Navy opens carrier refueling overhaul work center with ribbon-cutting

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Navy and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding have opened a new Carrier Refueling Overhaul Workcenter, marking a stepped-up effort to support Sailors and keep the fleet’s largest warships on schedule through major maintenance periods. The ceremony took place June 25 and highlighted the Acting Secretary of the Navy’s focus on quality-of-life and readiness initiatives.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby delivered remarks at the event alongside Kari Wilkinson, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. The shipbuilder is the Navy’s sole producer of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and the yard responsible for midlife refueling and overhaul work on the Nimitz-class.

The Carrier Refueling Overhaul Workcenter is intended to bolster collaboration between the Navy and the yard during the yearslong maintenance milestones that refuel a carrier’s reactors and modernize combat systems, propulsion, and shipboard infrastructure. Such overhauls are central to sustaining carrier availability across the fleet’s 11-ship force.

The opening comes as the Navy works to reduce maintenance backlogs and improve predictability across public-private industrial bases. By consolidating resources and coordination for carrier refueling overhauls at Newport News, leaders aim to strengthen both ship readiness and support for Sailors assigned to extended yard periods.