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USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN is the fifth ship in the NIMITZ - class of nuclear powered aircraft carriers and the third ship in the Navy named after former US President Abraham Lincoln.

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Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.

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• Click here to see which USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN memorabilia are currently for sale on ebay.

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USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Cruise Books:

• Commissioning Cruise Book 1988-90
• Maiden Cruise Book 1991
• WestPac Cruise Book 1993
• WestPac Cruise Book 1995
• WestPac Cruise Book 1998
• WestPac Cruise Book 2000-01
• WestPac Cruise Book 2002-03
• WestPac Cruise Book 2004-05
• WestPac Cruise Book 2008
• WestPac Cruise Book 2010-11
• World Cruise Book 2011-12

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USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN History:

USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN was commissioned at Norfolk on 11 November 1989 and completed shakedown workups before shifting to the Pacific in 1990 by rounding South America. During the October 1990 transit, the ship conducted the bilateral "Gringo-Gaucho II" drills with Argentine naval aviation and made a Chilean port call during which a bomb explosion ashore in Vina del Mar injured several sailors on liberty (5 November 1990).

Her first Western Pacific/Indian Ocean deployment began on 28 May 1991 in the wake of Desert Shield/Desert Storm, but she was diverted to the Philippines for Operation Fiery Vigil after Mount Pinatubo's 12 June 1991 eruption. Acting as the hub of a 23-ship sealift, ABRAHAM LINCOLN ferried military families from Subic Bay to Cebu and then resumed her transit to the Arabian Gulf for post-Desert Storm reconnaissance and air defense duty through late 1991. The ship returned to homeport at Alameda for an early-1992 restricted availability.

From June 1993, ABRAHAM LINCOLN again deployed to the Gulf for Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the UN-mandated no-fly regime over southern Iraq. In October 1993, she was ordered to the Somali coast. For four weeks her air wing flew patrols over Mogadishu in support of UN humanitarian operations associated with Operation Restore Hope. After post-deployment upkeep, the carrier returned to the Gulf in April-September 1995, alternating no-fly enforcement with Vigilant Sentinel surge tasking when Iraqi forces massed near Kuwait. Liberty periods clustered around repeated visits to Jebel Ali, UAE, between late August and early September 1995.

A major industrial period followed: from late 1995 into 1996, ABRAHAM LINCOLN entered dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a six-month docking phase within a year-long overhaul. On 8 January 1997, she arrived at her new homeport, Naval Station Everett, Washington, and closed the year with local operations and preparations for another Western Pacific cruise. In June-December 1998 she returned to Fifth Fleet duty for Southern Watch; the itinerary included Australian port visits to Perth and Hobart.

The next WestPac/Indian Ocean deployment ran from 17 August 2000 to 12 February 2001, centered on Southern Watch and maritime security in the Gulf, with working port calls to Jebel Ali and seasonal logistics stops. After 11 September 2001, the ship surged again; sailing in July 2002, ABRAHAM LINCOLN supported Operation Enduring Freedom and then shifted to combat operations for the March-April 2003 opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. That extension delayed her homecoming until early May 2003. President George W. Bush delivered his 1 May 2003 address from the ship off San Diego, after which ABRAHAM LINCOLN off-loaded at North Island (2 May) and returned to Everett (6 May).

From late 2004 into early 2005, the carrier strike group was retasked from a Western Pacific itinerary to humanitarian relief off Sumatra after the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Operating off Banda Aceh under Operation Unified Assistance, ABRAHAM LINCOLN served as an aviation and air-traffic control hub for helicopter lift of relief supplies until early February 2005; she then called at Singapore on 5 February while resetting for return transit. The 2006 cycle featured a spring-summer Western Pacific deployment with combined training - Foal Eagle (ROK), a PASSEX with Hong Kong's Government Flying Service, a port visit to Laem Chabang (Thailand), Singapore logistics, Sasebo (Japan), and RIMPAC 2006 in Hawaii - followed by a docking availability at Bremerton beginning September 2006 and post-docking sea trials and qualifications in mid-2007.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN and Carrier Air Wing TWO deployed again in March-October 2008 to Fifth Fleet, flying OEF/OIF missions from the North Arabian Sea and Gulf, interleaving regional exercises (e.g., Inspired Union, Khunjar Haad) with multiple liberty periods in Jebel Ali and a Mediterranean visit to Limassol, Cyprus, before returning stateside. A shorter maintenance and training rhythm in 2009-2010 set up the next extended cruise.

