wearing masks and disinfecting spaces to temperature screenings of all visitors. Everyone pulled together, and as a result, Team Truman had low rates of infection and was able to complete the availability healthy and strong.”
More than 1,400 crew members have voluntarily been vaccinated for COVID-19.
Truman is currently conducting operational sea readiness testing before joining Carrier Air Wing 1, DESRON 28 and USS San Jacinto as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.