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USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' (CVN-72) is the fifth in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
. She is the second Navy ship to have been named after the former President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
. Her home port is
NAS North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...
, San Diego, California; she is a member of the
United States Pacific Fleet The United States Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) is a theater-level component command of the United States Navy, located in the Pacific Ocean. It provides naval forces to the Indo-Pacific Command. Fleet headquarters is at Joint Base Pearl Harbor� ...
. She is administratively responsible to Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, and operationally serves as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...
of
Carrier Strike Group 3 Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3 or CARSTRKGRU 3) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. The aircraft carrier is the group's current flagship. Other units a ...
and host to
Carrier Air Wing Nine Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The Air Wing is currently assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The Tail Code of aircraft assigned to C ...
. She was returned to the fleet on 12 May 2017, marking the successful completion of her
Refueling and complex overhaul In the United States Navy, Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) refers to a lengthy refitting process or procedure performed on nuclear-powered naval ships, which involves replacement of expended nuclear fuel with new fuel and a general maintenance f ...
(RCOH) carried out at Newport News Shipyard. On 1 April 2019, USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' was deployed to the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
as the flagship for
Carrier Strike Group 12 Carrier Strike Group Twelve (CSG-12 or CARSTRKGRU 12) is one of four U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpow ...
and
Carrier Air Wing Seven Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. At the moment, CVW-7 is assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush. The tail code of aircraft assigned to CVW-7 is AG. Mis ...
assigned to her.


''Abraham Lincoln'' Carrier Strike Group

''Abraham Lincoln'' is part of Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG-3) with
Carrier Air Wing Nine Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The Air Wing is currently assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The Tail Code of aircraft assigned to C ...
(CVW-9) embarked, with ''Abraham Lincoln'' as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...
of the strike group and the home of the commander of
Destroyer Squadron 21 A destroyer squadron is a naval squadron or flotilla usually consisting of destroyers rather than other types of vessel. In some navies other vessels, such as frigates, may be included. In English the word "squadron" tends to be used for larger an ...
.


Ships of Destroyer Squadron 21

* – * – ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer * – ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer * – ''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer


Squadrons of CVW-9

* Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (
VFA-41 Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) also known as the "Black Aces", is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, flying the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet. They are attached t ...
) "Black Aces" with
Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more adv ...
s * Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (
VFA-14 The Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14) "Tophatters" are a United States Navy fighter attack squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. They fly the F/A-18E Super Hornet, and are the Navy's oldest active squadron, having formed in 1919. The ...
) "Tophatters" with F/A-18E Super Hornets * Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (
VMFA-314 Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) is a United States Marine Corps F-35C Lightning II squadron. The squadron, known as the "Black Knights", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine ...
) "Black Knights" with
Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
s * Strike Fighter Squadron 151 (
VFA-151 Strike Fighter Squadron One Five One (VFA-151) nicknamed the ''Vigilantes'' are a United States Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The squadron is a part of Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9). A ...
) "Vigilantes" with F/A-18E Super Hornets * Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (
VAQ-133 Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (VAQ-133) is an EA-18G Growler squadron of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. Beginning in 2013, the squadron began the transition from the EA-6B to the EA-18G. Upon complet ...
) "Wizards" with
Boeing EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowlers in service with the United States Navy. The ...
s * Carrier
Airborne Early Warning Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
Squadron 117 (
VAW-117 Airborne Command & Control Squadron 117 (VAW-117) is an airborne early warning (AEW) squadron. Nicknamed "The Wallbangers" (formerly "The Nighthawks"), it flies the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, E-2D Hawkeye, the USN's only carrier-based command a ...
) "Wallbangers" with Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeyes * Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14 (
HSC-14 Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14 (HSC-14) "Chargers" is an aviation unit of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station North Island, California United States of America, (USA). HSC-14 was established as Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron ...
) "Chargers" with Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawks * Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (
HSM-71 Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Seven One (HSM-71) is a United States Navy helicopter squadron based at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. Nicknamed the "Raptors", they are attached to Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) and de ...
) "Raptors" with MH-60R Seahawks * Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 2 (
VRM-30 VRM-30 is a Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron of the United States Navy. The squadron was established on December 14, 2018 at Naval Air Station North Island, California but did not gain any aircraft until June 22, 2020, the aircraft being a C ...
) "Titans" with
Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...


