Iran Is Freaking Out Over The Second US Carrier On Its Way To The Gulf

[MADem]

50. It went through RCOH* in 1990.

It's not falling apart at the seams or unsafe in any way. It's simply less efficient than it could be, given advances in technology and shipbuilding. If we were in an austerity situation or wartime footing, it could serve for another decade easily.

*RCOH: Refueling Complex Overhaul--they essentially pull the thing apart and rebuild it.

Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) is a process for refueling and upgrading nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the US Navy. The nuclear reactors that power some aircraft carriers typically use up their nuclear fuel about halfway through their desired 50-year life spans. Because carriers can last so long before being retired, they are refueled and refurbished with an RCOH to extend their usable lifetime. At the same time a ship is refueled, it is given a complex overhaul in which broken or worn parts are repaired or replaced and systems are modernized. The modernization typically includes an upgrade of ship’s combat systems and warfighting capabilities, its internal distribution systems are upgraded, and allowance is made for future upgrades over the ship’s remaining operational service life. Given the size of an aircraft carrier and the number of systems and subsystems it has, an RCOH is extremely complex, costly (several billion dollars), and time-consuming. Each RCOH is planned to take almost three years.[2][3][4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refueling_and_Overhaul#Refueling_and_Complex_Overhaul