USS Abraham Lincoln ( CVN - 72 ) USS " Abraham Lincoln " ( CVN - 72 ) , is the fifth in the United States Navy . It is the second Navy ship named after former President Abraham Lincoln . Her home port is Norfolk , Virginia , and she is a member of the United States Atlantic Fleet . She is administratively responsible to Commander , Naval Air Forces Atlantic , and , operationally , she is currently the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Nine and host to Carrier Air Wing Two . Ship history . Construction . " Abraham Lincoln " s 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 . She cost $ 4 . 726 billion in 2010 dollars . 1990 to 1999 . " Abraham Lincoln " was transferred to the Pacific in September 1990 performing Gringo - Gaucho with the Argentine Naval Aviation during her transit . From 4 October , " Abraham Lincoln " formed CTG 24 . 8 in company with ; 6 October transit with , " Doyle " in company . Her maiden Western Pacific deployment came unexpectedly on 28 May 1991 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 . 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 . After Fiery Vigil , " Abraham Lincoln " steamed toward the Persian Gulf , to run reconnaissance and combat air patrol s 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 UN humanitarian operations . For four weeks , " Abraham Lincoln " flew air patrols over Mogadishu in support of Operation Restore Hope . " Abraham Lincoln " was to be the first carrier to integrate female aviators into the crew after the Combat Exclusion Laws were lifted on 28 April 1993 . The ship left San Diego on 24 October 1994 , to begin refresher training . The next day , Lieutenant Kara Spears Hultgreen , first female F - 14 Tomcat pilot , died when her plane crashed into the sea on final approach due to a combination of engine malfunction and pilot error . " Abraham Lincoln " ' s third deployment began in April 1995 when " Abraham Lincoln " was sent to the Persian Gulf , where the ship assisted in Southern Watch and in Operation Vigilant Sentinel . During an underway replenishment , " Abraham Lincoln " was run into by when " Sacramento " 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 " Sacramento " s superstructure ( TACAN room ) . " Abraham Lincoln " was able to continue on with her mission while " Sacramento " had to dock at Jebel Ali , U . A . E . for several weeks for repair . Later that year , a supposed transcript of an exchange between " Abraham Lincoln " and a Canadian lighthouse was widely disseminated on the Internet . The Navy has officially denied it occurred , but it continues to circulate . Operation Infinite Reach . " USS 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 Carrier Strike Group Nine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles against two sites . The first was a Sudanese pharmaceutical factory suspected of assisting Osama Bin Laden in making chemical weapons . The second was Bin Laden ' s terrorist training camps in Afghanistan . These strikes were ordered by President Clinton thirteen 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 , and " USS Abraham Lincoln " Battle Group the Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon for its 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 . 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 . She 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 Perth , Western Australia . It was during this time that " Abraham Lincoln " was ordered to the Persian Gulf to take part in Operation Iraqi Freedom . 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 , RADM 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 her deployment , some 16 , 500 sorties were flown and 1 . 6 million pounds of ordnance used . Sea Control Squadron 35 ( VS - 35 ) , the " Blue Wolves " , was instrumental in delivering over 1 million pounds 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 , WA . 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 the sign itself — became controversial after guerrilla warfare in Iraq increased during the Iraqi insurgency . The vast majority of casualties , both military and civilian , have occurred since the speech . The White House 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 its 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 the Abraham Lincoln was deployed 290 days , longer than any other nuclear - powered aircraft carrier in history . On 1 October 2004 , the carrier ' s controlling formation was redesignated from Cruiser - Destroyer Group Three to Carrier Strike Group Nine . " 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 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 to provide humanitarian assistance . The deployment was designated Operation Unified Assistance . " Abraham Lincoln " s Air Transportation Office ( ATO ) 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 ( OUA ) . Carrier Strike Group 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 Indonesia 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 and her battle group , Carrier Strike Group Nine delivered 5 . 7 million pounds of relief supplies . The 17 helicopter 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 " Mercy " . Between 7 March – 27 May 2005 , " Abraham Lincoln " underwent a docking planned incremental availability ( DPIA ) yard overhaul at Naval Station Everett , Washington , and following its subsequent sustainment training , the carrier underwent an additional planned incremental availability ( PIA ) at NS Everett between 28 June – 26 August 2005 . Between 1 – 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 ( FRP ) , fleet replacement squadron carrier qualifications ( CQ ) , and Joint Task Force Exercise 2005 ( JTFEX - 05 ) 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 led by the nuclear - powered aircraft carrier . On 18 December 2006 , " Abraham Lincoln " left dry dock at the shipyard ahead of schedule and under budget . The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility ( PSNS & IMF ) 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 partnering with Ship ’ s Force and the 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 its homeport of Everett , Washington , and transited to San Diego , California , for its scheduled underway period to undertake its sustainment training exercisies ( SUSTAINEX ) and post - refit inspection by the US Navy ' s Board of Inspection and Survey ( INSURV ) . " Abraham Lincoln " completed its additional sustainment training in southern Californian waters between 21 – 24 February 2006 . The refit was completed 26 March 2007 , when Rear Adm . Scott Van Buskirk assumed command of Carrier Strike Group Nine ( CSG 9 ) from Rear Adm . Bill Goodwin . On 29 August 2006 , the carrier " Abraham Lincoln " arrived at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton , Washington , and on 8 September 2006 , the carrier entered Dry Dock No . 