Ship history


Construction

''Abraham Lincoln''s contract was awarded to
Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and sole designer, builder and refueler of United States Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Nav ...
on 27 December 1982; her keel was laid 3 November 1984 at
Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the U ...
. The ship was launched on 13 February 1988 and commissioned on 11 November 1989. She cost $4.726 billion in 2010 dollars.


1990 to 1999

''Abraham Lincoln'' was transferred to the Pacific in September 1990 performing
Gringo-Gaucho Gringo-Gaucho are a contingent set of maneuvers performed between the Argentine Naval Aviation and United States Navy's aircraft carriers. The US Navy refers to them as Southern Seas in their last edition. Gringo and Gaucho are linguistic and fo ...
with the
Argentine Naval Aviation ) Gulf War , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = President , commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief , commander2 ...
during the transit. From 4 October, ''Abraham Lincoln'' formed CTG 24.8 in company with ; 6 October transit with and ''Doyle'' in company. On 5 November 1990, as ''Abraham Lincoln'' was anchored in
Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
,
Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez Frente! (or Frente) were an Australian folk- pop and indie pop group which originally formed in 1989. The original line-up consisted of Simon Austin on guitar and backing vocals, Angie Hart on lead vocals, Tim O'Connor on bass guitar (later rep ...
guerrillas detonated a bomb inside the restaurant Max und Moritz, in the seaside resort of
Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located within ...
, wounding three of her sailors. ''Abraham Lincoln''s maiden Western Pacific deployment came unexpectedly on 28 May 1991 in response to
Operation Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
/
Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases ...
. The ship had the staffs of Commander, Carrier Group Three, Rear Admiral Timothy W. Wright, and
Destroyer Squadron 9 In navy, naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a Naval fleet, fleet, convoy or Carrier battle group, battle group and defend them against powerful short range attack ...
embarked, as well as
Carrier Air Wing Eleven Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier .Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive histor ...
erupted on
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
Island in the Philippines. In support of
Operation Fiery Vigil Operation Fiery Vigil was the Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) emergency evacuation of all non-essential military and U.S. Department of Defense civilian personnel and their dependents from Clark Air Base and U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay dur ...
, ''Abraham Lincoln'' led a 23-ship armada that moved over 45,000 people from the
Subic Bay Naval Station Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles, about the size of Singapore. Th ...
to the port of
Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
in the
Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands ( Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
. It was the largest peacetime evacuation of active military personnel and their families in history. One baby was born onboard ''Abraham Lincoln'' during the evacuation; his mother named him Abraham Lincoln Prestera. After Fiery Vigil, ''Abraham Lincoln'' steamed toward the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
, to run reconnaissance and
combat air patrol Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...
s in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
, assisting allied and US troops involved with Desert Storm. In early 1992, the ship was at
Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
on Ship's Restricted Availability for minor maintenance and refitting. From June 1993, ''Abraham Lincoln'' was the flagship of Commander, Carrier Group Three. In October 1993, the carrier was ordered to the coast of
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...
to assist UN humanitarian operations. For four weeks, ''Abraham Lincoln'' flew air patrols over
Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
in support of
Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...
. ''Abraham Lincoln'' was to be the first Pacific Fleet carrier to integrate female aviators into the crew after the Combat Exclusion Laws were lifted on 28 April 1993. The ship left
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
on 24 October 1994, to begin refresher training. The next day, Lieutenant Kara Spears Hultgreen, the first female
F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experi ...
pilot, died when her plane crashed into the sea. Her F-14 suffered a
compressor stall A compressor stall is a local disruption of the airflow in the compressor of a gas turbine or turbocharger. A stall that results in the complete disruption of the airflow through the compressor is referred to as a compressor surge. The severity of ...
as she made her final approach, losing power to one of the engines. She aborted the landing to the best of her ability in an effort to prevent a collision with the aft end of the ship and the plane inverted and went into the ocean. Radar intercept officer Lieutenant Matthew Klemish ejected safely from the plane and was rescued from the water minutes later, but Hultgreen, who was automatically ejected 0.4 seconds after Klemish, rocketed straight into the ocean and was instantly killed. Her body, still strapped in the ejection seat, was recovered 19 days later. ''Abraham Lincoln''s third deployment began in April 1995 when she was sent to the Persian Gulf and took part in
Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
and in
Operation Vigilant Sentinel Operation Vigilant Sentinel was a response to Saddam Hussein advance of its military forces on the border with Kuwait. The United States deployed the 74th Air Control Squadron to Kuwait on August 24, 1995. The specific battle management functi ...
. During an underway replenishment, ''Abraham Lincoln'' was run into by , when the latter had steering difficulties due to a split rudder, impacting ''Sacramento''s port side, crushing the M-frames, partially crushing a female crew berthing area, and punching a large hole in ''Abraham Lincoln''s superstructure (TACAN room). ''Abraham Lincoln'' was able to continue on with her mission, while ''Sacramento'' had to dock at Jebel Ali, UAE, for several weeks for repair.


