The US Navy’s Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered super-carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) has successfully completed its maintenance availability programme.
Work on the aircraft carrier was carried out by US Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) in Yokosuka, Japan, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The team selected for the tasks includes members and contractors from PSNS & IMF, PSNS & IMF Detachment Yokosuka, Ship Repair Facility and Japan’s Regional Maintenance Center and the ship’s force.
The aircraft carrier was returned to the “fleet on time and ready” for operations.
Project superintendent Monte Levin said: “Our primary concern in finishing this availability was to ensure everyone’s safety while still accomplishing our mission.
“When Ronald Reagan arrived at Berth 12 for the start of its availability last December [2019], the world looked very different. Words like social distancing and quarantine were unfamiliar to most of us.”
The availability programme took 98,000 man-hours and five months for completion.
It involved the carrier’s electrical, mechanical and fluid systems repairs and upgrade of combat systems and aviation structures.
Precautionary measures were implemented to prevent the spread of the virus.
PSNS & IMF carrier programme manager Christopher Hughes said: “Even with the major challenges associated with Covid-19, everyone came together to do what was necessary to finish the availability with minimal impact.
“From the shipyard, to the ship’s force, to our private-sector maintenance partners, teamwork and willingness to adapt were huge advantages for us.”