A planned homeport change framed the 2011-2012 deployment. ABRAHAM LINCOLN departed Everett in December 2011; after a 6-10 January 2012 port call at Laem Chabang, she entered the Persian Gulf on 22 January amid heightened Strait of Hormuz tensions, then transited northbound through the Suez Canal on 16 July and arrived Norfolk on 7 August to stage for her mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH). The RCOH began in 2013 at Newport News; following "fast cruise" in early May 2017 and sea trials, ABRAHAM LINCOLN redelivered to the fleet on 12 May 2017.

Within months of redelivery she supported domestic disaster response: in September 2017, ABRAHAM LINCOLN operated off Florida with an embarked helicopter detachment to deliver food, water, and other aid following Hurricane Irma, then handed over to another strike group as FEMA/DOD scaled operations. Routine post-RCOH workups continued through 2018, including at-sea periods that integrated F-35C operations with the air wing during test events.

From 1 April 2019, ABRAHAM LINCOLN deployed from Norfolk on a round-the-world cruise that doubled as a homeport shift to San Diego. After Mediterranean exercises - in late April she operated alongside JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74) - rising regional tensions accelerated her movement to Fifth Fleet in May. She remained in the North Arabian Sea for months and on 19 November 2019 transited the Strait of Hormuz, before crossing the Pacific to conclude the 295-day cruise at NAS North Island on 20 January 2020.

Following sustainment and local training in 2021, ABRAHAM LINCOLN sailed again from San Diego in early January 2022 with Carrier Air Wing NINE for a seven-month Indo-Pacific deployment that mixed deterrence patrols with large exercises (Valiant Shield/RIMPAC participation elements) and port visits in the region before air wing fly-offs and redeployment on 9 August 2022.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN's next major cruise ran 11 July-20 December 2024. After initial Western Pacific operations and port events in Guam and Saipan in August, the strike group shifted to Fifth Fleet for combat sorties and maritime security tasking tied to Middle East contingencies before returning to San Diego in time for the holidays. The air wing began fly-offs on 14 December.

In 2025, ABRAHAM LINCOLN remained active in the North Pacific and completed Northern Edge 2025 in late August, marking the ship's continued role in high-end joint training while based at San Diego.

On 21 November 2025, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN departed San Diego for a scheduled deployment and conducted a replenishment-at-sea with USNS HENRY J. KAISER (T-AO 187) about 100 nautical miles southwest of San Diego on 26 November 2025, before leaving the Southern California operating area on 27 November 2025 and operating south of Oahu, Hawaii on 1 December 2025. On 11 December 2025, the carrier visited Apra Harbor, Guam for a one-day port call, followed by operations southeast of the Northern Mariana Islands through about 18 December 2025. On 24 December 2025, the strike group transited the San Bernardino Strait southbound and the Verde Island Passage westbound on 25 December 2025. The carrier then operated west of Luzon, Philippines from 26 December 2025 to 11 January 2026 and northeast of the Spratly Islands from 12 January 2026 to 15 January 2026. ABRAHAM LINCOLN transited the Strait of Singapore westbound just before midnight on 18 January 2026, the Malacca Strait northbound on 19 January 2026, and the Six Degree Channel westbound on 20 January 2026. By 26 January 2026, the strike group was on station in the North Arabian Sea off Oman, replenished with USNS CARL BRASHEAR (T-AKE 7) on 27 January 2026 and 4 February 2026, and conducted a PHOTOEX there on 6 February 2026.

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Homeports of USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN:

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About the Carrier's Name, about Abraham Lincoln:

Abraham Lincoln - born on 12 February 1809 near Hodgenville, Ky. - lived in Kentucky until the age of seven. At that time, his family moved to southwestern Indiana where they lived until 1830. During the sojourn in Indiana, Lincoln made a trip down the Mississippi to New Orleans, La., that probably provided his first face to face confrontation with slavery as an adult. In 1830, Lincoln moved to Illinois with his father's family but struck out on his own the following year. He hired on for another flatboat trip to New Orleans, and, upon his return, the promoter offered him a job in his store and mill in New Salem, Ill. Unfortunately, both businesses failed within the year. At the time when Lincoln's livelihood became precarious, Chief Black Hawk and his Sac Indians had the impertinence to try to take Illinois back from the white man. Lincoln joined the local militia company, and his personal popularity won him election to the office of captain. His lone opportunity for military distinction came to naught, however, for, to paraphrase his own words, all he ever chanced to fight were mosquitoes.