Operation Infinite Reach

''Abraham Lincoln'' began a fourth deployment in June 1998. Once again, the ship headed for the Persian Gulf in support of operation Southern Watch. During this deployment, the ''Abraham Lincoln'' carrier battle group launched
Tomahawk cruise missiles The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations. Under contract fr ...
against two sites. The first was a Sudanese pharmaceutical factory suspected of assisting
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until his death in 2011. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, his group is designated ...
in making chemical weapons. The second was Bin Laden's terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. These strikes were ordered by President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
13 days after terrorists bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and was codenamed Operation Infinite Reach. ''Abraham Lincoln'' was awarded the
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces, which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after ...
, and ''Abraham Lincoln'' carrier battle group the
Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...
ribbon for their participation.


2000s

The carrier's fifth deployment commenced in August 2000, when ''Abraham Lincoln'' again traveled 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 The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...
. 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. The carrier was put to sea on 20 July 2002 to support
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...
. She took up station once more in support of Operation Southern Watch before taking a port visit to
Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
. During this time, ''Abraham Lincoln'' was ordered to the Persian Gulf to take part in
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
. This forced the Navy to extend ''Abraham Lincoln''s stay from 20 January 2003 to 6 May 2003. The news of this extension was delivered to the ship's crew on New Year's morning by the then battlegroup commander, Rear Admiral Kelly, with the phrase, "We don't need to be home holding our loved ones, we need to be here holding the line. Get over it!" The term "Get over it" became the running joke aboard ship, which eventually led to a deployment patch made aboard that read "Westpac 2003 CVN-72 CVW-14 GET OVER IT" with an image intended to depict an admiral kicking a sailor in the groin. ''Abraham Lincoln'' and the carrier battle group and airwing helped deliver the opening salvos and air strikes in Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the airwing's deployment, some 16,500 sorties were flown and 1.6 million pounds of ordnance were used. Sea Control Squadron 35 (VS-35), the "Blue Wolves", was instrumental in delivering over of fuel to these strike aircraft, one of the largest aerial refueling undertakings by a carrier aviation squadron in history. The carrier returned home in May 2003, in the process receiving a visit from President George W. Bush before officially ending ''Abraham Lincoln''s deployment by docking at San Diego before returning to homeport in Everett, Washington. Bush stated at the time that this was the end to major combat operations in Iraq. While this statement did coincide with an end to the conventional phase of the war, Bush's assertion—and a sign displayed during his visit—became controversial after guerrilla warfare in Iraq increased during the
Iraqi insurgency Iraqi insurgency may refer to: * Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War ** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency ** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008), multi-sided civil war in Iraq * Iraqi insurgency (2 ...
. The vast majority of casualties, both military and civilian, occurred after the speech. The
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
said their services constructed the banner. As explained by Cmdr. Conrad Chun, a Navy spokesman, "The banner was a Navy idea, the ship's idea. The idea popped up in one of the meetings aboard the ship preparing for her homecoming and thought it would be good to have a banner, ' Mission Accomplished.' The sailors then asked if the White House could get the sign made. ... The banner signified the successful completion of the ship's deployment," Cmdr. Chun continued, noting that ''Abraham Lincoln'' was deployed 290 days, longer than any other nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in history. This record would later be broken in 2020. In June 2004, following a 10-month docking period, the ship put to sea for the start of working up prior to deployment. During this period, a film crew was hosted aboard to produce scenes for the film ''
Stealth Stealth may refer to: Military * Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles ** Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology **Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** St ...
'', which included the presence of a full-scale model of a fictional aircraft, the F/A-37 Talon, that would feature as operating from the carrier. On 1 October 2004, the carrier's controlling formation was redesignated from Cruiser-Destroyer Group Three to
Carrier Strike Group Nine Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 (COMCARSTRKGRU 9 or CCSG 9) is res ...
. ''Abraham Lincoln'' departed for her next voyage on 15 October 2004. The carrier was on a port call in Hong Kong when the 9.0-magnitude
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time ( UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern ...
struck southern Asia on 26 December 2004. To help with the international relief effort and assist with search and rescue efforts already underway, ''Abraham Lincoln'' deployed to the hard-hit western coast of
