bobdina
07-08-2010, 11:19 AM
Posted : Wednesday Jul 7, 2010 13:02:50 EDT
When the cruiser Chosin becomes the fleet’s latest ship to undergo an extensive mid-life upgrade next year, it won’t need to travel to San Diego or even Norfolk, Va., to get the work done — the ship, its crew members and their families can keep their Hawaiian lifestyle.
Naval Sea Systems Command announced July 1 that Chosin would get the upgrade at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, in the first cruiser-mod performed there. The only cruiser so far to finish an upgrade, Bunker Hill, underwent its modernization in San Diego.
Chosin is set to undergo the $50 million cruiser-mod starting in January, and like its predecessors, will receive many improvements to give the ship the latest high-tech gear and a more comfortable seagoing home for its sailors.
On the tactical side, the yard period will enable engineers to disconnect Chosin’s hardware and software, meaning that for the first time, the ship can get regular combat system upgrades without needing to also get whole new computers. On the lifestyle side, Chosin will lose its waste heat boilers and get new electric auxiliaries, drastically cutting the need for steam-pipe maintenance and increasing the amount of fresh water for the crew. When Bunker Hill underwent its cruiser-mod, it also freed up space for a new shipboard gym.
The Chosin upgrade will require between 500 and 600 additional workers, the announcement said.
The Navy hopes to eventually upgrade all 22 Ticonderoga-class cruisers, to give them the newest equipment and increase the likelihood they’ll serve until the end of their 35-year service lives.
When the cruiser Chosin becomes the fleet’s latest ship to undergo an extensive mid-life upgrade next year, it won’t need to travel to San Diego or even Norfolk, Va., to get the work done — the ship, its crew members and their families can keep their Hawaiian lifestyle.
Naval Sea Systems Command announced July 1 that Chosin would get the upgrade at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, in the first cruiser-mod performed there. The only cruiser so far to finish an upgrade, Bunker Hill, underwent its modernization in San Diego.
Chosin is set to undergo the $50 million cruiser-mod starting in January, and like its predecessors, will receive many improvements to give the ship the latest high-tech gear and a more comfortable seagoing home for its sailors.
On the tactical side, the yard period will enable engineers to disconnect Chosin’s hardware and software, meaning that for the first time, the ship can get regular combat system upgrades without needing to also get whole new computers. On the lifestyle side, Chosin will lose its waste heat boilers and get new electric auxiliaries, drastically cutting the need for steam-pipe maintenance and increasing the amount of fresh water for the crew. When Bunker Hill underwent its cruiser-mod, it also freed up space for a new shipboard gym.
The Chosin upgrade will require between 500 and 600 additional workers, the announcement said.
The Navy hopes to eventually upgrade all 22 Ticonderoga-class cruisers, to give them the newest equipment and increase the likelihood they’ll serve until the end of their 35-year service lives.