{"id":27101,"date":"2020-02-28T19:50:53","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T19:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/28\/video-73-burns-bright-and-beautiful-again-from-carrier-george-washingtons-island\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:23:19","slug":"video-73-burns-bright-and-beautiful-again-from-carrier-george-washingtons-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2020\/02\/28\/video-73-burns-bright-and-beautiful-again-from-carrier-george-washingtons-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Video: \u201873\u2019 burns bright and beautiful again from carrier George Washington\u2019s island"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After more than 2 \u00bd years spent undergoing its midlife nuclear refueling, hull number \u201c73\u201d glows again on board the aircraft carrier George Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 244 light bulbs on the island\u2019s port and starboard sides were flipped on during a ceremony Wednesday at Huntington Ingalls Industries\u2019 Newport News Shipbuilding<\/a> in Hampton Roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the first time CVN-73\u2032s hull number had shone from the island since it began its refueling and complex overhaul in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud of the progress being made on George Washington,\u201d Todd West, the George Washington program director for Newport News, said in a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a significant milestone in the ship\u2019s overhaul that brings us closer to delivering the ship to the fleet, where the hull lights will be one of the most recognizable and enduring symbols of our freedom for the next 25 years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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The island lights of aircraft carrier George Washington were relit during a ceremony Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

George Washington is the sixth Nimitz-class carrier to go through the mid-life maintenance session, known as a Refueling and Complex Overhaul<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when a carrier\u2019s nuclear reactors are refueled and the flattop undergoes significant repairs and upgrades that are expected to breathe another 25 years of life into the warship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The carrier\u2019s overhaul is about 70 percent completed and now is going through outfitting and testing, the shipyard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving the ship\u2019s crew and our shipyard counterparts on hand to observe this ceremony is symbolic of the teamwork required to make an event like this a success,\u201d added Capt. Kenneth Strong, George Washington\u2019s commanding officer, in a statement released by the carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a powerful visual reminder that George Washington is coming back to life and is well on her way to returning back to the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t