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
to provide humanitarian assistance. The deployment was designated
Operation Unified Assistance Operation Unified Assistance was the American military's humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. On 28 December 2004, elements of the Combined Support Force were deployed to U-Tapao International Airport in Thailand ...
. ''Abraham Lincoln''s Air Transportation Office coordinated the flow of supplies into the region, and the carrier provided air traffic control for the relief effort. Sailors from ''Abraham Lincoln''s Engineering Department Repair Division designed a potable water manifold to help bring fresh water to Aceh Province, Sumatra, with the system beginning to ship the much-needed fresh water on 4 January. In total, Carrier Strike Group Three delivered of relief and humanitarian supplies, including of food and of medical supplies, during Operation Unified Assistance. Carrier Strike Group Three received the
Humanitarian Service Medal The Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) is a military service medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created on January 19, 1977 by President Gerald Ford under . The medal may be awarded to members of the United States military (inclu ...
in recognition of its humanitarian assistance/
disaster response Disaster response is the second phase of the disaster management cycle. It consists of a number of elements, for example; warning/evacuation, search and rescue, providing immediate assistance, assessing damage, continuing assistance and the immed ...
(HA/DR) efforts during the OUA mission. In mid-January 2005, the carrier left
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
n waters after the Indonesian government refused to allow fighter pilots assigned to ''Abraham 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, ''Abraham Lincoln'' continued to provide support to the region until 4 February. During the carrier's 33 days on station, she, along with her battle group,
Carrier Strike Group Nine Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 (COMCARSTRKGRU 9 or CCSG 9) is res ...
delivered 5.7 million pounds of relief supplies. The 17
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...
s assigned to HSL-47 Saberhawks and HS-2 "Golden Falcons", attached to CVW-2 flew 1,747 relief missions along the western coast of Sumatra. The carrier's departure coincided with the arrival of the hospital ship . Between 7 March – 27 May 2005, ''Abraham Lincoln'' underwent a docking planned incremental availability yard overhaul at
Naval Station Everett Naval Station Everett (NAVSTA Everett) is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homepor ...
, Washington, and following subsequent sustainment training, the carrier underwent an additional planned incremental availability at NS Everett between 28 June and 26 August 2005. Between 1 and 23 June 2005, ''Abraham Lincoln'' and Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) trained in the northern Pacific, conducting their quarterly Integrated Strike Group (ISG) Sustainment Training cycle. ''Abraham Lincoln'' carried out surge sustainment training for the Fleet Response Plan, fleet replacement squadron carrier qualifications, and Joint Task Force Exercise 2005 in southern Californian waters between 19 October and 16 November 2005. For JTFEX-05, ''Abraham Lincoln'' and Carrier Air Wing Two were joined by the guided-missile cruiser ; the guided-missile destroyers and , and
Carrier Strike Group Seven Carrier Strike Group Seven (CSG-7 or CARSTRKGRU 7) was a U.S. Navy carrier strike group active from October 2004 until 30 December 2011. The strike group's antecendants included two previous aircraft carrier formations, Carrier Division Seven an ...
led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier . On 18 December 2006, ''Abraham Lincoln'' left the dry dock at the shipyard ahead of schedule and under budget. The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility completed ship tank maintenance in less than half the scheduled time. In 89 days, 18 tanks were completed. The Tank Value Stream Team achieved this by partnering with Ship's Force and the ''Abraham Lincoln'' Project Team. While in dry dock, the whole ship was painted by the crew at nights and on weekends rather than waiting for contractors to do the job. On 5 January 2006, the carrier ''Abraham Lincoln'' departed her homeport of Everett, Washington, and transited to San Diego, California, for a scheduled underway period to undertake sustainment training exercises and post-refit inspection by the US Navy's
Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a United States Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess the material condition of U.S. Navy vessels. The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virgin ...
. ''Abraham Lincoln'' completed her additional sustainment training in southern Californian waters 21–24 February 2006. The refit was completed on 26 March 2007, when Rear Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk assumed command of Carrier Strike Group Nine from Rear Adm. Bill Goodwin. On 29 August 2006, the carrier ''Abraham Lincoln'' arrived at
Naval Base Kitsap Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state, created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor. It is the home base for the Navy’s fleet throughout ...
in
Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...
, and on 8 September 2006, the carrier entered Dry Dock No. 6 at the
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted u ...
