Although the Navy’s newest super carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has been garnering most of the attention lately, another carrier named after a president, the Nimitz class USS Harry S. Truman, just crossed a significant hurdle toward returning to full duty.

The USS Harry S. Truman recently completed a significant overhaul intended to ensure it is combat ready for years to come.  Although the new Ford class carriers may be the future of the Navy, with only one nearing service, the brunt of the American Navy’s carrier load remains squarely on the shoulders of Nimitz class carriers like the Truman – meaning their maintenance and repair schedule are of the utmost importance.

The Truman’s most recent “planned incremental availability” (PIA) period, or the extent of time it was down for repairs and maintenance, began in September of 2016.  Over the past ten months, the ship underwent a series of upgrades to its internal and external communications systems, as well as the implementation of more than 3,000 Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) assets, which can be thought of as a sort of operating system for the vessel.  A number of other repairs, including some to the nuclear reactors that power the behemoth, were also completed.

“There was a ton of work to be done, but all hands did an excellent job of executing their mission.” USS Harry S. Truman’s maintenance manager Lt. Cmdr. Jeremiah Nelson said.  “We had a lot of people on this project and they all helped to ensure this ship re-entered the fleet operating at its maximum potential.”