Returning to New Salem, Lincoln tried his hand at a succession of occupations - among them postmaster, surveyor, and store owner - before settling upon the unlikely choice of law. Unlikely because he had only about a year of formal schooling to his credit. On the other hand, as a youth he had learned to read, write, and to do arithmetic and had become an avid reader. In addition, the study of law in the early 19th century could be rather informal in general, and admission to the bar on the frontier was even more so. In any event, he obtained his license to practice law on 9 September 1836 and, the following year, moved to Springfield, Ill., where he became partner to his friend and legal and political mentor, John T. Stuart.

His interest in politics actually predated his legal career and, to a great extent, provided the impetus to it. He made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the state legislature soon after his return from the Black Hawk War. In 1834, however, his efforts succeeded, and he was reelected in 1836, 1838, and 1840. Active in the state Whig leadership, he was the party's candidate for speaker twice and, though defeated, served effectively as the party's floor leader. It was during this period of his life that Lincoln's misgivings about the institution of slavery took on more concrete form, and, though he lacked the fanatical zeal of the Abolitionists, Lincoln became a determined antislaver. In 1846, Lincoln ran for the United States House of Representatives and defeated his Democratic opponent. Peter Cartwright, handily. In Congress, he opposed the war with Mexico but recognized the need for unity in its prosecution and so voted for the appropriations needed to carry it out successfully. Interestingly enough, his principles with regard to the Mexican War cost Lincoln reelection in 1848. The war was very popular with the frontiersmen who had sent him to Washington.

He worked long and hard for the Whig candidate. General Zachary Taylor, during the election of 1848. When Taylor took office, however, his administration balked at making Lincoln commissioner of the General Land Office, an appointment he earnestly desired. Refusing less prominent offices in the Oregon territory, he returned to Illinois and resumed his law practice. That practice included not only cases on the local circuit but also before federal courts and the Illinois Supreme Court. Indeed, a fact often overlooked is that Lincoln established much of his reputation as a lawyer arguing important cases before higher courts.

Though he remained moderately active in the Whig party, the fire in his politics waned until 1854. When the Kansas-Nebraska Act, brainchild of Stephen A. Douglas, destroyed the Missouri Comprise and the Comprise of 1850 by allowing slavery in areas of the Louisiana Purchase previously closed to the "peculiar institution," Lincoln became an ardent exponent of free soil. The heat thus generated propelled him to seek the Whig nomination for one of Illinois' seats in the United States Senate in 1855. The following year, however, Lincoln changed party allegiance and cast his lot with the aggregation of antislavery factions that came to be known as the Republican Party. Though unsuccessful in his bid for a Senate seat in 1858, Lincoln carried out a series of debates with his Democratic opponent, Douglas, that lended him a national notoriety as an opponent of slavery. His new found prominence, coupled with the curious twist that losing the Senate seat to Douglas made him available, brought Lincoln the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 1860.

A Two-way split in the Democratic Party and the formation of the short-lived Constitutional Union Party resulted in four candidates being placed before the electorate in 1860. Lincoln won with a plurality of 40 percent of the votes cast. Within two months, seven states - South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas - left the Union out of fear that an administration stridently hostile to them was taking over Washington. Lincoln waited, then tried persuasion, but the Southern states responded by uniting into the Confederate States of America. On 12 April 1861, forces of South Carolina began a bombardment of Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor. The fort capitulated the next day. On the 15th, Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called for volunteers to put it down. Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia promptly seceded.

The story of the remaining four years of Lincoln's life is inextricably entwined with that of the American Civil War, a subject that has inspired literally thousands of volumes. Suffice it to say that his guiding principle throughout the conflict was the restoration of the country's unity. When persuasion failed, he resorted to force. Though generals failed him, his own vision and per-severence did not. Lincoln suffered a loss of popularity during the political campaign of 1864 but managed to win reelection. Consequently, he prosecuted the war to its conclusion in April 1865. The great tragedy, however, may be that the country needed him more in the aftermath of the Civil War than it did during the conflict itself. Inaugurated for his second term on 4 March 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth on 14 April while attending a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. He died the following morning and was buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Ill., on 4 May 1865.

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USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Patch Gallery:

		Click here to view more ABRAHAM LINCOLN Patches.

