NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Repair work on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is behind schedule.
Defense News reports the GW is one year behind at Newport News Shipbuilding.
The ship entered the yard for its mid-life complex overhaul and nuclear refueling in 2017. The job was supposed to be completed in 2021.
Among the reasons cited for the delay: labor issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workers at the shipyard have been overhauling and upgrading the ship's combat systems and other warfighting capabilities, improving its material condition, and refueling its reactors.
The publication said the work is now more than 92 percent complete, and the ship should be delivered to the Navy in December. In a statement, Danny Hernandez, a Newport News Shipbuilding spokesman, said the company has increased resources and extended the use of overtime.