Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - Naval Cruise Book

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The carrier embarked with Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW 14) in San Diego and headed across the Pacific with the other ships from the battle group. What set this deployment apart from others is the operational debut of next generation Navy technologies. Implementation of these technolo- gies is based on the Chief of Naval Operations ' vision, Sea Power 21 , which builds on U.S. strengths such as information superiority, sea control, fire power and persistence. This deploy- ment represented the largest number of innova- tions in a single battle group in recent history. ABRAHAM LINCOLN relieved the George Washington Battle Group in the Persian Gulf on or about September 11, 2002 and conducted opera- tions in support of Southern Watch for nearly three months when it departed the Gulf and tran- sited out of the region after being relieved by the Constellation. The ship earned the Battle E award for 2002, even with turnovers in leadership. Commanding Officer Capt. Kendall Card took command upon entering 5th fleet in November 2002, three months into deployment. The day after taking command, CVW-14 aircraft launched from his new ship to fly strike missions in the (then) south- ern no-fly zone over Iraq. By mid December 2002 the Lincoln had been relieved by the USS Constellation and began tran- siting back to the United States. On December 18 she was in the Indian Ocean headed for Australia. She arrived in Fremantle on December 22 for a port call where she remained until December 26. In late December reports from the Navy sur- faced indicating that a carrier, either the Lincoln or the Kitty Hawk would be redeployed to the Per- sian Gulf as tensions escalated between raq and the U.S. At that time it was unclear if the Lincoln would remain deployed or if they had just been alerted of the possibility. On December 30 the Lincoln Battle Group was located south of Austra- lia. On December 31, new reports indicated that the Lincoln had indeed been ordered to remain at sea and to redeploy for the Gulf. On January 2, 2003, according to Navy documents, the Lincoln was reported to be Northwest of Australia. On January 3, 2003 the Western Australian Newspa- per reported that the Lincoln would be returning to Fremantle for an extended stay for repairs and maintenance before it would redeploy for the Per- sian Gulf. In the first 1 7 days of Operation Enduring Free- dom (OEF) alone, CVW 14 dropped more than 1 .3 million pounds of ordnance. The ABRAHAM LINCOLN Strike Group and CVW 14 began heading home for their respective homeports April 9th, following an extended de- ployment that was the longest for a carrier in three decades. During the deployment ABRA- HAM LINCOLN ' S Reactor Department worked overtime to continue to produce all the water used for galleys, showers, laundry, drinking and cata- pults. To keep up with the increased tempo of wartime operations they turned sea water into 80 million gallons of usable water. Drinking water in conjunction with 47.5 million sodas and 42,300 gallons of milk, helped wash down 50,600 lbs. of chicken 27,272 lbs. of steak, 16,000 lbs. of shrimp and 29,000 lbs. of hamburgers over the course of the deployment. USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) returned home May 6, 2003 after nearly 10 months on de- ployment and enjoyed the honor of the first presi- dential landing on an aircraft carrier by President George W. Bush forever remembered by the American public by the phrase Mission Accom- plished. Reports from the Associated Press in mid-May indicated that the Lincoln was to undergo nearly

