USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is America’s fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The ship was named in honor of our nation’s 16th president and is the second ship in the U.S. Navy to bear his name. The ballistic missile submarine Abraham Lincoln (SSBN 602) was in service 1961-81. Abraham Lincoln’s keel was laid Nov. 3, 1984 at Newport News, VA. Four years later the ship was christened and began a series of performance trials leading up to commissioning Nov. 11, 1989 at Norfolk, VA.
After completing shakedown and acceptance trials, Abraham Lincoln departed Norfolk in Sept. 1990 for an interfleet transfer from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The ship completed a transit around South America with the naval forces of Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
On May 28, 1991, Abraham Lincoln made its maiden deployment nearly four months ahead of schedule in response to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. While en route to the Arabian Gulf, the ship was diverted to support evacuation operations following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, Republic of the Philippines. Operation Fiery Vigil became the largest peacetime evacuation of active duty military personnel and family members in history. Abraham Lincoln led a 23-ship armada that sea lifted 20,000 evacuees. The armada relocated approximately 45,000 people from Subic Bay Naval Station before taking up station in the Arabian Gulf in support of allied and U.S. troops remaining in the region for Operation Desert Storm. CVW-11, the embarked air wing, provided combat air patrol, reconnaissance and support air operations over Kuwait and Iraq.
The ship spent early 1992 in a selected restricted availability (SRA) at Naval Air Station Alameda. It departed again June 15, 1993 on deployment. After a brief port visit to Hong Kong, it returned to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch, the U.N.-sanctioned enforcement of a "No Fly Zone" over Southern Iraq.
In October 1993, Abraham Lincoln was ordered to the coast of Somalia to assist U.N. humanitarian operations. The carrier spent four weeks flying patrols over the city of Mogadishu and surrounding areas, backing American ground troops during Operation Restore Hope. After returning stateside in December 1993, Abraham Lincoln spent several months in SRA and prepared for the next deployment.
In April 1995, Abraham Lincoln departed on its third deployment. The ship made visits to Hong Kong and Singapore on the way to the Arabian Gulf. In the Gulf, the Abraham Lincoln Battle Group lent support to Operation Southern Watch in response to renewed Iraqi military posturing and also participated in Operation Vigilant Sentinel.
Upon returning from deployment, Abraham Lincoln left Alameda, Calif., for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. There, the ship underwent a one-year comprehensive overhaul including a period in dry-dock. Following completion of the project, the ship moved to its current homeport of Everett, Wash. Jan. 8, 1997.
In June 1998, Abraham Lincoln commenced her fourth deployment, spending three months in the Arabian Gulf during the hottest summer on record. Apparent temperatures on the flight deck at midday sometimes reached 150 degrees Fahrenheit! Port visits en route to the Gulf included Hong Kong and Singapore. After several visits to Jebel Ali, UAE, between Operation Southern Watch missions, USS Abraham Lincoln headed home by way of Perth and Hobart, Australia, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, arriving in Everett before the Christmas holiday.
The crew then began a nine-month Interdeployment Training Cycle (IDTC) before participating in RIMPAC 2000, a multinational exercise conducted off the Hawaiian Islands. RIMPAC completed the IDTC and prepared the ship for deployment to the Arabian Gulf. During deployment, the ship spent more than 100 days on station supporting Operation Southern Watch and maritime interception operations.
In April 2001, the ship moved to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a scheduled Planned Incremental Availability period. Completing PIA in October, Abraham Lincoln began workups for its next operational cycle. In July 2002, the ship and air wing deployed to support Operations Enduring Freedom and Southern Watch. On the way, Abe visited Sasebo, Japan; Hong Kong, China; Singapore, and Bahrain.
The deployment turned out to be anything but routine, as the normal six month rotation became a record-setting, extended 10 months. After providing support to OEF and OSW, the Abraham Lincoln paid a much deserved port visit to Perth, Australia. It was then that the determination was made to return to the northern stretches of the Arabian Gulf where the entire carrier battle group and airwing helped deliver the opening salvos and air strikes in Operation Iraqi Freedom. A total of 16,500 sorties were flown during that 10 months, and 1.6 million pounds of ordnance were used during OIF, on top of 265.118 pounds expended during support of OSW and OEF.
Upon arrival in Pearl Harbor, the ship had logged 102,816 nautical miles. Before steaming into San Diego, the deployment was culminated by a visit by the Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush, who welcomed the crew home for a job well done.
Credits: Naval Historical Center / USN
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