Warship Essex getting $108 million overhaul at NASSCO

Written b Gary Robbins
6:10 p.m., Sept. 26, 2012


This Navy file photo shows the Essex sailing in the Singapore Strait in 2008. US Navy

The amphibious assault ship Essex -- which experienced a collision at sea in May while en route to its new homeport of San Diego -- will undergo a $107 million overhaul at General Dynamics-NASSCO, the largest repair job the yard has done in almost two years. The overhaul is largely meant to fix and upgrade a ship that's gotten a lot of wear and tear while transporting Marines, and handling air operations from Harrier jets and helicopters.

The Essex spent about 12 years forward deployed in Japan, where its service included providing humanitarian relief after a 9.0 earthquake hit that country in March 2011. A deadly tsunami followed. The 847-foot warship was earlier home-ported in San Diego, and had carried out several deployments to the western Pacific, including Operation Southern Watch, in which the ship helped enforce a no-fly zone over southern Iraq led by the United Nations.

Esssex shifted back to San Diego this spring, and the San Diego-ship Bonhomme Richard took her place in Japan. Bonhomme Richard underwent a $100 million overhaul at NASSCO in late 2010 and early 2011. In May, Essex collided with the tanker Yukon during a refueling operation off Southern California. Capt. Chuck Litchfield, the commander of Essex, was later fired by the Navy.

The Defense Department announced earlier this week that NASSCO also has been awarded $18.3 million to upgrade the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship Makin Island.

Warship Essex getting $108 million overhaul at NASSCO | UTSanDiego.com