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1 ;k 1 i - ' ' - ' •: II ' ■-■■ ' W! ft - j ; — nr ' - ■■ - ' - ij ' 1 1 1 ' «1 ™- on its third Western Pacific deployment. The ship made visits to Hong Kong and Singapore on the The ABRAHAM LINCOLN Battle Group, under the command of Rear Adm. Phillip Balisle, was comprised of the carrier, which served as the command ship for the battle group, and eight other vessels. On February 10, 2001, USS ABRAHAM LIN- aTTaiWTaI at B I AT Jl H FVVaaTATal ■ a BA 1 ment to an end as the carrier arrived in its home- transit phase, port visits to Hong Kong, Singa Iill[«lVillI«M »]|ll ]HIWiM8j Ship moved to its current homeport of Everett, Washington January 8, 1997. In June 1998, ABRAHAM LINCOLN com- to fight and maintain vigilance over the air space in the no-fly zone over Iraq. Only two port visits were made while the carrier was in the Arabian the flight deck at midday sometimes reached 150 home by way of Perth, Australia, Hobart, Tasma- nia and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, arriving in Everett before the Christmas Holiday. Following a break, the ship visited Santa Bar- bara, California, then commenced a six-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) in Bremer- ton, Washington in April 1999. After completion of the PIA in September 1 999, Abe participated in Fleet Week ' 99 in San Francisco, California. The crew then began a nine-month Inter-Deployment Training Cycle (IDTC) during which the ship re- visited Santa Barbara and Victoria before partici- pating in RIMPAC 2000, a multinational exercise conducted off the Hawaiian Islands. RIMPAC completed the IDTC and prepared the ship for WESTPAC 2000, a major deployment to the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf. The USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) left port August 17, 2000 for a scheduled six-month Western Pacific (WESTPAC) and Arabian Gulf deployment. The carrier was joined the following week off the coast of Southern California by Car- rier Air Wing 14 (CVW 14). The carrier and nine- squadron air wing spent the majority of the de- ployment in the Arabian Gulf supporting Opera- tion Southern Watch which included the enforce- ment of the no fly zone over Southern Iraq. necessary to fly nearly 1 ,, carrier began its transit across the Pacific. In April of 2001, the ship moved to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a scheduled six-month Planned Increment al Availability. After complet- ing PIA in October, ABRAHAM LINCOLN began workup exercises for its next deployment. Sailors and Officers headed to the Arabian Gulf in sup- port of Operation Enduring Freedom in late July 2002.

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10.5 months of maintenance and yard time to re- cover from the 02-3 deployment. That would make the Lincoln available as an emergency surge carrier no sooner than June 2004. On June 10, 2003 the Department of Defense released that a contract had been signed be- tween the Navy and Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp. for a Phased Incremental Availability for the Lincoln with work to be completed by May 2004. The aim of the contract was to provide year-round maintenance so as to maximize vessel readiness. USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group arrived in San Diego October 16, 2004 before deploying on October 19, 2004 to support Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet operations and theatre security cooperation initiatives. The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group deployed with the following San Diego based ships: the cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67), commanded by Capt. Joe Harris; and the de- stroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65), commanded by Cmdr. Don Hornbeck. Other ships deployed with the Lincoln Carrier Strike Group onclude the Everett, Washington based destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), led by Cmdr. Alexander T. Casimes; the Pearl Harbor based attack submarine USS Louisville (SSN 724), under the command of Cmdr. David Kirk; and the fast combat support ship USS Rainier (AOE 7), based in Bremerton, Washington. USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group was dispatched to provide support to hu- manitarian relief operations following the devastation caused by the December 26, 2004 Asian Tsu- nami. USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN reached the Java Sea on December 30, 2004. The ABRAHAM LINCOLN ' S surgical wards, engineering and construction capabilities, in addition to water purification equipment and helicopters were expected to provide much-needed assistance in relief operations, but also search and rescue missions as well as ferrying of supplies to disaster areas. After several months of restricted availability in its homeport of Everett, Wash., USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) began its inter-deployment work-up and surge sustainment training during the summer of 2005. Following a successful Bureau of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) evaluation in January 2006, ABRAHAM LINCOLN deployed February 27, 2006 to the Western Pacific Ocean to conduct training and exercises in support of the United States ' commitment to fostering good relations with Rim of the Pacific nations, exercising joint operability, and ensuring freedom of navigation in the Pacific In March the ABRAHAM LINCOLN Strike Group participated in Exercise Foal Eagle with the Re- public of Korea navy. The Strike Group took part in Valiant Shield off the coast of Guam in June with the Ronald Reagan and Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Groups. In July ABRAHAM LINCOLN joined several nations in the Hawaiian Operating Area for the RIMPAC exercise. The Strike Group also conducted two passing exercises with the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. In April ABRAHAM LINCOLN made a port call in Hong Kong, China, and shortly aftenA ard became the first U.S. Carrier to pull pierside in Laemb Chabang, Thailand. Other port calls were made to Sin- gapore, Japan, and Hawaii. ABRAHAM LINCOLN deployed with USS Shoup (DDG 86), commanded by Cmdr. Christopher Halton, USS Russell (DDG 59), commanded by Cmdr. James W. Kilby and the cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CCG 53), commanded by Capt. Thomas Carney. - —