I saw a very disturbing picture in FR one night. It was within the past year or even six months. IIRC five of our carriers sitting at the NOB Piers in Norfolk and two were in a shipyard readiness posture.
... One was being prepped for reactor refueling I think.
I remember that picture too. IIRC the carriers were the just-deactivated Enterprise (being stripped of equipment), the Abraham Lincoln (also being stripped of equipment, as she was going in for refueling), the Theodore Roosevelt (just out of refueling and having equipment placed aboard), the Bush (just returned from a deployment) and the Eisenhower (or maybe it was Truman ... just about to depart from a deployment). The Navy was basically moving a lot of equipment between the carriers and into NOB Norfolk storage, and said it was an incredibly unique and fleeting situation.
Ike just got back from that deployment the other day. Navy.mil has pics of the arrival posted. Looks like two other CVNs (Bush and Truman), plus two Wasps, two San Antonios, and a bunch of other escorts/replenishment ships:
Looks like that might be Pier 12 it's pulling into. Pier 10 is the next one up then 7. Pier 10 was added in the mid 1980's so I've heard. Not really a good carrier pier due to being so out in the open to the eind. 12 & 7 are more ptotected.
Using N.O.B as a shipyard is gonna bite them on the butt eventually. Shipyard work carries with is extra risk meaning needing extra support at the facility in case of emergencies.
Thanks for the info I knew I'd seen the pictures I was speaking of. There are a few more too like 4 in a row in numerical order. N.O.B. should not have more than three carriers there ever for any reason. The Navy has a carrier pier in Mayport, Florida or did if it's still there.