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USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)

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Career (US)
USS Abraham Lincoln conducting combat operations in support of Operation Southern Watch, 28 November 2002
Ordered:	27 December 1982
Laid down:	3 November 1984
Launched:	13 February 1988
Commissioned:	11 November 1989
Status:	active in service
Homeport:	NS Everett, Washington
General Characteristics
Displacement:	101,000 to 104,000 tons full load
Length:	Overall: 1,092 ft (333 m) Waterline: 1,040 ft (317 m)
Beam:	Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m) Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m)
Draught:	Maximum navigational: 37 ft (11.3 m) Limit: 41 ft (12.5 m)
Propulsion and power:	2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors 4 × steam turbines 4 × shafts 260,000 shp (194 MW)
Speed:	30+ knots (56+ km/h)
Range:	Essentially unlimited
Complement:	Ship's company: 3,200 Air wing: 2,480
Sensors and processing systems:	SPS-48E 3-D air search radar SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar Mk 23 target acquisition radar 2 × SPN-46 air traffic control radars SPN-43B air traffic control radar SPN-44 landing aid radars 3 × Mk 91 NSSM guidance systems 3 × Mk 95 radars
Electronic warfare and decoys:	SLQ-32(V)4 jamming/deception suite Mk36 SRBOC decoy RL SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures
Armament:	2 × Mk 29 Sea Sparrow 2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile 3 × Phalanx CIWS
Armour:	Unknown
Aircraft and aviation facilities:	90 fixed wing and helicopters
Motto:	Shall not Perish
Nickname:	Abe

The second USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), nicknamed "Abe", is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier in the United States Navy. The ship is named after former president Abraham Lincoln. Its home port is Everett, Washington.

1 Ship history
2 Cultural references
3 See also
4 External link

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Ship history

Abe's contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding on 27 December 1982; her keel was laid down 3 November 1984 at Newport News, Virginia. The ship was launched on 13 February 1988 and commissioned on 11 November 1989.

Abraham Lincoln was transferred to the Pacific, in September 1990. Its maiden Western Pacific deployment came unexpectedly on 28 May 1991 in response to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

While heading toward the Indian Ocean, the ship was diverted to support evacuation operations after Mount Pinatubo erupted on Luzon island in the Philippines. In support of Operation Fiery Vigil, Lincoln led a 23-ship armada that moved over 45,000 people from the Subic Bay Naval Station to the port of Cebu in the Visayas. It was the largest peacetime evacuation of active military personnel and their families in history.

After Fiery Vigil, Lincoln steamed toward the Persian Gulf, to run reconnaissance and combat air patrols in Iraq and Kuwait, assisting allied and US troops involved with Desert Storm.

In early 1992, the ship supported Operation Southern Watch, the United Nations-sanctioned "no fly zone" over southern Iraq.

In October 1993, the carrier was ordered to the coast of Somalia to assist UN humanitarian operations. For four weeks, Abraham Lincoln flew air patrols over Mogadishu in support of Operation Restore Hope.

Abraham Lincoln was to be the first carrier to integrate female aviators into the crew after the Combat Exclusion Laws were lifted on 28 April 1993. The ship left San Diego on 24 October 1994, to begin refresher training. The next day, Kara Spears Hultgreen, first female F-14 Tomcat pilot, died when her plane crashed into the sea on final approach due to a combination of engine malfunction and the pilot's decision to veer away from the flight deck upon power loss, thus greatly reducing the danger to the ship and its crew.

Abraham Lincoln's third deployment began in April 1995 when Lincoln was sent to the Persian Gulf, where the ship assisted in Southern Watch and in Operation Vigilant Sentinel.

Abraham Lincoln began a fourth deployment in June 1998. Once again, the ship headed for the Persian Gulf in support of Southern Watch. The ship spent three months in the gulf during one of the hottest summers in recent years. Temperatures on the flight deck were reported at 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 °C).

In 1999 the ship participated in several internal Navy exercises, then again deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Southern Watch. On this deployment, the carrier, air wing and battle group ships earned the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation. Additionally the ship earned the prestigious Arleigh Burke Award as the most improved command in the Pacific Fleet.

Abraham Lincoln was in port on 11 September 2001. It put to sea on 20 July 2002 to support Operation Enduring Freedom. It took up station once more in support of Operation Southern Watch before taking a port visit to Perth, Western Australia. It was during this time that the Lincoln was ordered to the Persian Gulf to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This forced the Navy to extend Lincoln's stay from 20 January 2003 to 6 May, 2003.

Abraham Lincoln and the carrier battle group and airwing helped deliver the opening salvos and air strikes in Operation Iraqi Freedom. During its deployment, some 16,500 sorties were flown and 1.6 million pounds of ordnance used. The carrier returned home in May 2003, in the process receiving a visit from President George W. Bush before officially ending Lincoln's deployment by docking at San Diego.

Abraham Lincoln departed for her next voyage on 15 October 2004. The carrier was on a port call in Hong Kong when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck southern Asia on 26 December 2004. To help with the international relief effort and assist with search and rescue efforts already underway, the Lincoln deployed to the hard hit western coast of Sumatra to provide humanitarian assistance for Operation Unified Assistance.

In mid-January 2005 the carrier left Indonesia after the Indonesian government refused to allow fighter pilots assigned to Lincoln to conduct air patrols and training flights. By law US carrier-based pilots must practice at least once every two to three weeks to remain "fit", otherwise they are grounded. Despite the move into international waters, Lincoln continued to provide support to the region until 4 February. During the carrier's 33 days on station, it and its strike group delivered 5.7 million pounds of relief supplies. The 17 helicopters attached to group flew 1,747 relief missions along the western coast of Sumatra. The carrier's departure coincided with the arrival of the hospital ship Mercy.

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Cultural references

In the 2003 movie The Core, Abraham Lincoln makes an appearance in a search-and-rescue mission; while not mentioned by name, "CVN-72" caps are readily apparent in scenes on the bridge.
In Tom Clancy's novel Debt of Honor, Abraham Lincoln is one of two carriers sent to protect Sri Lanka from the Indian Navy.
In Tom Clancy's novel Executive Orders, Abraham Lincoln is one of two carriers moved to China to establish a U.S. presence after an airliner is shot down.
The 2005 movie Stealth features a trio of US Navy pilots that are assigned to Abraham Lincoln.