6 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility ( PSNS & IMF ) 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 ( LAN ) . " Abraham Lincoln " also received installation of the RIM - 116 Rolling Airframe Missile ( RAM ) 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 PSNS & IMF yard team was 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 between 23 – 25 June and left Puget Sound on 26 June to conduct sea trials before returning to its homeport of Naval Station Everett , Washington , on 30 June 2007 . " Abraham Lincoln " underwent flight deck carrier ( FDC ) Qualifications while sailing in southern Californian waters between 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 test pilots performed precision approach drills to ensure that the ship ’ s equipment , such as the Precision Approach Landing System ( PALS ) , operated within close tolerances , with SH - 60B Seahawks from squadron HS - 2 providing search and rescue ( SAR ) capabilities during flight operations . On 20 August 2007 , " Abraham Lincoln " and embarked Carrier Air Wing Two 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 ( RAS ) evolutions , including two with the fleet replenishment oiler , and participated in 18 general quarters ( GQ ) drills . Also , on 13 August , " Abraham Lincoln " tested its 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 ) featured twenty - four Sailors from Mobile Security Squadron 2 ( MSRON - 2 ) , Helicopter Visit , Board , Search and Seizure ( HVBSS ) Team 1 ( " pictured " ) , a first for West Coast - based U . S . Navy ships . MSRON - 2 Team 1 specializes in boarding non - compliant 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 HVBSS Team 1 was established in 2004 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth , Virginia , and it was the first team of its kind to reach operational status . Also , on 11 November 2007 , n HH - 60H Seahawk helicopter from squadron HS - 2 crashed while operating from the ship approximately from San Diego . Rescuers successfully pulled all seven crewmembers from the water . Between 3 – 30 January 2008 , Carrier Strike Group Nine ( CARSTRKGRU 9 ) conducted antisubmarine exercises ( USWEx ) and Joint Task Force Exercise 03 - 08 ( JTFEx 03 - 08 ) off southern California . On 16 January , Secretary of the Navy 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 ( AWACS ) aircraft was deployed from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen , Germany , with a multi - national crew aboard for JTFEx 03 - 08 , and it defended Carrier Strike Group Nine from a simulated air attack ( 30 January ) . " Abraham Lincoln " began its planned incremental availability ( PIA ) maintenance cycle at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ( PSNS ) in Bremerton , Washington , on 16 April 2009 . The objective of this PIA yard period 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 ( GQ ) , and integrated training team ( ITT ) drills in preparation for its first underway period following its 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 . On 3 February 2011 , The ship was awarded the Battle Effectiveness Award for its high standards of excellence and combat readiness . On 9 December 2010 , the US Navy officially announced that Naval Station Everett , Washington , was the new homeport for the , replacing " Abraham Lincoln " , which would be undergoing its 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 $ 206 . 7 million USD 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 ' s Fiscal Year 2011 budget appropriations by the U . S . Congress . Upon authorization , " Abraham Lincoln " s RCOH was anticipated to begin in 2013 , and it is scheduled to take between three and four years to complete at an estimated overall cost of $ 3 billion USD . On 1 August 2011 , the US Navy announced that " Abraham Lincoln " will shift its homeport from Everett , Washington , to Newport News , Virginia , for its Refueling and Complex Overhaul in August 2012 . The ship departed Everett for the deployment that would take it around the world to Newport News in December 2011 . 2012 . 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 . The Lincoln , accompanied by a strike group of warships , was the first U . S . aircraft carrier to enter the Gulf since late December 2011 and was on a " routine rotation " to replace the outgoing . The departure of the Stennis prompted Iranian army chief Ataollah Salehi to threaten action if another carrier passed back into the 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 . " Abraham Lincoln " transited the Suez Canal northbound on 16 July 2012 and the Strait of Gibraltar 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 her Refueling and Complex Overhaul at Newport News . 2013 . On 8 February 2013 , the U . S . Department of Defense announced that the scheduled mid - life Refueling and Complex Overhaul intended for the " Abraham Lincoln " would be postponed pending the resolution of the upcoming budget sequestration . 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 the 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 " Lincoln ' s " RCOH had been confirmed and she was made ready to tow over to Newport News Shipbuilding . By mid - March she had been towed over and docked , and the RCOH work had begun . 2014 . On Friday 3 October 2014 , Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding said that its workers had transferred an anchor from , the Navy ' s first and oldest nuclear carrier , to be installed aboard " Lincoln " during that week . This was due to one of the " Lincoln " ' s 30 - ton anchors needing replacement ; the withdrawal of " Enterprise " allowed one of her anchors to be made available rather than being scrapped with the rest of the ship . In popular culture . In the 2003 movie The Core , " Abraham Lincoln " insignia are worn by the officers aboard the " Nimitz " - class aircraft carrier leading the search for the subterranean vessel " Virgil " , although the credits indicate the carrier is the . Sources . USS " Abraham Lincoln " ( CVN - 72 ) command histories – Naval History & Heritage Command