The reactor department performs a vital role during the Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) process that nuclear powered Nimitz-class aircraft carriers like USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) undergo.
Lincoln is currently undergoing RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington-Ingalls Industries in Newport News.
The largest of 18 departments aboard Lincoln, the reactor department is made up of 460 personnel who are divided into six divisions. One of the personnel assigned to the department, Master Chief Machinist’s Mate Tyrone A. Wright, reactor department maintenance division’s leading chief petty officer, emphasized the importance of training and qualification requirements achieved during the overhaul period.
Even though many of us in the department won’t see an operational environment for another few years, in order to maintain operational qualifications, Sailors still have to learn how to operate a plant without seeing it operate.
We have extensive training on any new or temporary system prior to using them.
Wright added that his department rotates on a four-section duty schedule in additional to their regular hours to maintain the obligations during the overhaul period.
The reactor itself is key to the operation of an aircraft carrier because the ship’s power comes from the reactor plant. The ongoing overhaul has extended the life of the ship an additional 25 years without the need for refueling.
Lincoln is the fifth ship of the Nimitz class to undergo RCOH, a major life-cycle milestone. Once RCOH is complete, Lincoln will be one of the most modern and technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carriers in the fleet and will continue to be a vital part of the nation’s defense.
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Press release, Image: US Navy