Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - Naval Cruise Book

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!-«» ' .M Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin at Hagenville, Kentucky, a slave state, on February 12, 1809. In 18T8, when Lincoln was only 9 vears old his mother Nancy Hanks Lincoln died. His father, Thomas Lincoln, remarried and his step- mother, Sarah Bush, would exert great influence on his charac- ter . The stories of Lincoln readmg by firelight are of almost mythical proportions. With very limited formal schooling Lincoln became a master of the english language. From these meager beginnings came one of the greatest states- men this country, and this world, has ever seen. Lincoln served as a captain in the Blackhawk war, four terms in the Illinois State Legislature and one term in congress. Twice defeated for the United States Senate, he was twice elected President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln served his country during one of its most bloody and trying times. As Commander in chief , the victory of the ' Union over the Confederacy was his, and he had every right to treat the southern states wi ' th malice and contempt. He, instead, treated them with dignity and honor, gladly accepting their return to the union. He did not view them as enemies but as brothers. He did not exalt in their defeat but gloried that the nation ...shall not perish . Abraham Lincoln was a man who loved his country with a devotion which is hard to imagine. Probably his most famous speech, his Ge ttysburg address, did not speak of ending slavery but of preserving the country. He did not feel the war was about ideologies and human rights, it was a test of whether the union woula remain intact and alive. His analogy of a house divided showed eloquently that he viewed the south with the love of family. After Lincoln ' s death, the victim of an assassin ' s bullet, then Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton declared of him, Now he belongsto the ages. ■ W ' ■■ ??, w- mmbmtmim Above: Sketch of Abraham lincoln while President of the Unted States BeloiK The USS Abraham Linailn ' s Lincoln Room l ; a space on the ship dedicated to the memory ' of the 1 hth President. Rij; i(. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. . stands so all people m.u Iv reminded of this great man ' s contributions to his country. -r .- - iK .-; «9llr r

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ISB 4 I IM LJSS Abraham Lincoln is the Navy ' s most advanced class of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, yet ft is more than just a man-o- war. It is a legend, a ship of the line, a ship with pride and personnhty which is second to none. The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. The keel waslaid on November 3, 1984 and the ship was christened and launched on February 13, 1988. Mrs. JoAnn Krukar Webb, wife of the then Secretary of the Navy, James H. Webb, stood on a platform and struck a ' bottle of champagne across the carrier ' s bow. The great warship slid into the water for the first time as a navy band plaved. From that traditional ceremony until today, the carrier has proven itself worthy of the name, Abraham Lincoln. The history of the Abraham Lincoln legend begins with the ship ' s construction. Forty-million man-hours by 30,000 shipyard employees went into the carrier ' s modular-style construction. Abraham Lincoln was built in sections, or modules, like a three dimensional jigaw puzzle. The huge building blocks of CVN-72 were hoisted into place by a massive crane and then welded section by section. Extensive pre-outfitting made Abraham Lincoln easier to build. The carrier ' s designers and builders took their inspired assembly process from lessons learned building other Nimitz-class CVNs. Following sea trials m September 1989, preparation for the ship ' s commissioning began. Guests would include the honorable Secretary of Defence, Ricriard Cheney; ship ' s sponsor, JoAnn Webb; Governor James R. Thompson, Admiral Carlisle A.H. Trost, Chief of Naval Operations; as well as several members of the Illinois Commissioning Committee and other dignitaries. The ceremony took place on November 1 1, 1989. The legend was instilled in the carrier when the CNO commissioned Abraham Lincoln as a ship of the line and instructed the ship to come alive. The legend was carried onboard in the heart of each crewmember who raced up the brow to man the rail of the carrier. The commissioning pcnant was raised and the carrier officially became USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) .•. ' v. . . Wi C« w