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USS George Washington gets its mast, part of four-year overhaul

By Ed Adamczyk

March 18 (UPI) -- Defense contractor Huntington Ingalls Industries announced the installation of the mast on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of a $2.8 billion overhaul of the ship.

The four-year "refueling and complex overhaul" at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls in Newport News, Va., is now half complete, the company said in a statement on Friday after the 34-foot upper mast was attached. The mast now rises 123 feet above the carrier's flight deck. Work on the vessel is expected to be completed by August 2021.

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"Landing the upper mast is one of the most visible construction milestones in the mid-life refueling overhaul and maintenance availability of an aircraft carrier," said Chris Miner, Newport News' vice president of in-service aircraft carrier programs.

"We are making significant progress with George Washington and look forward to returning a fully recapitalized, mission-ready ship to the fleet for another 25 years of service."

The ship's personnel held a brief ceremony in honor of the achievement, known as mast-stepping. Recognizing an old maritime custom, they placed a coin beneath the ship's mast, and a time capsule containing photos, a piece of the old mast and other artifacts was attached to a metal plate to be welded under the mast.

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The Newport News shipyard is the only private shipyard in the United States capable of a project as large as refurbishing the USS George Washington.

The ship is the sixth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to undergo a major life-cycle overhaul. Before it traveled to Newport News for upgrades, the ship was stationed in Yokohama, Japan.

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