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Accidents aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN:

Date	Where	Events
July 27, 1989	Newport News Shipbuilding, Va.	About 300 gallons of coolant water from the ABRAHAM LINCOLN spill into the James River while the ship is docked at Newport News Shipbuilding. A shipyard spokesman terms the amount of radioactivity released as "minuscule".
November 10, 1990		A damaged landing gear forces a S-3A Viking aircraft to conduct an emergency landing on the flight deck using the crash barricade. Click here for a photo sequence of the landing.
June 29, 1991	South China Sea	Two F-14A ("201" and "205") of VF-213 are involved in a mid-air collision. One F-14 ("201") crashed into the sea, the crew was rescued, and the other aircraft diverted to Singapore.
July 8, 1991	off Sri Lanka	An F-14A ("203") of VF-213 crashed into the sea, the crew was rescued by a helicopter of HS-6.
July 9, 1991	Indian Ocean	Partial ejection aboard an A-6E of VA-95. The navigator remained 6 minutes halfway outside the canopy in the air stream until the pilot managed to land the aircraft aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The navigator survived. Click here for a detailed report of the accident including pictures and sound files.
August 24, 1991	Persian Gulf	An F/A-18 ("304") of VFA-94 crashed into the sea after catapulted off the deck. The pilot ejected and was rescued shortly afterwards. Initially, a cold cat was thought to be the reason for the accident. After the incident it was found that the aircraft had an engine failure which was believed to be caused by FOD at the time of launch. The "fodded" engine blew scrapnel into the other engine. Both engines failed and the plane crashed into the ocean after the cat launch.
July 20, 1993	Indian Ocean	An F-14 of VF-213 crashes on the flight deck whiel attempting to land aboard the ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The aircraft skids across the flight deck, with the majority of the plane ending up in the water. The pilot is killed in the accident while the Radar Intercept Officer is recovered with minor injuries. The carrier suffers minimal damage.
September 8, 1993	Persian	Two A-6 of VA-95 are lost after a mid-air collision over the northern Persian Gulf while both aircraft were returning to the ABRAHAM LINCOLN after a routine patrol mission. All four crew are recovered safely.
October 25, 1994	Pacific	Lieutenant Kara S. Hultgreen, the first woman to fully qualify as an F-14 Tomcat pilot, was killed in a training accident while attempting to land on board ABRAHAM LINCOLN. She was with VF-213 and died just 3 months after she had made her first qualifying landing in an F-14A on board USS CONSTELLATION (CV 64)
January 28, 1995	off southern California	During a Fleet Exercise in the SOCAL area of operations, a F/A-18 of VFA-22 crashes shortly after launching from ABRAHAM LINCOLN. The pilot is killed in the accident.
February 15, 1995	off southern California	During Joint Task Force Exercise 1995, a A-6 from VA-95 catches fire while at tension on the catapult. Both crewmembers are able to escape unharmed.
April 27, 1995	western Pacific	An F-14A from VF-213 crashes during a routine mission. Pilot and RIO are recovered safely.
June 5, 1995	Persian Gulf	USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN and the USS SACRAMENTO (AOE 1) collide during an underway replenishment. The LINCOLN is able to continue on her mission while the SACRAMENTO is heading for Jebel Ali, U.A.E., for several days of repairs.
September 20, 1995	central Pacific	An F-14A from VF-213 crashes during a routine mission. Pilot and RIO are recovered safely.
December 4, 1996	eastern Pacific	An F/A-18 from VMFA-314 crashes (ramp strike) during night flight deck certification on sea trials. The pilot safely ejects onto the flight deck and the plane is lost. No other injuries.
September 29, 2000	Persian Gulf	Lt. Bruce Joseph Donald of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., was killed when his F/A-18C crashed into the Gulf after the jet lost communication with the aircraft carrier soon after taking off for a routine test on carrier landings. He was assigned to VFA-25.
August 9, 2019	5th Fleet AOR	An E-2D aircraft assigned to VAW-121 strikes two F/A-18 Super Hornets on the flight deck while trying to land aboard the ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Debris from the accident further damage two other Super Hornets parked on the flight deck. The E-2D was able to go-around after the bolter (all arresting cable were missed) and divert to an undisclosed airport. No injuries were reported.

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USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN Image Gallery:

			Click here to view more photos.

The photo below was taken by Ian Johnson on January 14, 2003, and shows the ABRAHAM LINCOLN in Gage Roads, Fremantle, Australia. This was the carrier's fourth visit to Fremantle and the longest visit to the city (January 6-19) by any US Navy aircraft carrier because the stay was used for routine maintenance (primarily preservation of the flight deck).

The photos below were taken by me on July 27, 2006 (the first 3 photos) and on July 29, 2006, and show the ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Pearl Harbor, HI., after her participation in RIMPAC 2006. The LINCOLN visited Pearl Harbor July 26 - 29.

The photo below was taken by me on March 13, 2010, and shows the ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Everett, Wash.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Naval Base Norfolk, Va., on September 21, 2018.

The photos below were taken by Michael Jenning and show the ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., on December 28, 2021. On January 3, 2022, ABRAHAM LINCOLN departed San Diego on a scheduled deployment.

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