to begin a scheduled Docked Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) yard maintenance period. Major projects for this DPIA included the refurbishment of ship tanks, work on three of the four catapults, modernization of navigation systems, resurfacing of the flight deck, and updates to the ship's
local area network A local area network (LAN) is a computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a residence, school, laboratory, university campus or office building. By contrast, a wide area network (WAN) not only covers a large ...
. ''Abraham Lincoln'' also received installation of the
RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the German, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, South Korean, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Mexican, UAE, and U.S. Navies. It was origin ...
system, which improved the ship's close-range defensive capabilities. On 18 December 2008, ''Abraham Lincoln'' left dry dock ahead of schedule and under budget because the PSNS and IMF yard teams were able to cut the time of ship tank maintenance by more than half, completing 18 tanks in 89 days. The aircraft carrier ''Abraham Lincoln'' held a fast cruise from the pier from 23 to 25 June and left Puget Sound on 26 June to conduct sea trials before returning to her homeport of Naval Station Everett, Washington, on 30 June 2007. ''Abraham Lincoln'' underwent flight deck carrier qualifications while sailing in southern Californian waters 12–15 July 2007. F/A-18E Super Hornets and F/A-18C Hornets from strike squadrons VFA-137 and VFA-151 joined
VX-23 Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) is an aviation unit of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, United States. The squadron was established on 22 July 1995. Using the tail code ''SD'', the squadron o ...
test pilots performed precision approach drills to ensure that the ship's equipment, such as the Precision Approach Landing System, operated within close tolerances, with SH-60B Seahawks from squadron HS-2 providing search and rescue capabilities during flight operations. On 20 August 2007, ''Abraham Lincoln'' and embarked
Carrier Air Wing Two Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier . Subordinate units CVW-2 consists of 9 Squadrons History 1940s-50s Origi ...
completed their 25-day Tailored Ship's Training Availability (TSTA) and Final Evaluation Problem (FEP) training period off southern California. TSTA is designed to prepare the ship and crew for full integration into a carrier strike group, and FEP is a graded 48-hour evolution to evaluate how well the units learned during TSTA. ''Abraham Lincoln'' and embarked CVW-2 aircraft conducted over 1,000 fixed-wing sorties. ''Abraham Lincoln'' completed five replenishments-at-sea evolutions, including two with the
fleet replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...
, and participated in 18 general quarters (GQ) drills. Also, on 13 August, ''Abraham Lincoln'' tested her defensive capabilities when she fired four RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow missiles, with two of them at BQM-74E Chukar remote-operated aerial target drones. Carrier Strike Group Nine's
Composite Unit Training Exercise COMPTUEX, or Composite Training Unit Exercise, is a rehearsal each US Navy Carrier Strike Group performs before departing for deployment. Each ship and aircraft in the battle group trains in its specialty; COMPTUEX brings ships together to project ...
featured 24 sailors from Mobile Security Squadron 2 (MSRON-2), Helicopter Visit, Board, Search and Seizure Team 1, a first for West Coast-based U.S. Navy ships. MSRON-2 Team 1 specializes in boarding noncompliant ships at sea in the dead of night, detaining the crew if necessary, and identifying suspected terrorists or subjects of interest, using the element of surprise afforded by helicopter insertion, night vision equipment, and state-of-the-art biometrics. MSRON-2 Team 1 was established in 2004 at
Norfolk Naval Shipyard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility th ...
in
Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...
, and it was the first team of its kind to reach operational status. Also, on 11 November 2007, an HH-60H Seahawk helicopter from squadron HS-2 crashed while operating from the ship about from San Diego. Rescuers successfully pulled all seven crewmembers from the water. Between 3 and 30 January 2008, Carrier Strike Group Nine conducted antisubmarine exercises and Joint Task Force Exercise 03-08 (JTFEx 03-08) off southern California. On 16 January,
Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
Donald C. Winter visited the strike group's flagship, ''Abraham Lincoln''. On 20 January, a NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft was deployed from
NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen (E-3A Component) is located near Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the main operating base of the NATO Boeing E-3 Sentry Component, one of two operational elements of the NATO Airborne Early Warning ...
, Germany, with a multinational crew aboard for JTFEx 03-08, defended Carrier Strike Group Nine from a simulated air attack (30 January). ''Abraham Lincoln'' began a planned incremental availability maintenance cycle at the
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...
in Bremerton, Washington, on 16 April 2009. The objective of this cycle is to refurbish ''Abraham Lincoln''s shipboard system to meet the anticipated 50-year service life of the ship, including an upgraded local area network system. Beginning 1 December 2009, ''Abraham Lincoln'' began daily flying squad, general quarters, and integrated training team drills in preparation for her first underway period following the ship's current maintenance cycle.


