Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - Naval Cruise Book

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Upon returning from deployment, ABRAHAM LINCOLN left Alameda, CA for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. There the ship underwent a one-year comprehensive overhaul including a period in drydock. Following completion of the project, the ship moved to its current homeport of Everett, WA on January 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 J ebel Ali, U.A.E., between Operation SOUTHERN WATCH missions, ABE headed home by way of Perth, Australia, Hobart, Tasma- nia, and Pearl Harbor, HI, arriving in Everett before the Christmas holiday. Following a well-deserved break, the ship visited Santa Barbara, CA and Victoria, British Columbia, then commenced a six-month Planned Incremental Availability CPIAJ in Bremerton, WA in April 1999. Following completion of the PIA in September 1999 the crew began a nine-month Inter-De- ployment Training Cycle CIDTCJ during which the ship revisited such ports as Santa Barbara Califomia and Victoria British Columbia before participating in exercise Rim of the Pacific tR1m Pacj 2000 a multi-national exercise conducted off the Hawaiian Islands RIMPAC completed the IDTC and prepared ABRAHAM LINCOLN for its Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf deployment g Au ust 17 2000

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With Operation FIERY VIGIL completed, the ship took up station in the Ara- bian Gulf in support of allied and U.S. troops remaining in the region for Operation DESERT STORM. CVW-ll, the embarked air Wing, provided air combat patrol, reconnaissance,1010 and support air operations over Kuwait and Iraq. ABRAHAM LINCOLN remained in the Gulf for more than three months. The ship spent early l992 in a selected restricted availability QSRAJ at Naval Air Station Alameda. It deployed again June 15, l993 for the Western Pacific. 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 uno-fly zone over Southern Iraq. In October l993, 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 from deployment in December 1993 ABRAHAM LINCOLN spent several months in SRA and prepared for the next deployment ln April 1995 ABRAHAM LINCOLN departed on its third Western Pacific deployment The ship made visits to Hong Kong and Singapore on the Way to the Arabian Gulf ln the Gulf ABRAHAM LINCOLN lent su rtt O t SOUTH- ERN WATCH in response to renewed Ira i mil t ppo O pew lon ' U Q Cl 1 ary posturing The Abraham Lin- coln Battle Group also participated in Operation VIGILANT SENTINEL

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Opposite top: A View Of the ship s island structure cocooned by scaffolding and miscellaneous crane equipment. Opposite bottom left and fight: Lincoln sailors and shipyard Workers team up for some much needed rehab Work. Above: Captain J.J. Quinn addresses members of the crew during a Captain 's Call concerning the upcoming PIA period. Right: A Lincoln sailor boards one of several buses used to transport ship 's company to and hom the shipyard facility in Bremerton. Following a highly successful 1998 Western Pacific deployment, the ship proceeded to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington for a SIX-lT1OH'Eh Planned Incremental Availability, or PIA. From April to September the shipyardlAbraham Lincoln team Worked increased air conditioning capacity, installation of diligently on projects to include an a metal and glass shredder system, replacement of Jet Blast Deflector F our, berthing upgrades, and the in- stallation of a mezzanine fitness facility. All projects were completed on time, and the ship departed the shipyard two Weeks ahead of schedule. A comprehensive commuting plan -- the largest ever undertaken by the Navy -- ensured that approximately 1,000 sailors per day reached the shipyard on time from various communities in the Puget Sound region. The ship Worked closely with Washington State bus lines and ferries to ensure the success of this signifi- cant project. Some sailors used the commute to study, others to catch up with shipmates, and others to sleep -- but all enjoyed the three-day Weekends the command provided in com en t' P sa ion for the many hours spent on the road.