US Navy seeks funding increase for aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis…

The US Navy is requesting additional funding for the overhaul work on aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis to cover costs associated with the ship's redelivery delay. (US Navy)

The US Navy (USN) is requesting an additional USD731.7 million for the refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis (CVN 74) to cover costs associated with the delayed redelivery date for the ship, according to USN officials and the service's Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request documents released on 11 March.

This extension will hold up labour resources for the upcoming RCOH for carrier USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75), leading to a delay in the start of that work, USN officials told Janes .

The USN awarded HII's Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) a USD2.9 billion contract in February 2021 for the RCOH work on Stennis , with an expected redelivery in the third quarter of 2025. The navy had previously awarded a USD187.5 million contract in August 2018 to start engineering, pre-overhaul inspections, design, material purchasing, and fabrication work.

However, the ship's redelivery is now set for October 2026, a delay of more than a year, according to USN budget documents.

“The change in redelivery schedule for USS John C Stennis (CVN 74) is primarily a reflection of growth work discovered after the ship arrived and challenges within the supply base,” NNS spokesperson Todd Corillo told Janes on 3 April.

“The combined NNS and navy team is working with urgency to recapitalise CVN 74 and is committed to redelivering a fully capable carrier and the crew back to the fleet as soon as possible,” Corillo said.