2010

On 13 January 2010, the carrier completed upgrades and repair that cost $250 million at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The carrier was to be assigned to
Carrier Strike Group Nine Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9 or CARSTRKGRU 9) is a U.S. Navy carrier strike group. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpower ashore. Commander Carrier Strike Group 9 (COMCARSTRKGRU 9 or CCSG 9) is res ...
. On 3 February 2011, the ship was awarded the
Battle Effectiveness Award The Battle Effectiveness Award (formerly the Battle Efficiency Award, commonly known as the Battle "E"), is awarded annually to the small number of United States Navy ships, submarines, aviation, and other units that win their battle effectiveness c ...
for high standards of excellence and combat readiness. On 9 December 2010, the US Navy officially announced that
Naval Station Everett Naval Station Everett (NAVSTA Everett) is a military installation located in the city of Everett, Washington, north of Seattle. The naval station, located on the city's waterfront on the northeastern end of Puget Sound, was designed as a homepor ...
, Washington, was the new homeport for , replacing ''Abraham Lincoln'', which would be undergoing a scheduled refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News shipyard in Virginia, which is slated to begin in 2013.


2011

On 1 March 2011, the news media reported that the US Navy had awarded Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News a US$206.7 million option under a previously awarded contract to plan ''Abraham Lincoln''s RCOH. The planning contract covered the design, documentation, engineering, advanced material procurement, inspections, fabrication, and support work for ''Abraham Lincoln''s RCOH, with more than 1,000 employees supporting this planning phase. Additional funding for the RCOH was pending the passage of the
U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...
's Fiscal Year 2011 budget appropriations by the U.S. Congress. Upon authorization, ''Abraham Lincoln''s RCOH was anticipated to begin in 2013, and is scheduled to take between three and four years to complete at an estimated overall cost of US$3 billion. On 1 August 2011, the US Navy announced that ''Abraham Lincoln'' would shift homeport from Everett, Washington, to
Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the U ...
, for a scheduled RCOH in August 2012. The ship departed Everett for the deployment that would take the carrier around the world to Newport News in December 2011.


