USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the fifth in the United States Navy. It is the third Navy ship to have been named after the former president Abraham Lincoln. Its home port is NAS North Island, San Diego, California; she is a member of the United States Pacific Fleet. It was administratively responsible to Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, and operationally serves as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 and host to Carrier Air Wing Nine.
Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group Abraham Lincoln is part of Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG-3). Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) is embarked. Abraham Lincoln is the flagship of the strike group, and the home of the commander of Destroyer Squadron 21.
Ships of Destroyer Squadron 21 USS O'Kane (DDG-77) – Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) – Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) – Arleigh Burke class destroyer
Squadrons of CVW-9 CodeInsigniaSquadronNicknameAssigned AircraftVFA-14Strike Fighter Squadron 14TophattersF/A-18E Super HornetVFA-41Strike Fighter Squadron 41Black AcesF/A-18F Super HornetVMFA-314Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314Black KnightsF-35C Lightning IIVFA-151Strike Fighter Squadron 151VigilantesF/A-18E Super HornetVAQ-133Electronic Attack Squadron 133WizardsEA-18G GrowlerVAW-117Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117WallbangersE-2D HawkeyeHSC-14Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14ChargersMH-60S SeahawkHSM-71Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71RaptorsMH-60R Seahawk
Ship history Construction Abraham Lincolns contract was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding on 27 December 1982. Her keel was laid 3 November 1984 at Newport News, Virginia. The ship was launched on 13 February 1988 and commissioned on 11 November 1989.
1990 to 1999 In September 1990, Abraham Lincoln was transferred to the Pacific, performing Gringo—Gaucho with the Argentine Naval Aviation during the transit. From 4 October, Abraham Lincoln formed CTG 24.8 in company with ; 6 October transit with and Doyle in company.Abraham Lincoln Command History 1990 On 5 November 1990, as Abraham Lincoln was anchored in Valparaíso in Chile, Frente Patriótico Manuel Rodríguez guerrillas detonated a bomb inside the restaurant Max und Moritz, in the seaside resort of Viña del Mar, wounding three of her sailors.
On 28 May 1991, Abraham Lincolns maiden Western Pacific deployment came unexpectedly, in response to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The ship had the staffs of Commander, Carrier Group Three, Rear Admiral Timothy W. Wright, and Destroyer Squadron 9 embarked, as well as Carrier Air Wing Eleven. She was accompanied by a seven-ship battle group.USS Abraham Lincoln Command History 1991
While heading towards 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, Abraham 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.
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, 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 was at Naval Air Station Alameda, 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 to assist United Nations humanitarian operations. For four weeks, Abraham Lincoln flew air patrols over Mogadishu in support of Operation Restore Hope.
Abraham Lincoln was 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 on 24 October 1994, to begin refresher training. The next day, Lieutenant Kara Spears Hultgreen, the first female F-14 Tomcat pilot, died when her plane crashed into the sea. Her F-14 suffered a compressor stall 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. 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.
In February 1995, while maneuvering in fog off San Diego, Abraham Lincoln accidentally entered the racing area for the 1995 Louis Vuitton Cup, causing a yacht race in progress to be canceled.
Abraham Lincolns third deployment began in April 1995 when she was sent to the Persian Gulf and took part in Operation Southern Watch and in Operation Vigilant Sentinel. During an underway replenishment, Abraham Lincoln was run into by , when the latter had steering difficulties due to a split rudder, impacting Sacramentos port side, crushing the M-frames, partially crushing a female crew berthing area, and punching a large hole in Abraham Lincolns superstructure, impacting the meteorology compartment. Abraham Lincoln was able to continue on with her mission, while Sacramento had to dock at Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, for several weeks for repair.
In June 1998, Abraham Lincoln began a fourth deployment. Once again, the ship headed for the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch. Abraham Lincoln was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and Abraham Lincoln carrier battle group the Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.
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 ship earned the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy as the most improved command in the Pacific Fleet.
Abraham Lincoln was in port during the September 11 attacks. The carrier was put to sea on 20 July 2002 to support Operation Enduring Freedom. She took up station once more in support of Operation Southern Watch before taking a port visit to Fremantle, Western Australia. During this time, Abraham Lincoln was ordered to the Persian Gulf to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This forced the Navy to extend Abraham Lincolns stay from 20 January to 6 May 2003.
Abraham Lincoln and the carrier battle group and air wing helped deliver the opening salvos and air strikes in Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the air wing'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.
In May 2003, the carrier returned home, receiving a visit from President George W. Bush before officially ending Abraham Lincolns 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. The vast majority of casualties, both military and civilian, occurred after the speech.
The White House said their services constructed the banner. As explained by Commander 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 was broken in 2020.
In June 2004, following a ten-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, 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 re-designated from Cruiser-Destroyer Group Three to Carrier Strike Group Nine. Abraham Lincoln departed for her next voyage on 15 October 2004.
On 26 December 2004, the carrier was on a port call in Hong Kong when the 9.0-magnitude 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake struck southern Asia. To help with the international relief effort and assist with search and rescue efforts already underway, Carrier Strike Group 9, led by Abraham Lincoln deployed to the hard-hit western coast of Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia to provide humanitarian assistance as part of Operation Unified Assistance. Abraham Lincolns 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 Lincolns 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 in recognition of its humanitarian assistance/disaster response (HA/DR) efforts during the OUA mission.
In mid-January 2005, the carrier left Indonesian 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 delivered 5.7 million pounds of relief supplies. The 17 helicopters 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 and 27 May 2005, Abraham Lincoln underwent a docking planned incremental availability yard overhaul at Naval Station Everett, 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.