2012

From 6–10 January, accompanied by guided missile cruiser , ''Abraham Lincoln'' visited the
Gulf of Thailand The Gulf of Thailand, also known as the Gulf of Siam, is a shallow inlet in the southwestern South China Sea, bounded between the southwestern shores of the Indochinese Peninsula and the northern half of the Malay Peninsula. It is around in le ...
port of
Laem Chabang Laem Chabang ( th, แหลมฉบัง, ) is a port city municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') in Si Racha and Bang Lamung districts of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It includes Thung Sukhla subdistrict (''tambon'') and parts of subdistricts Bu ...
. During the visit,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia
GDMA
provided husbanding services, for which the Navy was billed $884,000. In November 2013, federal prosecutors charged that the Navy had been overbilled more than $500,000. On 22 January 2012, the US Navy announced that ''Abraham Lincoln'' had entered the Persian Gulf "without incident." The deployment through the Straits of Hormuz came at a time of escalating tensions with Iran. ''Abraham Lincoln'', accompanied by a strike group of warships, was the first U.S. aircraft carrier to enter the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
since late December 2011 and was on a "routine rotation" to replace the outgoing . The departure of ''John C. Stennis'' prompted Iranian army chief Ataollah Salehi to threaten action if another carrier passed back into the Persian Gulf, saying, "I recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf. ... We are not in the habit of warning more than once," The US dismissed the warning. In June, the actors, crew and producers of the film, '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'' attended an unconventional preview screening for the over eighteen hundred sailors aboard the namesake vessel of the 16th president. The event marked the first time a major motion picture had its debut screening for troops deployed in the Middle East.Archived a
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''Abraham Lincoln'' transited the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popula ...
northbound on 16 July 2012 and the
Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar ( ar, مضيق جبل طارق, Maḍīq Jabal Ṭāriq; es, Estrecho de Gibraltar, Archaic: Pillars of Hercules), also known as the Straits of Gibraltar, is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Medi ...
on 26 July 2012 en route to the United States. On 7 August 2012, ''Abraham Lincoln'' arrived at Norfolk Naval Station following an eight-month deployment to the US Navy's 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility, in preparation for the
Refueling and Complex Overhaul In the United States Navy, Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) refers to a lengthy refitting process or procedure performed on nuclear-powered naval ships, which involves replacement of expended nuclear fuel with new fuel and a general maintenance f ...
(RCOH) at Newport News.


2013

On 8 February 2013, the
U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secur ...
announced that the scheduled mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul intended for ''Abraham Lincoln'' would be postponed pending the resolution of the upcoming
budget sequestration Budget sequestration is a provision of United States law that causes an across-the-board reduction in certain kinds of spending included in the federal budget. Sequestration involves setting a hard cap on the amount of government spending with ...
. This budget shortfall would not only affect ''Abraham Lincoln''s refueling of her nuclear propulsion plant, but it would also delay the next scheduled mid-life complex overhaul involving forward-based in Yokosuka, Japan, as well as the de-fueling of the recently deactivated . By March 2013 Naval ship maintenance and overhaul budget issues had been addressed enough such that ''Abraham Lincoln''s RCOH had been confirmed and the ship was made ready to tow over to
Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and sole designer, builder and refueler of United States Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Nav ...
. By mid-March she had been towed over and docked, and the RCOH work had begun.


2014

On 3 October 2014, Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding said that its workers had transferred a 30-ton anchor from ''Enterprise'', the Navy's first and oldest nuclear carrier, to be installed aboard ''Abraham Lincoln'' during that week. The transfer was a result of an anchor replacement on ''Abraham Lincoln'' coinciding with the withdrawal of ''Enterprise'', preserving the anchor rather than it being
scrapped Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...
with the rest of the ship.


2017

On 9 May 2017, ''Abraham Lincoln'' got underway for sea trials, following the four-year refueling and complex overhaul. More than 2.5 million man-hours of work were conducted aboard the ship, including refueling the reactors, upgrading ship's infrastructure and modernizing combat systems and air wing capabilities to increase combat effectiveness. On 12 May 2017, ''Abraham Lincoln'' was redelivered to the fleet. On 8 September 2017 ''Abraham Lincoln'' was deployed with and to provide aid to Florida following the
Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...
disaster. The vessels joined already on station.


2018

On 2 August 2018, it was announced that ''Abraham Lincoln'' would return to San Diego as part of a home port shift for three carriers, thus returning her to the Pacific Fleet. At the end of August 2018,
VFA-125 Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125), also known as the "Rough Raiders", is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The "Rough Raiders" are a Fleet Replacement Squadron flying the F-35C ...
began operating from ''Abraham Lincoln'' as an integrated part of
CVW-7 Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. At the moment, CVW-7 is assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush. The tail code of aircraft assigned to CVW-7 is AG. Mis ...
, the first time that the F-35C had operated integrated cyclic operations, simulating the full spectrum of planned operations. Also in August, a movie crew was aboard filming flight deck operations and flying sequences for the sequel '' Top Gun: Maverick'' off the coast of Virginia.


2019

On 1 April 2019, ''Abraham Lincoln'' and
Carrier Strike Group 12 Carrier Strike Group Twelve (CSG-12 or CARSTRKGRU 12) is one of four U.S. Navy carrier strike groups currently assigned to the United States Fleet Forces Command. Carrier strike groups gain and maintain sea control as well as project naval airpow ...
departed Norfolk for a six-month deployment that will end with a shifting of homeport to
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
. On 9 April she arrived in the
United States Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixth Fleet in ...
area of operations, where she would operate in the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
before proceeding to the Persian Gulf, then the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
and the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...
, before heading across the Pacific Ocean to her new homeport in San Diego. On 5 May 2019 this deployment was diverted to the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
due to tensions with
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and headed to the Persian Gulf. Her transit was expedited by omitting a port visit to
Split, Croatia )'' , settlement_type = City , anthem = ''Marjane, Marjane'' , image_skyline = , imagesize = 267px , image_caption = Top: Nighttime view of Split from Mosor; 2nd row: Cathedra ...
. On 23 April 2019, ''Abraham Lincoln'' was reported to have operated simultaneously along with ''John C. Stennis'' in the Mediterranean Sea, the two carrier strike groups' operations including more than 130 aircraft, 10 ships, and 9,000 sailors and marines, according to the press release published by the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US 6th Fleet. The operations were observed from the aircraft carrier by
U.S. Ambassador to Russia The ambassador of the United States of America to the Russian Federation is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the United States of America to the Russian Federation. Since September 4, 2022, Elizabeth Rood is serving as the ...
, Jon Huntsman and Admiral James Foggo, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and
Allied Joint Force Command Naples Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) is a NATO military command based in Lago Patria, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after effectively redesigning its predecessor command, Allied Forces So ...
. While aboard, Huntsman said: "Diplomatic communication and dialogue coupled with the strong defense these ships provide demonstrate to Russia that if it truly seeks better relations with the United States, it must cease its destabilizing activities around the world." In October 2019, it was revealed that ''Abraham Lincoln''s Middle East deployment would be extended due to an electrical malfunction on .


2020

''Abraham Lincoln'' arrived in her new homeport in San Diego on 20 January following a record-breaking 295 days at sea, the longest post-
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
era deployment for a US carrier, breaking her own record in the process. On 18 December, the Navy announced Captain Amy Bauernschmidt would take command of ''Abraham Lincoln'' in following summer of 2021, the first time a woman will command an aircraft carrier.


2021

Captain Amy Bauernschmidt, who previously served as the carrier’s executive officer from 2016 to 2019, relieved Captain Walt Slaughter at a change of command ceremony in San Diego on 19 August. On 31 August, an
MH-60S Knighthawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificati ...
helicopter, embarked aboard ''Abraham Lincoln'', crashed into the Pacific Ocean at approximately 4:30pm ( PST) while conducting routine flight operations, approximately off the coast of San Diego. Five crew members were killed while one was rescued during subsequent search and rescue operations.


2022

On 4 January, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) became the first Marine Corps F-35C squadron to be deployed on an aircraft carrier. On 21 May, ''Abraham Lincoln'' steamed into
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...
to relieve . The ''Abraham Lincoln'' carrier strike group is scheduled to participate in
RIMPAC RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held ...
2022. On 11 November, ''Abraham Lincoln'' hosted a college basketball game on her deck between
Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...
and
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...
, won 64–63 by Gonzaga. The carrier suffered a minor fire that injured 9 sailors on 29 November. The cause is unknown and an investigation was launched.


Gallery


See also

*
2003 Mission Accomplished Speech The Mission Accomplished speech (named for a banner displayed above the speaker) was a televised address by United States President George W. Bush on the aircraft carrier USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' on May 1, 2003. Although Bush stated at ...
*
List of aircraft carriers This list of aircraft carriers contains aircraft carriers listed alphabetically by name. An aircraft carrier is a warship with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft, that serves a ...
* List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy *
Modern United States Navy carrier air operations Modern United States Navy aircraft carrier air operations include the operation of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft on and around an aircraft carrier for performance of combat or noncombat missions. The flight operations are highly evolved, bas ...


References


Sources

* USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' (CVN-72) command histories –
Naval History & Heritage Command The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. ...

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2001

2002

2003

2004
* g


External links

*

* Story Archive – U.S. Navy
USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' (CVN-72)


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham Lincoln (Cvn-72) Nimitz-class aircraft carriers 1988 ships Cold War aircraft carriers of the United States Aircraft carriers of the United States Nuclear ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Newport News, Virginia Abraham Lincoln